I’ve tried an Airalo eSIM for a short layover and a three-month trip. What did I learn? It’s a great solution for short trips, and not as reliable for long-term travel. If you need a quick and easy internet solution for a few days or weeks, Airalo is a solid choice. Here’s everything you need to consider before trying out this app that will keep you connected when you’re on the move, and discounts you can use to get started.
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What is an Airalo eSIM?
Airalo is an eSIM provider. An eSIM works almost just like a regular SIM card (the little chip you stick in the side of your phone) to connect you to the local data network when you’re travelling. It’s a solution you can download rather than needing to get one of those pokey things to pop out the tray and exchange the physical chip.
There are several eSIM providers on the market, including Holafly, Saily, Roam, Jetpac, and many more. Airalo is the “world’s first eSIM store,” and has the widest network, providing access to cellular data in nearly every country in the world.
Is an Airalo eSIM budget-friendly?
An Airalo eSIM is always going to be cheaper than the roaming fees your home provider will charge you. But it’s still often more expensive than local SIM cards — depending on where you’re traveling. For comparison, the global average spend per gigabyte when you use roaming is $8.57, while it’s just $5.50 per gigabyte with an eSIM (per Statista. Prices in USD.)
That 3 bucks doesn’t seem like a big difference, but if you use 10 gigabytes on your trip, that’s $30! Heres’s an example of eSIM pricing in Qatar and how Airalo stacks up compared to its competitors:
For a 7-day trip:
- Airalo: $5.00 for 1 GB
- Saily: $4.49 for 1 GB
- Holafly: $36.90 for unlimited GB
For a 30-day trip:
- Airalo: $17.50 for 5 GB
- Saily: $14.99 for 5 GB
- Holafly: $112.90 for unlimited GB
It’s also available in more destinations. Like, Saily might be slightly cheaper in Qatar, but it’s not even an option in the Cook Islands, where Airalo is available.
The most notable difference with Holafly is that you get unlimited gigabytes, which might be of huge value to you if you chew through data and don’t want to keep topping up.
Get 10-15% off every Airalo eSIM you download
Because you’re reading this, I can offer you a discount on your Airalo eSIM. If this is your first time using the app, you’ll get 15% off your download if you use this link. Or put NAOM15 in the promo code box at check out.
And even if you’ve already tried Airalo before, you can always get 10% off by using this link or using promo code NAOM10. We love a good discount!
Benefits of an Airalo eSIM on a short trip
An Airalo eSIM is perfect for a short trip. In fact, I wouldn’t really recommend it for any longer than 30 days. If you’re staying in one place any longer than that, just get a 3 to 7-day SIM to get yourself set up. Then you can head to a local phone provider and get a physical SIM card. That said, here’s why Airalo is a great choice for a short trip.
Saves time when you arrive
I think my favourite feature of any eSIM is how much easier it makes your life when you first arrive in a new country. If you download it before you arrive, you can be connected to the local data network before you’ve ever pulled your luggage off the carousel. And you can do it all from the app.
Not only that, but you won’t need to waste any of your precious time tracking down a phone store. You can just focus on enjoying your trip!
I do recommend activating it as soon as you land, because — especially if it’s your first time using an Airalo eSIM — you may have to do a bit of troubleshooting. More on this at the end of the article.
Improves your safety
It’s never nice to feel slightly on edge in the back of a taxi, knowing you have no way to contact anyone if something goes wrong. Or getting lost in a new city with no access to online maps. But an eSIM solves these problems! It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, having access to the internet is simply safer.
Perfect for country-hoppers
Let’s say you’re doing a month in South East Asia and want to visit several countries. Maybe you’re going from Thailand to Laos and then back into Thailand before seeing Cambodia. Or if you have 10 days in Europe and plan to take the train from Portugal to Switzerland. It would be annoying to have to switch your eSIM every time you cross a border.
Some Airalo eSIMs cover more than just one country, with either regional or global eSIM plans. For example, there’s an option for Latin America that covers 17 countries from Mexico to Argentina. And the one that covers all of Europe encompasses 42 countries from Iceland to Turkey.
There’s a package for every major continent, and the prices don’t skyrocket just because it provides access to more countries. The Island Hopper eSIM for 26 Caribbean destinations costs $32.50 for 30 days and 5 GB.
However, the global eSIM packages are suspiciously cheap, with the highest option being just $69 for 365 days and 20 GB. (You’ll definitely use more than 20 GB in a year, but still.)
I haven’t yet tried a regional or global Airalo eSIM — just individual countries. But IMO, you’re better off using eSIMs for short-term trips. Let me know in the comments if you go for a regional or global package and how it turns out!
Helps you avoid scams
When I got off the overnight ferry from Italy to Albania, it was like 6 AM. I was tired, hadn’t handled lek — the local currency — yet, and there were several people in the ferry terminal putting SIM cards in my face. They were holding Vodafone signs and wearing Vodafone t-shirts… it seemed reasonable.
