Airalo Review: Why This eSIM Has Become a Travel Essential

I’ve used Airalo multiple times now, and it’s been invaluable on every occasion. I’ve found it to be particularly useful in the likes of China and Brazil where there are barriers to obtaining a SIM card and getting connected.

It was also a massive help in Venezuela where I was able to have internet when I first arrived, and avoid any safety problems getting around a notoriously risky country without a connection.

Airalo has taken the hassle out of buying a SIM card, whilst making the process much safer and smoother.

That’s not to say there aren’t downsides. It doesn’t cover everywhere in the world, is more expensive than purchasing a physical SIM, and you need to activate it whilst you have an internet connection, before you travel to your destination.

Here I’m going to review Airalo eSIMs, compare the pros and cons of them, share my own personal experience using Airalo, and describe how you can use it to ensure an easier, stress-free way to travel and stay connected during your adventures.

My Experience Using Airalo eSIMs

I don’t buy SIM cards for short stays in super easy countries (for example: Japan or Taiwan) and I buy physical SIM cards in easy countries with few potential safety issues (Peru and Argentina being recent examples).

Airalo however is my go-to for more complicated and riskier travel destinations, and that’s where it has really come in handy. Here are four examples of where I used Airalo and how it helped:

China was the first country where I ever used an eSIM, and of course it was Airalo. On the plus side, the eSIM bypassed China’s notorious internet censorship and enabled me to access any western social media platform as normal.

It also removed the hassle of attempting to buy and activate a physical SIM in a country where few people speak English and travel can be challenging.

The only downside is that I had a few issues getting my UK SIM card to work when I got back home, as my phone defaulted to the eSIM (which had expired by this point). I deleted the eSIM and got it working eventually, but this did add a layer of hassle I could’ve done without. It took around 15 minutes to resolve this.

Brazil was my next country where Airalo came in handy. In Brazil it’s very tricky to buy a SIM as a foreigner. You need to have a local tax number called a CPF which tourists don’t have access to. As a result, most places won’t sell you a SIM card that works. The only shop we found willing to sell one to foreigners charged over US$30 for a short package with low data allowances…

My Airalo eSIM bypassed this, which meant we had data all throughout our two months in the country.

In Colombia and Venezuela I had safety concerns. These are two countries known for violent crime. And with a nighttime arrival in Colombia, I didn’t want to risk having internet problems preventing us from taking an Uber directly from the airport to our hostel.

My eSIM allowed us to leave as soon as we made it through immigration in Medellin, and get straight to the hostel as planned.

In Venezuela, we avoided having to buy a physical card in a potentially risky situation, with Venezuela known as a “dangerous country” (although it isn’t too bad surprisingly). Our eSIM meant we could access internet easily when we arrived and contact our host who was picking us up at the airport.

I would say that using Airalo personally has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. But if I’m honest, there were a couple of downsides aside from the issue I had after China of reconnecting my UK SIM.

You need to make sure you activate the eSIM whilst you have internet. Otherwise it will not work when you arrive in your new destination, which is when you are most likely to benefit from it.

It doesn’t have coverage everywhere (remote parts of Venezuela including Hato El Cedral where we enjoyed a wonderful Los Llanos safari were an example of this). However, the places where eSIMs didn’t work were places where a physical SIM generally doesn’t have coverage either. So I wouldn’t say this is a dealbreaker at all.

Airalo Pros and Cons

Personally, I think Airalo is fantastic and the downsides I’ve experienced have always been minor. If it was cheaper, I would never buy a physical SIM card again.

However, you will want to make an informed decision before deciding whether or not to use an eSIM to smoothen your travel experience. Therefore I will present you with all the positives and negatives you can expect.

Pros

• ✅ It removes safety concerns over buying physical sims. Sometimes you will land in a new country at night. You may not be able to find a SIM card shop that’s open then, and the Wi-Fi may not work. In this scenario, you would have to risk waving down a potentially risky taxi to drive to accommodation that may not be easy to find.
• ✅ It removes a lot of hassle from the purchasing process. When buying physical SIMs I need to research reputable places to buy them, work out how to reach that place, hand over my passport, wait for it to be activated, then leave. With Airalo I simply purchase the eSIM and follow the installation instructions which I’ll cover later.
• ✅ It bypasses censorship. In China, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp are among the many popular apps/websites that are blocked. China was the first country where I used Airalo, and it was incredibly useful because I could access all of these and more. Using eSIMs is a must in any country with internet censorship.
• ✅ It bypasses other obstacles that make buying a physical SIM card difficult. In Brazil it is very hard to buy a physical SIM card because you need a CPF (that foreigners don’t have access to). We eventually found a shop in Sao Paulo offering SIMs for an extortionate US$30. Fortunately I already had my Airalo SIM which cost half that. You don’t need a CPF or passport details with eSIMs, making them the perfect solution for Brazil.
• ✅ You can use eSIMs in many offbeat destinations. It’s pretty easy to find a physical SIM card in Portugal or Peru. But can be a lot trickier in countries without much tourism. Airalo claims to cover “over 200 countries” (shhh, many of them are not countries!), but this includes the likes of Venezuela, Belarus, Timor-Leste and Mongolia among many other more remote corners of the world.
• ✅ You won’t get scammed. In Bolivia, my girlfriend bought a SIM card only to find it expired after a couple of days, despite being told it would last a week. This is just one of many SIM scams I’ve encountered over many years of travel. With Airalo, you don’t have to trust any dodgy characters and can trust what you’re buying.

