After a year on Holafly’s monthly subscription across 8+ countries, I can safely say it’s a reliable unlimited data eSIM. But not the cheapest one out there. Here’s what I can tell you about the customer service, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares to other providers like Airalo and Saily. Plus 5-10% off when you’re ready to try it out.
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- Holafly offers unlimited data with every plan.
- Opt for the monthly subscription if you're travelling long-term.
- An Holafly eSIM gives you near-instant internet connection when you arrive.
- Strong customer service 24/7 and you can speak to a real human.
- The Always On feature gives you 1 GB of data per month no matter what.
Is an Holafly eSIM worth it?
Yes! Holafly is worth it if you want unlimited data and reliable customer service. It’s not the cheapest option on the market, but if you value quality over price, it’s well worth the price tag. I’ve been using their monthly subscription for the past year, and it’s been flawless. I give it a solid 4.5/5 — with points off only for the high cost and lack of phone number on most plans.
But you can also use Holafly for shorter trips — even just a few days. In fact, it’s one of the only eSIM providers out there that lets you choose exactly how many days you need, rather than pre-set 7, 14, or 30-day packages.
How does an Holafly eSIM work?
Basically, all eSIMs work by — and please remember I am not a tech girlie — accessing the local data network. This means you don’t need to swap out the little chip in the side of your phone to use an Holafly eSIM.
But how, you say? That’s a question for someone else. I already feel like Wi-Fi is witchcraft. All I know is that I need it.
But it’s such a luxury to arrive in a new country and be able to just tap a few buttons in your phone settings to get miraculous access to the internet.
Holafly is the best eSIM that I’ve tried in terms of functionality and customer service. More on that below.
Why I tried an eSIM in the first place
Connecting to the internet when you first touchdown somewhere new is both essential and inconvenient. Maybe you forgot to screenshot the directions or address of your Airbnb, or perhaps booking an Uber is going to save you way more money than catching a taxi.
(At Auckland airport, I was once quoted $90 for a taxi. I looked on Uber and the same trip was $40. I know the app has its issues… but 50 bucks more?!)
My arrival process always looked a little something like this:
- Screenshotting my accom’s location and/or check-in instructions.
- Connecting to airport wifi (which was not always reliable) to get directions or call an Uber.
- Using the wifi at my accom to map my way to the nearest phone store for a physical SIM card.
- Assessing the different data packages (usually while navigating a language barrier).
- Struggling to math as I get used to the local currency.
- Fumbling around with that little pointy metal thing to swap out my old SIM card.
- Accessing that sweet, sweet internet.
With an eSIM, the process is now streamlined to this:
- Installing an eSIM before getting to a new country.
- Quickly connecting to airport wifi to change some phone settings and activate it.
- Gaining access to data before I’ve even left the airport.
Is Holafly legit?
Holafly is absolutely legit. I use it myself! And if you can’t trust me, there are thousands of good Holafly reviews on Trustpilot. Their average score as of August 2026 is a solid 4.7/5.
The company is headquartered in Dublin and the website has a cute little story about the couple who founded it. Basically, they couldn’t access internet easily on vacation, and set out to make the world a better place.
Holafly pricing
So my initial Holafly eSIM review is that they aren’t particularly cheap. But the convenience factor and ability to access unlimited data make it totally worth it. Holafly is also one of the few eSIM providers that let you choose exactly how many days you need it. So you’re not paying for unused time like others with pre-set 7, 14, or 30-day plans. It’s more customizable.
And it still might be cheaper than a local phone plan, depending on where you travel. For example, at home in New Zealand, I pay about 40 NZD for my monthly phone plan with 10 GBs. By comparison, a 30-day eSIM with Holafly costs 75 USD — ahh! (Remember, it’s unlimited data, though.)
According to JD Powell/CNBC, the average monthly phone bill in the US is $144. In that case, the 75 USD eSIM on Holafly seems pretty cheap.
Holafly Plans subscription
They also have Holafly Plans, which is a monthly, auto-renewing subscription with global access and unlimited data for $65. I use it and I love it. My eSIM works as soon as I land no matter where I go. So check it out if you’re on an extended trip.
I’ve written a detailed review of how Holafly Plans works and what my experience has been like over the past year. And you can get an extra 10% off Holafly Plans for the first 12 months with my (kinda long) code: RUNAWAYTRAVELLER at check out.
Holafly's "Always On" feature
One thing I really appreciate about Holafly is the Always On perk. It gives you 1 GB of emergency backup data every 30 days for free. It activates automatically if your plan expires or even if you cancel. If the eSIM is still installed, you have access to that 1 GB per month.
It’s not meant for streaming or anything major, but it’ll keep you covered for when you need important stuff like maps, messages, or topping up your plan. One of the main benefits of any eSIM is the safety of staying connected, so this is an added layer of protection.
Holafly customer service
Overall, Holafly’s customer service has been really good in my experience. And I’ve been using the eSIM for well over a year now and have only had to contact customer service a couple of times. I used to give them kudos for their very human approach, but it has changed and so has my honest opinion.
The customer service is friendly. And in a world becoming increasingly run by robots, I really appreciate their human customer service.
Holafly has jumped aboard the AI train. That alone isn’t an issue for me, but I don’t like that their robot tries to fool you into thinking it’s a human — big points off there.
Their AI bot “Emma” has a human profile photo, a green active bubble, and even a fake location. Emma “joins the chat.” Nowhere does it announce it’s an AI. I didn’t realize it was a robot until it did such a bad job of understanding my question that I had to ask, and only then did it say yup I’m a robot, I’ll pass you over to a human.
