Please give me ideas for best eSIM for South American. My mum is travelling for 30 days and going to multiple places.
I don’t want to get a rural sim as she isn’t overly techie. I want something I can activate the day before so it’s good to go and will work consistently for data. Places needed; Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil & Chile - thank you!
I saw Lyca US finally rolled out prepaid eSIMs you can activate online and I am heading to Southern California next month to work async for a few weeks. Being able to set this up from Barcelona beforehand is a massive help and they apparently bumped their high-speed cap to 50 GB too.
Has anyone tested their network coverage around San Diego or Orange County lately? I know they run on T-Mobile, but I want to make sure the speeds are solid for upload-heavy work before I rely on it.
I bought an airalo esim for my trip based on all the recommendations here. Activated it before it before I left. Worked fine for two days then died completely. Couldn't get it back online. Tried their support and got nothing. radio silence. Now I'm reading threads and every comment is a referral code or someone pushing their affiliate link. It is important to tell what is real. I do not stream I just need maps, WhatsApp and train apps to work. I looked at nomad esim and holafly but it is the same bundle anxiety. Fixed gigs that expire before you use them or run out at the worst moment. I liked the idea of pay as you go since I travel light I do not want to think about data. Found ArriveSIM which loads a balance and burns local rates. No expiration. One sim for everywhere. A friend who flies for work uses it and swears by it. But I want to hear from people who have actually run it in France or Italy before I commit. Has anyone used it there, or is it the best travel esim that just works without needing a backup plan. My trip starts soon and I need to sort this out.
I have MintMobile and have been on the annual plan ($1/day for unlimited talk/text/data 365 days paid in one lump sum) and while living in Central America, I found the Minternational "30 day" passes w 10gb of data lasted me most of the month. They're not cheap, $20usd but basically worked well for me. Since I've been living in SEA, I've been burning through data, and these passes make no sense.
I tried Airalo and it was awful, 3x the price of Minternational Pass for a lie- says unlimited data, was throttled at 10gb.
Is the Holafly unlimited truly unlimited? I am doing a visa run to Vietnam tomorrow, and need to decide whether to buy a local esim or go w Holafly.
Any suggestions for local Sims & sellers in Da Nang? Or is Holafly the best option for me?
I compared a few eSIM providers for France, and the price difference is pretty interesting.
30-day France plans:
Saily
Alis eSIM
Holafly
Roamic
So with the discount, Alis eSIM & Roamic actually come out cheaper for both 10GB and 20GB. Saily is quite a bit more expensive, and Holafly only really makes sense if you specifically need unlimited data.
For normal travel use like Google Maps, WhatsApp, Uber, browsing, and social media, I’d personally choose a cheaper 10GB or 20GB plan instead of paying much more for unlimited.
Any other cheaper options out there? I am visiting a few European countries (hopefully this heat wave is gone soon) and really don't want to overpay.
I’m getting ready for an international trip and I’ve been looking into using an eSIM instead of dealing with roaming or buying a physical SIM when I land.
From what I understand, the main appeal is that you can set it up before the trip, land with data already working, and avoid hunting for a SIM card at the airport when you’re tired and just want to get to your hotel. That alone sounds pretty convenient.
I mostly need data for maps, WhatsApp, rideshare apps, translation, browsing, restaurant reservations, and maybe occasional hotspot use. I don’t really need a local phone number unless it’s absolutely necessary.
For people who travel internationally often, has an eSIM been reliable for you? Do you usually buy one before leaving, or wait until you arrive? Also, is it better to get one regional plan for multiple countries, or separate eSIMs for each country?
Curious what people here actually use, because every site makes it sound simple, but I’m wondering what the real experience is like once you’re actually traveling.
Heading to China next month, planning to spend 2 weeks around Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. It's my first time in China!
I am looking at esims, seen Airalo, holafly, redteago mentioned but the reviews are all over the place. I also heard some carriers ask for passport verification. Is that actually a thing?
Anyone here used esim in China recently? Which one is better?
I'm planning a Europe trip later this year and I'm trying to sort out mobile data before I leave. I'll be visiting a few countries, so I'd rather not keep buying a new SIM every time I cross a border.
