Traveling Korea as a group of 2 to 4: how many eSIMs do you need?

How many Korea eSIMs does a group need?

Buy one for each person who might go off on their own during the day. On Kedanto's Korea prices of 27 September 2026, sharing one person's eSIM over hotspot is cheaper for every group size and trip length we checked. For two people, though, the saving is only ₩3,900 to ₩6,900 ($2.90 to $5.12). On a 5-day trip, two 5GB total plans (₩6,900 or $5.12 each) come to ₩13,800 ($10.24), while one 10GB total plan shared between you costs ₩9,900 ($7.34). Four people on the same trip pay ₩27,600 ($20.48) for separate plans or ₩15,900 ($11.78) for one 20GB plan, a difference of ₩11,700 ($8.70). The catch is that everyone has to stay near the phone running the hotspot all day. On 14 September 2026, all 15 Kedanto Korea product pages list hotspot as "Allowed". Prices in this post are in Korean won as listed, followed by the US dollar price the English pages show, because PayPal charges in USD rather than KRW.

What does each option cost by group size and trip length?

For two people the gap is ₩3,900 to ₩6,900 ($2.90 to $5.12). For three or four it's ₩4,800 to ₩17,700 ($3.58 to $13.14). The table assumes each person uses 2 hours of maps, 1 hour of social media and 1 hour of web a day. That's the example on the first screen of Kedanto's data calculator, and with its 15% margin it comes to about 0.65GB per person per day. "One each" is the calculator's first pick with "People using this eSIM (including you)" set to 1. "One shared" is its first pick with that number set to the whole group. In the 3-day rows, 3GB and 5GB cost the same (₩6,900, $5.12), so the calculator picks the larger 5GB plan first for "one each". Prices are from Kedanto's Korea plans page on 27 September 2026.

The calculator picks a plan as long as your estimate fits inside it, but a plan that's 98% used on paper runs out on the first day you post a few extra photos. Move those rows up one size and the answer changes. Three people for 5 days on a 20GB plan (₩15,900, $11.78) still save ₩4,800 ($3.58) against ₩20,700 ($15.36) for separate plans. Three people for 10 days on a 50GB plan (₩32,900, $24.38) pay ₩3,200 ($2.36) more than buying one each (₩29,700, $22.02). In the 7-day rows, even a single person uses 92% of a 5GB plan. Daily plans don't appear in the table because under the same assumptions they never cost less than a total-data plan. Two people sharing for 5 days, for example, would pay ₩14,900 ($11.04) for 2GB a day. How many GB one person needs is covered in our post on days and data.

Should a couple share one eSIM?

Share if you'll be together the whole time. If either of you will spend time apart, buy one each. For two people the saving is ₩3,900 to ₩6,900 ($2.90 to $5.12) on 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-day trips. On Kedanto's Korea prices of 27 September 2026, ₩3,900 ($2.90) is less than the price of the smallest plan, 1GB total (₩4,900, $3.63). While one of you is in a shop or in a different gallery of a museum, the one without the hotspot phone has no data. Two people sharing a 10GB plan for 7 days use 92% of it on paper, so a couple of days with long videos could cut you both off near the end of the trip.

Should three or four people get by on one eSIM?

The saving grows, but for four people, pairing up and buying two is the safer middle ground on the numbers. On Kedanto's Korea prices of 27 September 2026, four people on a 5-day trip pay ₩27,600 ($20.48) for one each or ₩15,900 ($11.78) for a single 20GB plan. In between, two of you can each buy a 10GB plan (₩9,900, $7.34) and share it with a partner, for ₩19,800 ($14.68). That's ₩3,900 ($2.90) more than one plan and ₩7,800 ($5.80) less than four. If the group splits into two, both halves still have data, and if one hotspot phone runs out of battery, the other pair stays connected. Four people sharing one plan for 10 days need 50GB (₩32,900, $24.38), which narrows the gap against separate plans (₩39,600, $29.36) to ₩6,700 ($4.98).

