Airalo: eSIM Travel & Internet Ratings and Reviews

4.7 out of 5
36.2K Ratings

36.2K Ratings

fred83838 ,

It’s great to be connected!

I bought a new iPhone SE last fall and my physical sim from my old phone was fighting with an eSIM that I must have downloaded from my carrier so I had no phone service. I went to my service provider to find out what was wrong and they reinstalled the eSIM and told me to wait 24 hours for it to become active. 24 hours later there was no change. I ended up removing my SIM card and I now had a phone that worked.
That got me interested in eSIMs since I saw ads about using them in other countries. I had a trip to Australia and New Zealand coming up but still wasn’t sure they would work. None of my traveling friends used them.
After being in Australia for 5 days living on public WiFi and trying to do Geocaching Adventure Labs I decided $14 wasn’t too much to lose so when I got to New Zealand I signed up and downloaded my first eSIM. It installed right away and after turning a few things on or off I was ready to go. When we got back to Australia for a few days I bought the Australian eSIM which I should have done right away.
I was traveling with 4 other people and became the go between since I was the only one connected. I told them next time we take a trip we will all have an eSIm.
I have a trip to Switzerland coming up and my husband will be getting a new iPhone so he can have an eSIM too and be connected.

Ria.DJ ,

Useful with some quirks

Update: Airalo has gotten back to me with some suggested items such as a global SIM which can be used. I’ll try them out.

I’ve used this on two trips so far, one to Germany and another to Japan (I live in the US). iPhone 14 pro max has no sim slot so I’m stuck using eSIMs. The good is that you will get data connectivity. I had no problems activating the eSIM and using them. Everything worked ok and even my US provider worked via cellular data. Pricing is ok. Not great but ok. But this app has an appeal to those who want an easy on-ramp to getting connected to many countries. Now the quirks. In Tokyo Japan it connected only at 4G. Not even LTE, but 4G, as in 3G that is labeled as 4G. This was with SoftBank. That’s fine for google maps and other stuff but it’s not very fast. The other eSIM app I used, Ubigi connected via 5G and was pretty fast. You don’t get a native in country sim in some cases. This mostly won’t matter but it could mess with geofencing and geolocation via IP. For example in Japan my eSIM was from Singtel and as such some apps thought I was in Singapore. In Germany it used a SIM from Play (Poland) and some apps thought I was in Poland. The final quirk is that for each country you need to install the eSIM. Some apps like Ubigi just let you install one eSIM and just add in data packs. This one you need to install a SIM for each country. If you travel a lot you could end up with a lot of eSIMs.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! We want you to know that we appreciate your feedback. It will allow us to resolve any problems and help us improve our services. We are proud that you have selected our company as your service provider. We now have a new Global eSIM: https://www.airalo.com/global-esim. The Global eSIM covers 130 countries and is installed only once.
It allows Data, Calls, and Texts. We look forward to helping you stay connected on all your future trips to come!

EGG12345678 ,

Works Great

This is my first time using Airalo eSIM and it’s great. I got myself and my partner the euro eSIM for the whole region. We’ve been in Germany and Amsterdam and it’s working great. I got 5 GB of data for 30 days. Our trip is 16 days. We are driving everywhere and using GPS to do it. So far we’re a week in an I still have a little over half my data. My partners data is still in the upper 4s. I will definitely be using their eSIM again. We usually get SIM cards in other countries to help with navigation and translation but this was by far the easiest choice. We landed and had data right away. The only slight uh-oh moment where we lost data was when we crossed the border, but because I had already read reviews saying that you have to choose your network when crossing borders it was an easy fix and we got the next network chosen after turning the phone on an off again. After that no problems and the data has worked great. I even used hotspot for a bit for a movie for my kids on my laptop and it worked great. I love the ease of buying it online and not having to go anywhere. I will try it again in Vietnam in a month and hopefully it’ll work just as good there.

