Does the Amex Cobalt include a free eSIM?

No. The American Express Cobalt Card is an American Express card, and Amex runs no cardholder eSIM program in Canada, so no complimentary travel data is attached to it at any tier.

Does the Amex Cobalt charge a foreign transaction fee?

Yes. American Express Canada states it as a conversion commission set out in your card's information box, charged on top of the rate the payment network applies. On a travel eSIM billed in US dollars that fee applies like any other foreign purchase.

What is the annual fee on the Amex Cobalt?

$15.99 per month, equal to $191.88 a year.

American Express Canada · American Express

Does the Amex Cobalt include an eSIM?

No, nothing is included

The American Express Cobalt Card is an American Express card. American Express runs no cardholder eSIM program in Canada, so there is no complimentary data attached to this card at any tier.

Where it runs out

There is no complimentary allowance on this card, so every megabyte you use abroad comes from either your Canadian carrier's roaming rate or a travel eSIM you buy yourself. The gap is the part worth planning, and it is cheaper to close than most people expect.

Closing the gap

Our Europe+ plans start at $4.99 USD, and a 10GB plan valid 30 days costs less than a single day of most Canadian carrier roaming. You keep your Canadian SIM active for calls and 2FA texts, switch data roaming off on that line, and run data over the eSIM.

Browse Europe+ plans

The card itself

Annual fee: $15.99 per month, equal to $191.88 a year
Foreign transaction fee: A conversion commission set out in your card's information box
Network tier: American Express

What it earns

On what	Rate
Eligible eats and drinks	5x Membership Rewards
Streaming	3x
Gas and transit	2x
Everything else	1x

Travel perks worth naming

Membership Rewards points transfer to Aeroplan at 1:1, so this is an Aeroplan card without the name
The 5x eats and drinks category is the richest everyday earn rate in Canada

Best for

Everyday spending, especially restaurants and groceries, feeding a flexible points balance.

Watch out

A data plan falls in the 1x bucket, and Amex has no network eSIM program, so this is the wrong card for the connectivity side of a trip on both counts.

The conditions on the eSIM benefit

Visa runs a cardholder eSIM program with GigSky and Mastercard runs one with FlexiRoam. American Express has no Canadian equivalent, so on an Amex the data is on you.
This is the single clearest reason to carry a Visa or Mastercard alongside an Amex on a trip, quite apart from the acceptance problem abroad.

Other American Express cards

These carry the same network tier, so the eSIM answer is identical. They differ on fees, earn rates and whether they charge you to spend in another currency.

Sources

Card facts were read off the issuer's own product pages and regulated disclosures on 2026-08-23. Network eSIM terms come from the program operator's own Canadian terms page, not from a rewards blog. Both operators can change or withdraw these programs without notice, so confirm before you rely on one. We sell travel eSIMs and none of these card links pays us a commission.

American Express Cobalt Card: $15.99 a month, 1X on everything else — American Express Canada
American Express Canada Membership Rewards transfer partners: 1,000 MR = 1,000 Aeroplan points — American Express Canada

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