How Much Data Do You Need for Umrah? GB by Day and Trip

Umrah isn't a sightseeing holiday. Much of the day is spent in prayer, when the phone sits in a pocket, and the moments that use data are short: landing and finding the driver, walking back to the hotel from a Haram gate, sending photos home, the video call after Isha. The one thing that changes the total a lot is video calls.

Below, we build an Umrah day from published carrier estimates, show the sums, and turn them into totals for common trip lengths and for families. Nobody publishes an official figure, so treat these as estimates and check your own use after the first day. The method is the same as in our guide to how much data you need abroad. Our Saudi eSIM is data only: no Saudi number, calls or SMS, so your Pakistani SIM stays in the phone.

How much data do I need for Umrah?

A light Umrah day of WhatsApp messages, maps, Nusuk and photos uses about 0.3 GB, so a 15-day trip needs roughly 5 GB if video calls go over hotel Wi-Fi. A daily 30-minute video call on mobile data adds about 2 to 11 GB over 15 days, depending on call quality, so plan on 10 to 20 GB.

The range is wide because video-call estimates differ so much. Verizon puts a video call at about 254 MB an hour (Verizon); Telstra says a one-to-one call can use up to 1.5 GB an hour (Telstra). Over 15 days, 30 minutes a day is 15 × 127 MB = about 1.9 GB at Verizon's figure, or 15 × 750 MB = about 11.3 GB at Telstra's. Where you make that call, and at what quality, decides your pack size more than anything else.

What uses mobile data on an Umrah trip?

Nusuk, WhatsApp chat and voice notes, maps and ride apps use little. Photos add up slowly. Video calls, streaming and reels are what use the most data. Nusuk works without a data plan only on local Saudi SIMs, so on a travel eSIM it comes out of your allowance, though no official figure says how much.

On Nusuk: in August 2025 the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, with stc, Mobily and Zain, made the app usable without a data plan for people on local SIM cards, covering Rawdah permits, Haramain train tickets and Nusuk maps (Pilgrim Experience Program). It says nothing about travel eSIMs or roaming, so expect Nusuk to use your normal data. Careem and Uber don't publish a figure either; booking a ride is mostly a map on screen, so we count it with maps.

How much data does each day of Umrah use?

A Haram day with your video calls on hotel Wi-Fi uses about 0.3 GB. Arrival, transfer and departure days use about 0.5 GB, because of extra messages, maps and ride apps, and a ziyarat day about the same. A 30-minute video call on mobile data adds 0.1 to 0.75 GB to any day.

How we built each day, using the top of each source's range (Telstra 75 MB an hour for browsing and chat, Verizon 34 MB for 30 minutes of voice calls, BT 120 MB an hour for maps, Verizon 5 MB a photo):

Arrival, transfer and departure days

These are the busy days: messages to whoever is meeting you, a ride app or the group bus, maps to the hotel. If you install the eSIM in Pakistan before you fly, it's ready to connect when you land, and the pack's days start only then.

The Haramain train

The Haramain High Speed Railway stops at Makkah, Jeddah (Al-Sulimaniyah and the airport), King Abdullah Economic City and Madinah (Haramain High Speed Railway). Asharq Al-Awsat reported in May 2024 that the Makkah to Madinah journey takes about 135 minutes (Asharq Al-Awsat). We found no official information on mobile coverage along the line, so don't count on streaming on the train; an hour of reels there would add up to about 850 MB on its own (Smarty).

How many GB do I need for a 7, 10, 15, 21 or 28-day Umrah?

Multiply your daily use by the days. A light user needs about 2.1 GB for 7 days, 4.5 GB for 15 and 8.4 GB for 28. A normal user, with a daily video call and some reels, needs about 8 to 15 GB for 10 days and 12 to 22.5 GB for 15.

"Normal" is a light day plus a 30-minute video call and 30 minutes of reels on mobile data; "heavy" adds an hour each of video calling, reels and standard-definition video. Both profiles come from our data-abroad guide. The light column rounds 279 MB a day up to 0.3 GB, so it runs a little higher than the worked example below, which uses the exact day figures. For light users, add about 0.2 GB for each travel or ziyarat day. The trip lengths are examples: the one-year multiple-entry Umrah visa launched in July 2026 allows up to 90 days' stay in total (Pilgrim Experience Program), so check your own visa and package.

A worked 15-day example

Fly to Jeddah, seven nights in Makkah, the train to Madinah, five nights there, then fly home from Madinah. That's 3 travel days, 2 ziyarat days and 10 Haram days.