JerseyFirst ,

My First Try- It worked Instantly

I tested this with an unlocked I phone 12 pro max ( I bought second hand inUSA) on Groupon. I really wanted to see how it worked in prep for an upcoming trip to Europe. I bought a USA 7 day 1 GB e- sim to use in the USA for 7 days. I was using my home internet connection. You need a secure connection to get the E sim from Airolo.
The tricky part but they flashed the instructions was to assign this E/ Sim to the second spot and turn off The Primary Cellular Data spot. I guess it can’t get two internet signals at the Same time?
My primary physical sim had an Orange SIM card in place ( expired) from a former trip that had no data on it but must have still been active. I turned it off. I am picking up T- Mobile 5 G in my local area on the -E-sim from Airolo. My future plan is to purchase another E- Sim from them when I travel to Europe in several months. I think I will purchase it in advance but activate it when I reach my destination because you need an internet connection or I guess you can use any free wifi at airport arrival to activate it. May even consider on plane internet ( purchase on flight) to activate it on route. This is Data only. No voice phone calls.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! Thank you for your great feedback! We will keep making you happy by providing world-class connectivity! We are glad to hear that you are enjoying our eSIM services Thank you for choosing us, and we hope you had a great time during your travel!

CommonMerganser ,

A Traveler’s Dream

Airalo is a game changer. The stressful days of trying to buy a data plan with a physical SIM card abroad, in an unknown town, in a foreign language, are now gone. With Airalo it was a breeze to find the right data package. Their regional plan was even better covering almost everywhere I visited. Cost wise it’s a no brainer: cheaper and more data than what my cellphone company was offering. I only ran into one problem when I initially tried to connect. At first my phone couldn’t find service, but I had googled potential problems and this seems to be common. By turning off automatic network connections and manually selecting the network I was able to get it work. I then turned automatic back on and the rest is history. Crossing borders and changing network providers was almost instantaneous. I don’t normally write reviews, but the thought of this service not existing because it’s unknown (like it was to me before this last trip) is terrifying - thanks to Airalo I no longer have to spend my entire trip panicking about whether or not I am going to lose my normal SIM card while a foreign one takes it’s safe spot inside my phone. Instead I just have data, no assembly required.

Developer Response ,

Hello! Thank you for sharing your experience with Airalo. We are sincerely happy that you could enjoy your trip and forget about the problem of connecting abroad :) We would love to share your review on our social media if you don't mind. Can you please send your response to support@airalo.com, if you haven't already? :) We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Upanddown31 ,

so helpful!!

I was just on a trip to Switzerland and Croatia for about three weeks total and Airalo was perfect to use! The design of the app is really easy to navigate and had very straightforward instructions for downloading the eSIM. Definitely cheaper than my provider’s international plan and nice to not have to take out my existing SIM card. I did call my provider before installing it because my phone said my SIM was locked even though it shouldn’t have been, but I called them to make sure and I had no issues after that.

I’m not sure how this would fair if you’re going across multiple countries for just a few days, but for only 12 days in each country 3 GBs was a great amount to get around when I couldn’t find wifi. The only downside is that you do have to turn off your regular number so I couldn’t send or receive SMS (and any that were sent in the time you don’t see when you turn it back on) nor call — my texts and FaceTime calls just went through iMessage, but that might be a capability I just missed when setting up the eSIM. Either way I definitely recommend Airalo if you’re looking for a simple and easy way to stay online during your travels!

Developer Response ,

Hi! Thank you for sparing the time to let us know about your experience in Europe. We are glad to hear how much you appreciated our service and prices. As for the downside, we will take it into account and investigate this issue. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. We hope to keep you connected on many trips to come :)

terr1967 ,

Save money with Airalo eSIM

I am an American residing in Costa Rica. For some time I’ve maintained my US mobile number with an AT&T prepaid account, which includes wi-fi calling, to handle US business and to have service when traveling to the States. I also have a Costa Rica number which requires a physical SIM card. I recently purchased an iPhone 13 (iPhone 14 doesn’t have a physical SIM card slot) and the world of eSIM was opened to me! After doing a bit of research I found that if I ported my number from AT&T to Google Voice for only $20 (there’s no monthly fee for Google Voice) and install an eSIM from Airalo I no would no longer have a monthly fee. All I have to do is top off my installed eSIM prior to traveling to the US. An extra added bonus is that while I’m in Costa Rica my US number is no longer dependent on wi-fi because of my Google Voice App which works using my Costa Rica SIM data!

This change is a win win! I no longer have a monthly fee, I can use my US number anytime I want and the service is fantastic!

