Roaming Value Score: what you actually get for roaming
A 0-100 score for the roaming value of every Swiss mobile plan. Seven factors weighted transparently, including the absolute monthly price and the effective price per GB.
Why a dedicated roaming score?
Swiss mobile providers get creative with roaming: "Unlimited EU" with a 20 GB fair-use cap, "Unlimited Roaming" with no published threshold, a daily pass at CHF 19/GB. The marketing term often obscures what you actually get.
The Roaming Value Score (RVS) fixes this: it reduces all relevant roaming characteristics, including the effective price per GB, to a single number from 0 to 100, and shows at a glance whether a plan lives up to its marketing promise and how much roaming value per franc you get.
The score is only calculated for plans that actually offer roaming features. Switzerland-only plans (e.g. Mucho Nano) do not get an RVS, they simply stay out of the roaming comparison.
Seven components, transparently weighted
Since June 2026, the absolute monthly price counts for more (together with the price per GB, around 35% of the score). Previously, an expensive 40 GB plan could flatter itself with a low CHF/GB figure, now what you actually pay at the end of the month counts too.
Zone 1 volume
0 – 25 pointsHigh-speed data volume in EU/EFTA/UK. These 32 countries cover the bulk of trips. 60+ GB = full 25 points, 20-39 GB = 19 points, under 1 GB = 2 points.
Multi-zone coverage
0 – 10 pointsZone 2 (USA, Canada, Turkey) + zone 3 (rest of the world). Structurally valuable, since these zones are normally expensive. 10+ GB in zone 2 = 7 points; 5+ GB in zone 3 = an extra 3 points.
Roaming minutes
0 – 10 pointsIncluded call minutes while roaming. 500+ min or unlimited = 10 points, 100-499 = 6 points. Often overlooked, but critical for business travel.
Top-up honesty
0 – 10 pointsHow expensive is topping up once the included volume is used up? A lower CHF/GB means more protection. CHF 3/GB = 10 points, CHF 7/GB = 7 points, no official top-up = 0 points (risky).
Marketing honesty
−10 to +10 pointsGold standard (+10): clearly declared volume without "Unlimited" marketing speak (e.g. Digital Republic, Galaxus, spusu, GGA Maur). "Unlimited" with a fair FUP cap ≥ 60 GB = +7. "Unlimited" with FUP 40-59 GB = +5. "Unlimited" with FUP 30-39 GB = +2. "Unlimited" with a cap under 30 GB = −7 (misleading). "Unlimited" with no published cap = −10 (worst case).
Value per GB
0 – 15 pointsEffective monthly price (promo if active, otherwise base price) divided by zone 1 GB. CHF 0.50/GB = 15 points (top deal), CHF 1.50/GB = 10 points (solid), CHF 5+/GB = 4 or less. No published volume → 0 points (no price comparison possible).
Absolute monthly price
0 – 20 pointsWhat you actually pay per month, regardless of volume. Up to CHF 15 = 20 points, up to CHF 25 = 14 points, up to CHF 40 = 5 points, over CHF 50 = 0 points. This way an "Unlimited" plan at CHF 90 no longer stands out thanks to a low CHF/GB figure.
The formula
Maximum sum = 100 (25 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 15 + 20). Negative values (e.g. from a marketing penalty) are set to 0. The score always appears as a whole number.
Three example calculations
Digital Republic Flat Mobile Plus → RVS 77 (Top)
swype Surf Europe → RVS 76 (Top)
Swisscom blue Mobile S → RVS 15 (Weak for travel)
Score buckets: what does the number mean?
How does RVS differ from Deal Score and Peer Score?
| Score | Rates | Scale | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal Score | Overall plan value (price, fine print, features, flexibility) | 0 – 100 | Algorithmic from DB values |
| Peer Score | Customer satisfaction with the provider | 1 – 10 | Google + Trustpilot reviews, Bayesian-weighted |
| RVS | Roaming value (quality per franc) | 0 – 100 | Algorithmic from 6 roaming dimensions incl. CHF/GB EU |
The three scores are complementary: the Deal Score rates the whole plan (incl. CH data, contract, flexibility), the RVS focuses on the roaming dimension. A plan can have a high Deal Score (a fair Switzerland offer) but a low RVS (little roaming or poor value abroad). Both use the promo price, so they are consistent.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I see the RVS?
On every plan card with roaming features in the calculator, the RVS pill appears (e.g. "🌍 ROAMING VALUE 81/100"). In the summer roaming report, every table has its own RVS column.
Why does my plan have no RVS?
Plans without roaming features (e.g. Switzerland-only prepaid tariffs like Mucho Nano) do not get an RVS, because there is nothing to rate. Check the Deal Score for the overall value.
Why are "Unlimited Roaming" plans sometimes marked down?
When a provider promises "Unlimited" but has a fair-use cap under 30 GB in the fine print, that is misleading marketing. Such plans get an honesty penalty of -10 points. For marketed Unlimited with no published cap (e.g. only a speed throttle mentioned), it is −15 points.
Why CHF 5/GB as the top-up threshold?
CHF 5/GB matches the typical roaming pass price at Sunrise, yallo, Wingo, TalkTalk and Salt. Those who are significantly more expensive (CHF 10+/GB) get few points. Those who offer no top-up at all get 0, because once the included volume is used up there is nothing left to do but wait.
How does the value component work?
We divide the effective monthly price (promo if active, otherwise base price) by the zone 1 GB volume. CHF 24.95 / 60 GB = CHF 0.42/GB → 15 points. CHF 59.90 / 1 GB = CHF 59.90/GB → 0 points. For marketed-unlimited plans with no published cap (e.g. Mucho Europe Surf), the component gets 0 points, because the volume is unknown. In addition, since June 2026 the absolute monthly price counts separately (0–20 points), so that expensive plans cannot flatter themselves with a low CHF/GB figure.
Why does RVS use the promo price, not the list price?
The promo price is the price you actually pay at the moment of signing up. We want to show the real value, not a theoretical one. When the promo expires, the RVS is recalculated and the score adapts to the new reality.
How often is the score updated?
The RVS is recalculated automatically on every build from the DB values. When providers change their roaming terms (e.g. higher FUP caps, new zone coverage), we update the DB and the score adapts automatically.
Can I see the source code of the score?
Yes. The calculation logic is public in scripts/plans.js as computeRvsScore(). The Python port for report updates is in scripts/compute_rvs_for_report.py.
Find your roaming champion now
Filter in the calculator by "Roaming unlimited (20 GB+)" and look at the top RVS plans. You can also read more about our methodology on the how we rate page.