As of November 2026 our Saudi packs come in 7-day and 30-day lengths, so for any Umrah longer than a week choose a 30-day pack at or above your total. Packs available today:

Is 5 GB enough for Umrah?

For light use, yes, for up to about two weeks: our 10-day estimate is 3.8 GB with video calls on hotel Wi-Fi, and a 15-day trip comes to about 5.2 GB. A daily video call on mobile data changes that: it takes a 15-day trip to at least 7 GB, so choose 10 GB or more.

The sums: a light 10-day trip with 3 travel days and 2 ziyarat days is 10 × 279 MB + 1,025 MB extra for the busy days = 3,815 MB, about 3.8 GB. The 1.2 GB left in a 5 GB pack covers about nine 30-minute video calls at Verizon's estimate (127 MB each), but only one or two at Telstra's higher estimate (750 MB each). Stretch the same light pattern to 15 days and it reaches about 5.2 GB, just over the line. So 5 GB suits a light user on a trip of up to about two weeks who makes long calls on hotel Wi-Fi. If you can't be sure of Wi-Fi, take the next size up.

How much data do parents and families need on Umrah?

Add up each person's use: a hotspot doesn't make data go further. Two parents on light use need about 0.6 GB a day, about 9 GB for 15 days. Add an adult child who video calls daily and it becomes 1.4 to 2.1 GB a day, or 21 to 31.5 GB for 15 days.

One phone sharing its data by hotspot works while everyone stays together. If the family will split up, for example men and women going to different prayer areas, give each phone its own eSIM, because a hotspot only reaches people nearby. Our Umrah eSIM guide has the hotspot steps and a section on buying for parents. Whatever you choose, install and test the eSIM on your parents' phones at home, on Wi-Fi, before the flight.

Can I rely on hotel or Haram Wi-Fi in Makkah and Madinah?

Use hotel Wi-Fi for long video calls, but don't plan your data around it. We found no official information on hotel Wi-Fi speeds in Makkah or Madinah, or on Wi-Fi inside the two mosques in 2026. Ask your agent whether Wi-Fi is included, test it on the first night, and keep some mobile data spare.

Two practical points:

• The family call. Schedule the long video call for the hotel, after Isha, rather than from the courtyard. That single habit is the difference between scenario A (about 5.2 GB) and scenario B (up to 16.5 GB) in the 15-day example.
• Nusuk. It works without data only on local Saudi SIMs (Pilgrim Experience Program). Book what you can at home or on hotel Wi-Fi, and screenshot your permits.

How can I make my data last for the whole Umrah?

Turn on WhatsApp's Data Saver for video calls, send photos in Standard quality, stop media downloading on mobile data, and switch on your phone's data saver. Download Makkah and Madinah in Google Maps, remembering that offline maps can't give walking directions. Then check your use after the first day.

The menu names below are from each company's help pages, checked on 3 November 2026; they can differ with your phone model and software version.

1. WhatsApp video calls. During a one-to-one video call on mobile data, turn on Data Saver: the video you receive drops to a lower quality. It doesn't apply on Wi-Fi, group calls or voice calls. "Use less data for calls" is under Settings > Storage and data (WhatsApp Help).
2. WhatsApp photos and videos. Before sending, tap the HD icon and choose Standard quality, which WhatsApp says uses less data (WhatsApp Help). Set Media auto-download to Wi-Fi only (WhatsApp Help).
3. Instagram. Turn on Data Saver under Data usage and media quality; on Android you can also set High Resolution Media to Wi-Fi only (Instagram Help).
4. Your phone's data saver. On iPhone, Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > tap the travel line > Low Data Mode, which turns off Background App Refresh and automatic downloads (Apple Support). On Samsung, Settings > Connections > Data usage > Data saver (Samsung US).
5. Offline maps, with one catch. Download Makkah and Madinah in Google Maps before you fly. Offline maps still show the downloaded area and can give driving directions inside it, but Google says they give no walking or transit directions (Google Maps Help), so walking routes to a Haram gate still need data. Save your hotel as a pin and screenshot it.
6. Check after day one. On iPhone, Settings > Cellular shows how much each app used (Apple Support); on Samsung, Settings > Connections > Data usage > Mobile data usage (Samsung US). If you're over your daily budget, move calls to Wi-Fi.
7. Keep your Pakistani SIM off data. Leave data roaming off on the Pakistani line so it can't run up roaming charges; our guide to keeping your WhatsApp number abroad shows the settings.

If you're weighing a Jazz, Zong or Ufone roaming bundle instead, our roaming vs eSIM comparison lists each bundle's GB, and every current pack is on the Saudi Arabia eSIM page.