I'll mostly need data for Google Maps, trains, WhatsApp, browsing, restaurant reservations, and the occasional hotspot. I'm not a heavy streamer, but I do want something that's reliable enough that I don't have to think about it while traveling.
I've looked at a bunch of travel eSIMs, but it's hard to tell which ones actually perform well across different countries and which ones just have good marketing.
For anyone who's traveled around Europe recently, which eSIM worked best for you? Did it switch between countries smoothly, and were there any unexpected speed limits, coverage issues, or activation problems?
I was also a typical SWE 9-5, used to rant with coworkers about "one day I'll start my own thing," go home, doomscroll, sleep, repeat. Classic.
Then one night I had the thought every founder apparently has at 2am: founders run 3-4 companies simultaneously and somehow survive, why am I acting like I can't build something while keeping my job.
So I picked telecom, since that's actually my domain, and decided to build a B2C eSIM platform for travelers and travel groups.
Obviously Airalo, Holafly, Saily etc already own this space and they're good at it. Good reviews, solid infra, real support teams. But they're also expensive, and honestly that's not even their fault. When you're burning money on ads, infra, and a support org, slapping a 2-3x margin on eSIMs is just the math working out.
I don't have any of that overhead. It's just me. No ad spend, no bloated infra, no team to pay yet. So I'm running on a ~1.3x margin instead, which the big guys structurally can't match right now (margin yes, infra/scale, very good but can improve a lot on that part).
Here's Kyro eSIM: https://www.kyroesim.com/
Please break it. I want the brutal reviews, not the nice ones. UX complaints, pricing complaints, feature missing complaints, "why does this button do nothing" complaints, all of it.
If you've got international travel coming up, give it a shot. I offer best pricing + 24/7 support, no asterisks.
PS: app is built, just sitting in App Store / Play Store review purgatory like the rest of us.
I’ve been comparing eSIM providers for upcoming trips and I’m trying to avoid picking based only on the cheapest price or “unlimited data” claims.
For me, the main things are simple activation, decent speeds, no roaming surprises, and having data ready as soon as I land. I came across esimx because they have country, regional, and global plans, which seems useful if you travel to more than one place.
For people who use eSIMs regularly, what do you check before buying one?
planning an Asia trip with Japan, Korea, and one Southeast Asia stop.
I keep looking at regional Asia eSIMs because they seem easier, but I’m not sure they’re the best choice if I’ll spend several days in Japan and Korea. for short stopovers, one regional plan makes sense. but for longer stays, local carrier quality seems to matter more, especially outside the main city centers.
Korea also feels a bit different if you need a local number for bookings or delivery stuff.
my rough idea is: regional eSIM for transit or 1-night stops, country-specific plan if I’m staying 4+ days.
does that sound right, or are regional Asia eSIMs reliable enough now for Japan + Korea + SEA?
Just got back from Tokyo and Kyoto. Tokyo was fine. Saturday in Kyoto I was on Navitime and Maps all day and by mid-afternoon everything crawled.
Turns out I'd already used the daily high-speed quota. Still "unlimited," just 128kbps until midnight. technically works, but try loading a map outside a temple and you'll see why it sucks.
Some plans give you 1-2GB/day fast then throttle. Others are no-FUP and stay fast, usually cost more. Same word on the listing, very different day.
if you're doing a heavy navigation day in Japan, check the daily GB cap or "no FUP" before buying. "Unlimited data" and "unlimited high-speed data" are not the same thing.
I'm traveling to London for 6 days, and I'm trying to figure out which eSIM to get. The apartment we're staying in doesn't have Wi-Fi (at least according to reviews), so I'll need a decent amount of data. Ideally around 20GB, although unlimited would be even better if there are any good options. I've looked at Saily and Airalo. Both seem like decent choices, but I see Airalo getting a lot of shit about their customer support. For those who have used an eSIM in the UK recently, which provider would you recommend? Maybe some of you have used Saily specifically, how well did it work there?
I’m researching eSIM providers like Airalo, Holafly, Ubigi, and Maatalk. I’ve seen mention of Maatalk but don’t know much about it compared to the others.
Has anyone used any of these for travel or longer-term use? I’m mainly interested in activation ease, coverage and data reliability, pricing to be included any hidden fees, customer support, and refund/change policies. Any real experiences or recommendations? Thanks.