What goes wrong when a group shares one eSIM?

Anyone who walks away from the hotspot phone loses data, and the battery and the allowance all come from one phone. We checked each point below against Apple, Samsung and Google help pages and Kedanto's own pages on 14 September 2026.

• Split up and you're cut off: Apple says other devices connect by choosing the hotspot "from the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks." A hotspot is Wi-Fi from a phone near you, so whoever isn't with that phone has no maps and no messaging.
• One phone's battery does the work: Samsung US says "Mobile hotspots consume battery power and use data service." Google's Android help says to "Plug in your devices while tethering" and to turn tethering off when you're done. If the hotspot phone dies, everyone on it goes offline too.
• Everyone draws on one allowance: Kedanto's Korea plans page says a total-data plan ends when the total runs out, with no drop to reduced speed. One person watching videos on the subway uses up everyone's data.
• On a daily plan, everyone shares the slowed connection: Kedanto's data calculator says daily plans stay connected at 1 Mbps once the day's data runs out, and that at 1 Mbps maps and messaging still work but video needs a lower quality setting. Every device on the hotspot shares that one 1 Mbps connection.
• The eSIM is tied to one phone: Kedanto's support page says a QR code installs only once. If the hotspot phone is lost or breaks, you can't move the same QR code to a travel companion's phone.
• How many devices can join depends on the phone: Apple says "the number of devices that can join your Personal Hotspot at one time depends on your carrier and iPhone model," and gives no number. Google's Android help says you can share mobile data "with up to 10 other devices via a Wi-Fi hotspot."

Do kids' phones and tablets need their own eSIM?

A child who stays with a parent can join the parent's hotspot. Count them as one person in the calculator. A Wi-Fi-only tablet can't take an eSIM, so it only gets online through a hotspot or Wi-Fi. Apple says devices signed in to the same Apple Account or in the same Family Sharing group can use Instant Hotspot "to more quickly connect to each other's hotspot." Samsung says Automatic Hotspot shares the connection with devices signed in to your Samsung account or your Samsung family group (both checked 14 September 2026). A child watching standard-quality YouTube for an hour a day uses about 0.52GB by Kedanto's calculator figures (450MB plus 15%), not far from the 0.65GB a day the table assumes for each person. If an older child will go off alone and has a phone that takes eSIM, buying them their own follows the same rule.

How does someone whose phone has no eSIM get data?

If the phone has Wi-Fi, it can join a travel companion's hotspot without an eSIM. Apple says devices connect to an iPhone or iPad's Personal Hotspot over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. Google's Android help says a hotspot connects "another phone, tablet, or computer to the internet" (both checked 14 September 2026). A phone locked to a home carrier can't use a travel eSIM, but its Wi-Fi still works the same. So someone whose phone takes eSIM buys one, adds that person in the calculator, and the two of you keep to the same route. To check whether a phone takes eSIM and whether it's carrier-locked, see what to check on your phone before you buy.

Is hotspot allowed on a Kedanto Korea eSIM?

On 14 September 2026, Kedanto's Korea product pages list hotspot as "Allowed" on all 9 daily plans and all 6 total-data plans. The person sharing just turns on Personal Hotspot on iPhone, or Mobile Hotspot on Galaxy; the steps and laptop tips are in the laptop hotspot guide. Kedanto's eSIM supplier also states in its FAQ that all of its eSIMs have hotspot data sharing enabled "as enabled by the device maker" (checked 14 September 2026). The pages say nothing further about hotspot speed or how many devices can connect. Every plan is on the Korea eSIM page.

How do we decide on the number before we fly?

Open your itinerary and count the moments when the group splits. At Gyeongbokgung, does one person go to rent hanbok while the others queue for tickets? In the evening, does someone want an extra hour of shopping? Each group that splits off needs its own eSIM so you can message each other and meet up again. If you'll move as one group from start to finish, take the "one shared" price from the table and add a power bank.