If you’re planning to escape the cold, chase winter sun, or spend the New Year holidays abroad, MTS has rolled out a seasonal offer that will matter to anyone who relies on mobile data while traveling. Their “GB Packages Abroad” service—already known for its simplicity and flexibility—is now available at 50% off on select packages. The discount covers 5 GB and 10 GB bundles, usable in dozens of popular destinations, with validity options ranging from 3 to 14 days.

The winter promotion runs from December 1, 2025, to January 15, 2026, and is clearly positioned as a holiday travel perk. If you’ve ever queued at an airport kiosk for an overpriced SIM or spent the first hour in a new country hunting for Wi-Fi, this might be the kind of straightforward roaming solution that removes friction from the trip.

What the ‘GB Packages Abroad’ Offer Includes

“GB Packages Abroad” is built for travelers who want only one thing: internet access abroad, without any billing surprises. Instead of day-by-day charges, the traveller chooses the amount of data and the validity period, pays once, activates the service, and uses it while roaming.

The simplicity is the selling point:

• Choose your data amount (1 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB)
• Choose your validity (3, 7, or 14 days)
• Activate in advance via the My MTS app or *USSD 600#
• Start using data the moment you connect to a foreign network
• No deactivation needed when you return

During the promotional window, the 5 GB and 10 GB packages come at half price—clearly targeting holiday travelers whose data consumption usually spikes thanks to navigation, messaging, booking apps, photo uploads, and video calls home.

Updated Prices for the Winter Season

Here’s how the regular pricing breaks down (before the 50% promotional discount applies to 5 GB and 10 GB):

1 GB for 3 days – 750 ₽
1 GB for 7 days – 850 ₽
5 GB for 3 days – 975 ₽
5 GB for 7 days – 1,150 ₽
5 GB for 14 days – 1,300 ₽
10 GB for 3 days – 1,650 ₽
10 GB for 7 days – 1,800 ₽
10 GB for 14 days – 1,950 ₽

The promotional prices apply at the moment of activation, and the system will only allow activation if your balance has enough funds. Travelers can activate packages even while still in Russia—or, importantly, while already abroad.

How the Service Works in Practice

Once activated, the package becomes “live” the moment your phone connects to a foreign network. The traffic is unlimited in terms of speed, meaning there is no throttling after a threshold—something many operators are still guilty of when offering roaming bundles.

If you run out of data before your package expires, the service simply ends, and your next roaming option takes over (whether that’s another GB package you’ve queued or your standard roaming rate). Interestingly, MTS lets users activate multiple packages at once. The system automatically starts with the smallest package and works upward, which can be handy for long multi-country trips.

One limitation to note: if the validity period ends before you’ve used your allocated data, the remaining GBs disappear. This remains a common constraint among roaming bundles worldwide.

Where the Package Works

Coverage is impressively broad. MTS includes 70+ destinations, from traditional holiday markets like Turkey, Thailand, the UAE, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, to long-haul and niche destinations such as Argentina, Sri Lanka, Australia, Qatar, Oman, Mongolia, Morocco, Brazil, and more.

The package stays valid even if you hop between included countries in the same day—ideal for regional trips across Europe or Southeast Asia.

If you land somewhere outside the supported list, your next active roaming product will automatically apply, or the base roaming tariff if you haven’t enabled anything else.

Compatibility With Other Roaming Options

Travelers who mix and match services won’t run into conflicts. MTS allows these GB packages to work alongside other roaming products.
For example:

• If used with Messengers While Traveling, WhatsApp and Telegram traffic comes from the unlimited messenger service first.
• If combined with a Turbo Button, the Turbo traffic is consumed first.

Once again, multiple GB packages can be active at the same time, and the system handles the order of consumption automatically.

Extra Add-Ons for Heavy Messaging Users

Since many travelers now rely almost entirely on messaging apps rather than regular calls or SMS, MTS highlights the optional “Messengers While Traveling” add-on for unlimited WhatsApp and Telegram use abroad (299 ₽ per day, only billed on days you actually use the apps).

This dual-setup—GB package + unlimited messengers—is becoming a popular roaming model across Europe and Asia.

Conclusion: How This Offer Stacks Up Against Market Trends

Compared with global roaming trends, MTS’s winter 50% discount arrives at a moment when travelers actively seek predictable, prepaid roaming options rather than open-ended pay-per-MB models. Competitors like Vodafone, Orange, Telekom, and emerging eSIM brands (Airalo, Airhub, Yesim, Nomad) increasingly push flat-rate data bundles with country lists nearly identical to MTS’s coverage.

However, while eSIM-focused players typically emphasize longer validity (often 30–180 days), MTS leans on short-term, high-flexibility packages—better suited for one-week holidaymakers rather than long-stay nomads. Where MTS gains an edge is simplicity: no configuration needed, no passport checks, and instant activation inside an app users already have.

Sources like GSMA Intelligence and Juniper Research have repeatedly highlighted the surge in prepaid travel data consumption, driven by the shift away from physical SIMs and the rise of data-only roaming. In that context, a discounted, time-boxed offer is very much aligned with global practices—especially during peak travel seasons when competition intensifies.

For travelers who don’t want to switch to an eSIM or juggle multiple local SIM cards, MTS’s winter offer is a clean, affordable, low-effort option. It won’t replace dedicated travel eSIMs for heavy data users or long trips, but for holiday travel anywhere from Austria to Australia, the combination of broad coverage and seasonal pricing makes it extremely competitive.