Amy Reynolds ESIMs are an emerging travel essential, removing the need for physical SIM cards and the risk of losing your own. On top of being more convenient, e-SIMs also tend to be cheaper than international roaming plans, and many even offer regional plans with coverage across multiple countries and options for simple top-ups. Here are a few prominent companies and their offerings:
Airalo
Probably the most well-known option, Airalo offers single-country and regional SIMs, with one gigabyte of data to be used over a week on offer from AUD$7.50 upwards depending on your destination. Some countries are priced slightly higher, while others are significantly more expensive. Their global plans, which cover 138 countries, begin at AUD$15 for one gigabyte of data, with the largest on offer a whopping AUD$114 for 20 gigabytes of data to be used over 365 days. Travellers may choose to add 200 minutes of calls and 200 text messages to their plan for an additional AUD$33.
You can receive AUD$5 off any Airalo plan with my code, AMY9365.
AloSIM
AloSIM also offers seven-day one-gigabyte single-country and regional plans from AUD$7.50, with pricing again dependent on your destination. Like Airalo, they also have optional upgrades to both the duration of your plan and the amount of data included. However, they do not offer a global plan option, nor do they offer regional coverage across key destinations like Africa.
Nomad
Plan prices again depend on destination with Nomad, but their standard plan is slightly cheaper, starting from AUD$6.59 for one gigabyte across seven days of use. The company also runs regular offers which discount the prices of larger plans, which often makes having more data cheaper (score!). Nomad also offers custom ‘day plans’, which allow customers to select the precise number of days they will be travelling, and exactly how much data they want per day of their trip.
You can receive USD$5 off any Nomad plan with my code, AMYSRAWHMR
Saily
Saily unfortunately does not offer payment in curriencies other than USD. Its plans start from USD$1.99 for a gigabyte over a seven-day period, which is around AUD$3.30 at the time of writing – yes, you read that right! Like other providers, these prices are highly dependent on destination, with some as pricey as USD$49.99 (±AUD$81.50) for the same allowance and timeframe.
You can receive USD$5 off any Saily plan with my code, AMYONU3536.
Holafly
Holafly’s five-day single-country and regional plans start from AUD$32, but they’re pricey for good reason: every Holafly plan includes unlimited data. Like Nomad, these plans can be tailored to your specific trip length, but Holafly is entirely unique in its infinite data offering. Unfortunately, the provider does not currently offer a global plan.
How to choose your provider
The most important considerations when choosing your provider are destination and your plan requirements. Pricing is highly variable between destinations, so opting for the ‘cheap’ option may backfire if you haven’t properly done your research. Pay attention to the specifics of each plan and opt for a suitable provider to meet your requirements, which may include talk and text options or unlimited data. Likewise, underestimating your data requirements and opting for a smaller plan can mean purchasing top-ups, so ensure you know your needs. Also be sure to research the networks used by each provider and independently assess their reliability across your travel destinations.
Overall, eSIMs outperform traditional SIMs by every metric: they’re convient and way cheaper – even more so once you’ve taken advantage of referral discounts, many of which don’t even require a purchase from your referred user. The providers presented have user-friendly apps, most of which allow you to decide on a currency in-app, and a simple, step-by-step installation process which will leave you wondering why you never used them earlier.
Lastly, travellers should also note that it is best to load their eSIMs ahead of travelling, as some cannot be activated once overseas.
Will you be trying an eSIM on your next international trip?