But that said, the customer service used to be more streamlined and it was easier to get in touch with a real person. So I’m really not a fan of this change, and I’ve told them as much. Hopefully they’ll be more transparent about the robots at the very least. Anyway, once you get through to a human everything is fine and they’re very helpful.
Holafly's customer support agents
Before “Emma” came into the picture, I contacted support just to get some clarity on whether Holafly would work in Borneo. Some eSIMs that cover Malaysia and Indonesia don’t actually work on the island, but Holafly does! (Can confirm — used it myself when exploring Borneo for 2 months.) The eSIM even worked in Brunei.
It was quicker to get through to a person, and once I did everything went very smoothly. The real human I spoke to was very helpful and casual, even starting our chat off with a silly GIF.
Would I use Holafly again?
Holafly is definitely the best eSIM I’ve tried, so it’s my current go-to for international trips. The only downside is that I can’t make calls, though I just call people on WhatsApp and FB Messenger.
But there are bound to be a couple occasions where you want to make a reservation over the phone or call a landline, and most eSIMs just doesn’t let you do that. (However, ETravelSim, aloSIM, and Roamless offer texting and/or calling. It’s becoming more common and maybe Holafly will add it to their list of benefits, too.)
Holafly vs Airalo vs Saily: Which eSIM is better?
I’ve tested all three eSIM providers, and the differences are clear: Holafly is best for unlimited data, Saily is budget-friendly, and Airalo isn’t worth it due to reliability issues and poor reviews.
Overall functionality
Airalo seemed good at first and was fine for a short trip, but issues started to arise when I tried to use it for three-months in South Africa. It worked for the first month, then freaked out when I went to top-up 30 days. The support team and I never found a solution, and they wouldn’t refund me. (Though I did get credit after a lot of back and forth.)
My Saily eSIM didn’t work for about 8 hours when I first switched it on, but once it kicked in it was perfectly fine. The ad-blocker was a nice perk, and their monthly subscription plan comes with perks like airport lounge access, but doesn’t offer unlimited data like Holafly does.
So far, my Holafly eSIMs have all worked perfectly. The set up was super easy with step-by-step guides and images. Downloading an eSIM may be a liiiiittle bit confusing the first time you do it because there are a few settings to adjust, but I promise it becomes clear.
Customer service
Airalo sent me long lists of dizzying, poorly-formatted instructions. Holafly’s instructions were soooo much easier to read.
That said, I’ve never had any major issues to troubleshoot with Holafly, and I’ve never had to ask for a refund. So I can’t totally weigh in on what that process would look like, but it was not good with Airalo.
Holafly does advertise a 6-month refund period where you can get your money back if you don’t end up needing to use the SIM card, so that’s a good sign!
Read more: Is an Airalo eSIM Worth It? My Honest Review
Pricing
Saily and Airalo’s prices are about on par, while the major difference with Holafly is its unlimited data. Yes, it’s more expensive, but you get what you pay for. You’ll never have to worry about downloading, streaming, maps, etc. when it’s unlimited.
Here’s an example of how the pricing stacks up for an eSIM in New Zealand. Accurate as of August 2026.
- Saily: 30 days, 10 GB — 24 USD
- Airalo: 30 days, 10 GB — 24 USD
- Holafly: 30 days, unlimited GBs — 74 USD (or 65 USD with a subscription)
If you have no idea how many GBs you might use on your trip, Holafly has a handy data usage calculator. If you’re a low data user, you might find this unlimited data eSIM is overkill.
But for me, I really hate being like, “Oh nooo, I can’t use Google Maps because it’ll drain my data. What if I run out?” So the fact that every Holafly option is unlimited, I’m like, sign me tf up.
Referral/points programs
Holafly has the Travel Club and offers you 500 coins (€5) for every person you refer and gives them a 5% discount. Holafly also has a cash back system where you’ll get “Hola Coins” when you buy an eSIM to use towards a future purchase.
Saily uses a simple 5-for-5. Refer a friend and they’ll get a $5 USD discount, and you’ll get $5 USD credit to use towards your next eSIM purchase.
Airalo will give you $3 USD of credit for every friend you refer, and gives them $3 off their first purchase, too. The credit is called “Airmoney” and you can put it towards your next purchase.
Holafly pros and cons
While the pros certainly outweigh the cons, here are some things to consider before you give Holafly a whirl. But look, it’s honestly pretty low risk, so I say go for it!
Pros
- You can activate it as soon as you arrive in a new country. Convenient af.
- Every plan comes with unlimited data. You just pay for the number of days you need it rather than trying to predict how much data you’ll use.
- It’s easier to dodge scams. If you have an eSIM pre-organized, you won’t be desperate to buy the first real SIM you see. They’re often sold for more than they’re worth if you get one at the airport.
- You don’t even need to remove your home SIM card. Holafly works once you adjust the settings to use the eSIM as the default. No messing around with the little pokey tool or a chip.
- You get 5% off any eSIM in any destination if you use my code! And who doesn’t love a good discount?
Cons
- Holafly only provides data, not a local phone number. This can be important if you need to set up 2FA with a phone number, or want to call a landline for any reason. If you need a number, look into aloSIM. It works with Hushed to offer free calling and texting.
- Cell service isn’t always as strong as with a local SIM. I found the cell reception pretty good overall, but when we were driving through a rural area of New Zealand, my partner had access to data in a few patches where I didn’t.
*Updating this to say I’ve also experienced it where Holafly had better service than my local SIM card in Canada. So it really just depends on what network you’re connected to.
- Their new AI customer service isn’t very transparent. I really don’t like that their AI chat bot “Emma” pretends to be a human.
Naomi Lai
Naomi is a Canadian travel editor and writer with 13 years of international travel across Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, New Zealand, and beyond. She covers everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel — always from personal experience.
More about Naomi →
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