Because the page only computes what you typed. If the invoice adds a damage waiver, delivery, an airport handling fee, or bills from the day the box was dispatched, the real figure will be higher. The fix is to correct the daily rate and the day count to match how that shop actually bills, then read the result again.

There is no fixed number, because the crossover depends on that shop's daily rate and on plan prices for that country, both of which vary widely. The direction is what generalises: the more devices online simultaneously and the tighter the group travels, the more the result leans to the rental. Enter your trip's real figures and find your own crossover.

Not always. Sharing has to be permitted by that particular plan, which its detail page states, and even when it is, you are limited by the host phone's battery and by everyone staying in range. If your group splits up often, sharing from one phone hits the same wall as carrying one rented box.

Two workable routes: have a supported handset buy a hotspot-friendly plan and let the others connect through it, or use pocket wifi for that group specifically. Before deciding, check each phone with our device page or look for an EID line on the handset itself, since the same model sold in different regions can differ.

Size the data first, then take the price of a plan of that size for the country you are visiting. Entering the price of a plan that is too small tilts the comparison unfairly toward eSIM, because in practice you would end up buying more mid-trip.