I love a travel gadget, but I hate wasting money. When I heard about eSIMs I knew I had to try one. I was like, if they’re really as convenience as they sound, this will be a game changer. So I tried Airalo.
Do I think the Airalo eSIM is worth it?
Sorry to be annoying, but the answer is yes and no.
I don’t think it’s a great solution if you’re staying somewhere for more than a week, but it can be super handy for when you first arrive in a new country. I used one for the first time on my three-day stopover in Qatar and it served its purpose beautifully. When I downloaded one again for a 3 month trip in South Africa, and it wasn’t so successful. And that’s when I found our Airalo’s customer service wasn’t great. More on this below.
But overall, my advice is to download an eSIM before you arrive in the country so you can active it at the airport. Just get the cheapest one, something like 1 GB you can use for 7 days. That’ll give you enough time to get settled and find a better long-term solution.
From their website
Why I wanted to try an eSIM
A friend I met in Bucharest recommended I try out an eSIM and raved about Airalo. He’d been on an extended trip and used eSIMs in every country he visited. My experiences connecting to local networks over the past several months had been very different.
My process typically looked like this:
- Taking screenshots of my Airbnb or hotel’s location and check-in instructions
- Connecting to airport wifi to get directions
- Finding the place and checking in
- Searching for the nearest cell store
- Fumbling my way through the local language or trying to interpret data package options on a brochure
- Doing mental math because I’m in a new country with a new currency
- Successfully getting a SIM card (and maybe over paying for it)
His process looked like this:
- Downloading an eSIM before getting to a new country
- Activating it on arrival
- Successfully using the eSIM
Me, happy and thriving because my phone is working
My experience with Airalo
In Qatar
So I used my first Airalo eSIM in Qatar. I paid for and downloaded it a couple of days before we arrived. As soon as we got to the airport, I could connect to the wifi and “active” my SIM. The instructions were super easy and just involved tapping a few buttons in the settings app. I was blown away by how fast everything was.
In South Africa
We then went to South Africa for 3 months and I used Airalo again. It was just as easy to install and activate the eSIM but the network reception was really hit and miss. I chalked that up to South Africa’s infrastructure and made do with what I had.
After my third top-up, it worked for like 24 hours before it started getting wonky. I didn’t just have a weak network or a brief drop in signal, I had 0 bars. OR it would show I had 5G and full bars, but nothing would load. I hadn’t done anything to my settings so it didn’t make sense.
Airalo customer service
I contacted Airalo, and they gave me a list of instructions that were not super easy to read. I sent them a bunch of screenshots but didn’t have time to find a solution because I had limited access to wifi. I contacted them later and never heard back. When I contacted them the third time… I sent my first message at 3:30pm and they didn’t respond until 2:45am. In that timeframe, I’d given up and gone to get a physical SIM the old-fashioned way.
I’d only used 0.5 GBs of the 10 GB I paid for, and asked for a refund, but they refused. It was only $26 USD, but I think that sucks.
After some back and forth, they finally agreed to give me credit. That’s better than nothing and seemed reasonable enough, so I thanked them for the offer… But getting that “offer” was like pulling teeth.
These instructions made me like 😵💫
Would I use Airalo again?
Well, since they gave me credit, I guess I have to now, don’t I? Lol.
Seeing as it went so well the first time, I would totally consider downloading it again so I can get access to data as soon as I land in a new country. Having immediate cell signal is more convenient, can help you use navigation or translation apps, and is a lot safer!
I’d never rely on Airalo as a long-term solution, but it’s worth using for a few days while you get settled in and figure out which cell provider you want to go with.
It was also significantly cheaper for me to get a real SIM in South Africa.
Airalo: $26 USD for 10 GBs over 30 days.
MTN: $8 for 20 GBs over 30 days.
Obviously my one friend loved it enough to recommend it, so it can’t be that bad. Overall, I think it’s worth giving it a shot to see if it works for you. Pretty low risk.
If you want $3 off for signing up, here’s my referral code. (I know I haven’t exactly sold it as miracle travel tech, but aye, $3 is $3, and we both get $3.)
Airalo pros and cons
Pros
- You can activate it as soon as you enter the country. (As long as you have wifi, so like train station or airport wifi works.)
- You don’t have to compare providers or avoid scams. When we got off the ferry in Albania, there was a woman selling Vodafone SIMs for the equivalent of $60, just hoping new arrivals wouldn’t be familiar with the currency or the normal price, I guess. I later went into the store and got one for $20. If you have an eSIM in, you won’t be desperate to buy the first real SIM you see.
- You don’t need to bring your passport or proof of address. Some countries don’t have tourist SIMs and may have stricter rules for regular SIMs that make it hard for you to get one. eSIMs are made for travelling.
- You get $3 for signing up and $3 if you refer your friends. Not a significant pro, but still a pro.
Cons
- You don’t always get a phone number. This can be important if you need to set up 2FA or even just want to call a restaurant to make a reservation or something. This is another reason I think it’s fine for a couple days, but if you’re staying longer you should just get a real SIM.
- Customer service was meh. Not to be a total Karen, but they pointed me to their terms and conditions for why I couldn’t get a refund, and I found this buried in there and sent it back to them, which is when they decided they actually could give me credit:“6.1.11. Other Reasons: If the refund request is not within the above, we will investigate the request on a case-by-case basis.” Just including this as a little helpful nugget if you’re ever in need of a refund.
- Cell service might not be as good as with a local SIM. My Airalo eSIM was technically through Vodacom, which is one of the more widespread and reliable cell companies in South Africa, but the service was still very hit and miss (even before it full on stopped working).
Have you tried an eSIM before? How was your experience? Do you have suggestions for something better than Airalo? Let me know in the comments!
Great information! Thank you for this review. I found it very helpful and, even though its not perfect, I will definately try Airalo the next time I am travelling.