As inexpensive as the Airalo data is I am pretty sure that if I returned permanently to the US I would likely continue using an Airalo eSIM and Google Voice.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! Thank you for your amazing 5-star review! We're thrilled to hear that our Airalo eSIM has provided you with a seamless solution for managing your US and Costa Rica numbers. We're glad that you're enjoying the convenience and flexibility of our service, and we appreciate your kind words about our fantastic customer support. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out.

AlexM703 ,

Pass! Buy another esim

Me and 7 other friends bought this esim for a trip to Bali Indonesia. I typically buy Holafly, but this esim was a little bit cheaper and had great reviews. I have never had issues with an esim before with Holafly, and the service was always great. Skip to Airalo, and my esim stopped providing service for exactly 24 hours. I did absolutely everything I could, reset my network, turned off/on my phone, switched off/on the network etc… I know my way around an iphone and I was able to deduce the issue being on the Airalo esim. After contacting support and getting a reply 7 hours later, they were of no help. Finally my esim started working again magically 24 hours after it stopped working. Airalo provided no assistance or compensation because “they were unable to run troubleshooting steps” (maybe if they replied quicker they would have told me to do exactly what I already did). I had to pay the $10 for my personal cellular data to kick in for the data to make up for the lack of internet I had for the 24 hours.

2 of my friends had the same issue, although 1 of them had the issue for 72 hours.

I would stay away from Airalo, the product is subpar, and if I’m paying for service, I would rather ensure it work for the entirety of my trip. Also a support chat that would allow me to have the issue fixed/ get a new sim card within an hour would be nice.

Developer Response ,

Hello. We apologize for the inconvenience caused during your trip to Bali. We understand how frustrating it can be to face a service disruption, but we assure you that our team is working hard to identify the root cause of the issue. We hope you give us another chance to serve you better. If the problem is still unresolved, please email us at support@airalo.com for us to help you more, or you can chat using your Airalo app and/or our website.
We look forward to hearing from you.

SeuChris ,

Live in the US with Family in Germany & Brazil

This app is a complete game changer! I have an iPhone 12 mini which has an eSIM. I keep my physical US SIM card installed in my phone, and via this app, I have both a German eSIM and Brazilian eSIM installed for INTERNET DATA ONLY (I just chose which of the 2 eSIMS I would like to have active depending on the county I’m in and purchase the 1-time data package that works best for my visit. No contacts!). With this setup, I keep my American line active in case an important call comes in, and pay for that call according to my Verizon plan. But I typically only answer the call if it’s important. For the rest of my time abroad, I just use data-based apps like WhatsApp (or Apple Facetime and Apple Messenger of communicating with another iPhone user) and all of this is covered by the data. Very practical since I don’t live in Germany or Brazil and it’s not worth getting a different number there. The data rates are very reasonable and it works perfectly if you follow the installation and setup instruction closely and thoroughly. Total setup takes about 5-10 minutes, maybe a little longer if it’s you’re first time.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! Thank you for taking your time and leaving a wonderful review. We are happy to know that you chose the eSIM from Airalo and you enjoyed the service. Thank you for becoming a part of the Airalo family and see you on your future trips!

Marco R Beainy ,

Easy to use and great connectivity all over the world

I recently had the pleasure of using AirAlo's eSIM platform, and I must say it exceeded my expectations in every aspect. The platform is excellently designed, making it incredibly easy to use. What impressed me the most was the seamless automation of processes, ensuring a hassle-free experience from start to finish.

Furthermore, I was particularly impressed by their exceptional customer service. On one occasion, I encountered an issue on the 31st of December, a time when many services might be less responsive due to the holiday season. However, the AirAlo team was not only available but also went above and beyond to promptly assist me, resolving the issue with utmost professionalism and courtesy.

In summary, AirAlo offers a top-notch eSIM platform backed by an outstanding customer support team. Whether you're a tech-savvy individual or someone new to eSIM technology, I highly recommend AirAlo for its user-friendly interface, automated processes, and exceptional customer service. They have certainly earned my trust and appreciation, and I look forward to continuing to use their services in the future.

Developer Response ,

Hi there. Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are happy to hear that your experience with our eSIM was satisfying. We are especially glad that our Customer Support was able to promptly assist you and resolve the issue you encountered. It is our goal to let everyone stay connected globally while keeping eSIMs simple, affordable, and pain-free. We look forward to helping you stay connected on all your future trips to come!