How much data does streaming video eat on a trip

Safe for your wallet, but the daily full-speed ceiling disappears fast at 1080p, and the throttled speed that follows usually cannot carry video.

One download costs about the same as one watch, but if you rewatch, downloading wins clearly.

Either you passed a daily speed ceiling or the local cell is congested. Remaining data and available speed are two different things.

As a guide, yes, but a bigger screen often nudges people toward a higher resolution than they would pick on a phone, without noticing. Set the resolution here to what you actually intend to watch on the tablet, not to your old phone habit.

Because a resolution label does not state the actual bitrate or codec that app uses. Two apps can both say '1080p' while sending very different amounts of data. This tool calculates from a middle-of-the-road rate, not any one app's specific figure.

The formula still multiplies the same way, but real conditions on a high-speed train often push the app to lower resolution on its own, since the signal keeps hopping cells. Real usage can end up lower than the estimate, but the picture quality suffers along with it.

It is not broken out separately. This tool calculates directly from the hours you enter. If the app you use inserts ads often, the real time the screen spends playing video runs higher than expected — round the hours up a little to allow for it.

For a safer margin, enter your expected heaviest day, such as a long flight or train night, since those days typically use noticeably more than the trip's average.