When I asked how much they were selling for, they quoted me 5,000 lek. Fortunately, I pulled out my handy currency exchange app and quickly realized that’s $60!
I obviously skipped that, and later went into an actual Vodafone store. Guess what? I got the same SIM for $20. This was about a month before I discovered Airalo, but if I’d tee’d up an eSIM before I left Italy, I could have had a connection as soon as we docked in Albania. I’m sure some unlucky tourists way over pay for scam SIM cards when they first arrive. Don’t be that guy!
Read more: Is an Airalo eSIM Worth It? My Honest Review
Cons of using an Airalo eSIM on a short trip
Here are a few challenges you might encounter when trying an Airalo eSIM on a quick trip (or any trip, for that matter).
Can be hard to navigate customer support
If there are any issues with your connectivity (which seems to be relatively common with any eSIM provider), you might have to spend time working with customer support to find a solution. In my experience, there’s no guarantee you’ll get a refund if it stops/never starts working. But you can always refer to the Airalo terms and conditions, stay polite and friendly in your communications, and hope they’ll be reasonable.
No texting/calling minutes
You won’t get any texting/calling minutes — just data. However, these days you can pretty much do everything via the internet. To circle back to what I said about safety, you can still make emergency calls with an eSIM, even though it doesn’t actually have a calling function.
Compatibility
Your Airalo eSIM may not be compatible with your phone. Make sure you check in advance! This is likely not a problem if you keep up with your tech gadgets. But if you’re still holding on to your iPhone X, you might struggle. You can check compatibility by phone model here.
If you don’t have success with Airalo, some other eSIM providers include Holafly, Saily, and Roam.
Read more: Holafly eSIM Honest Review
My experience using an Airalo eSIM in Qatar
I used an Airalo eSIM for a 3-day layover in Doha via the Qatar Airways Stopover Program. (An experience I highly recommend!)
I can’t express how nice it was to arrive at the airport, connect to the wifi, switch on my eSIM, and then have unbridled access to the internet. As it was such a short stay, my partner didn’t even bother getting a SIM at all. Instead, we both used my phone for navigation and anything else we needed, then used wifi at the hotel. For a brief trip? Perfect.
I never had any connectivity issues and it all worked a treat.
I didn’t have so much luck in South Africa, and my SIM stopped working after a month when I tried to top it up another 30 days. It’s still a mystery to me, but at least I was there for long enough that I didn’t mind going to get a physical SIM when the eSIM stopped working. It was also cheaper, which will come as no surprise with South Africa’s generally lower cost of living.
I strongly believe this tech will get better with time. It’s still relatively new! And it’s not perfect. But when it all goes smoothly, the convenience outweighs pretty much everything else.
How does an Airalo eSIM work?
An Airalo eSIM lets you activate a mobile plan without a physical card. Instead of swapping SIMs, you can switch carriers or add a new plan in the app. It lets you access a local data plan when you’re travelling without visiting a store. And you can have multiple plans on one device or choose a plan that will keep you connected throughout an entire region if you’re on an extended, multi-country trip.
One important thing to know before downloading any eSIM, is that you need to have an “unlocked” phone. It can’t be locked to any phone plan, which usually means you need to have bought it outright. This is essential because if it’s locked, you won’t be able to use an eSIM or even a physical SIM from another provider — you will have to pay for expensive roaming charges when you’re travelling.
How to activate an Airalo eSIM
The app provides really comprehensive step-by-step instructions to activate your Airalo eSIM. But you need a wifi connection to start the process and to access the guide. It should only take a couple of minutes! Just follow the photos/videos in the guide and tap all the same buttons in your settings app.
You can buy the data package before you arrive at your destination, which makes it pretty convenient to just hit the ground running.
If you feel like you’ve followed every step and have tried rebooting your phone but still aren’t connected to the local data network, try some troubleshooting and/or contact customer service.
Airalo eSIM troubleshooting tips
These are good troubleshooting tips for all eSIMs, actually. The settings you’ll have to play with are pretty much the same no matter which provider you choose. And the more you use an eSIM, the easier it becomes to figure it out on your own. However, tech is tech, so sometimes it’s still glitchy or finnicky and requires some tinkering.
- Turn your phone on and off again. Hilarious, I know, but literally works most of the time.
- Turn Airplane Mode on. Wait at least a minute before turning it off again.
- Wait. I know this one sucks, but once I was only getting LTE and couldn’t find a solution with customer service. I just left it for a couple hours and it magically had 4G when I went back to check on it.
- Make sure your software is up to date. Check for software update notifications in your settings app.
- Check out the installation guide again. They have step-by-step instructions for different devices, complete with screenshots to demonstrate the steps.
- Contact customer service. When all else fails, call in the nerds. They should be able to suggest more advanced troubleshooting methods.
Have you tried an Airalo eSIM yet? Let me know how your experience goes in the comments!