Cons

• ❌eSIMs are more expensive than traditional SIM cards. In Peru I bought a physical SIM with 6GB of data for 30 days costing around £5 (US$7). The closest equivelant plan with Airalo is 5GB of data for 30 days costing £9 (US$13). By comparing physical SIM prices with eSIMs, you will notice a similar trend in most countries.
• ❌You must activate eSIMs before travelling. If you haven’t activated your eSIM when you have an internet connection, then it won’t work when you arrive in your destination. Make sure it is activated before you leave.
• ❌Regional SIM cards don’t always cover full regions. Travelling to multiple countries? Great! Airalo sells eSIMs covering regions such as Africa, Europe or Latin America. The problem is that not every regional SIM covers everywhere in the region. The “Caribbean Islands” eSIM covers Caribbean mainland territories Guyana and French Guiana, but not Suriname. The “Asia” card is far worse covering just 18/47+ countries, excluding the likes of Nepal and the Maldives, although many Asian countries are covered by the “Middle East and North Africa” card.
• ❌Bad customer service. Numerous users have hammered Airalo online for being very poor to respond to technical issues. Frustratingly, their customer support live chat is with an AI-controlled bot. And as with other AI products, it is often misleading and can lead you in circles without solving anything.
• ❌Not every country is covered. Whilst Airalo boasts of coverage in 200+ countries and regions, it isn’t available in many obscure corners of the world such as Myanmar, Somalia and Djibouti. Whilst I got by in Myanmar with a physical SIM and no issues, I would have preferred an eSIM as this is a warzone, and it’s wise to be connected from the moment you arrive.

Airalo Pricing

Airalo eSIMs vary in price depending on the country, amount of data, and length of time they are valid for.

You can buy local eSIMs (covering one country or territory), regional eSIMs (covering entire regions or continents) and global eSIMs (covering 138 countries and territories across the world).

However, the cheapest local SIMs start from £3.50 (US$5) for 1GB of data (no texts or calls included) over a few days. And the more expensive SIMs start from £7.50 (US$10) for a similar package.

The regional SIM cards are mostly around the same prices marks, with two exceptions. Latin America eSIMs start from £12 (US$16) for 1GB which lasts for 7 days. Their biggest offering is 5GB for 30 days costing £46.50 (US$62). And Africa eSIMs start from a whopping £21 (US$28) for 1GB lasting 30 days. The only other Africa eSIM costs £46 (US$61) for 3GB covering 36/54 countries on the continent.

The global eSIMs cost £7 (US$9) for 1GB lasting 7 days, £19 (US$25) for 3GB lasting 30 days, and they even have a 1-year package available where you can pay £53.50 for 20GB over a 365 day period.

Personally I don’t feel the global eSIMs offer good value for money as they’re pretty expensive and don’t cover a large chunk of the globe. The exception would be for Africa travel, where they’re a better option than the pricy regional SIMs.

✅ Get an Airalo eSIM now – from just £3.50 ($5)

Checking Compatibility With Your Phone

Your phone must be unlocked (not tied to an individual carrier’s network) to be able to use eSIMs.

It should also be one of the phones or other devices on Airalo’s compatibility list. Some iPads and laptops are also able to carry eSIMs. Check directly with the manufacturer if your phone is not on this list.

In practice, if you have a reasonably modern phone and it’s not from a totally obscure brand, then you should be fine. My iPhone 12 dates back to 2020 and has no problems with eSIMs. Most smartphones released in the 2020s should be fine. But do ensure you double check.

How to Install Airalo eSIMs on Your Phone

I’ve split this into two sections. To buy your eSIM, follow the instructions under “The Purchasing Process” below. After you have done that, follow the subsequent instructions entitled “The Installation Process”. If you prefer a visual walkthrough rather than written instructions, I have inserted a YouTube video direct from Airalo’s channel below.

You only need to watch the first two minutes to understand how to install your new package. However, iPhone users should watch until the end as instructions vary after installation is complete, depending on the phone you have.

The Purchasing Process

1. Open the Airalo app on your phone
2. Use the search bar at the top to find the country you are visiting, or tap the “Regional eSIMs” or “Global eSIMs” tab if you want one of those instead
3. After searching, tap on your country/region of choice
4. Select the package you wish to purchase and press “Buy now”
5. Scroll to the bottom and read the additional information, then press “Buy” at the bottom
6. Add your payment details and tick the box at the bottom if your phone is eSIM compatible and unlocked, then press “Complete order”

The Installation Process

1. After installation is complete, tap on the “My eSIMs” tab at the bottom of the screen. It’s the middle of three options
2. Tap on the eSIM you just purchased followed by “view instructions”
3. Tap the “Direct” tab at the top of the screen, then read the instructions carefully and “Install eSIM”
4. Then read through the installation guide whilst tapping “Next” until you get to “Install eSIM” again, tap that
5. Wait for the installation to finish. Do not close the app
6. When an activation screen appears, tap “Continue” twice, and wait several minutes to connect your eSIM
7. Label your suggested plan. I recommend making your own label as I lost track of my eSIMs by selecting the generic “Primary” and “Secondary” options
8. If your plan is data only, select “Primary” as your default line on the following screen, if calls and texts are included, select your eSIM line, then “Continue”
9. On the iMessage and Facetime screen, select your primary line, then tap “Continue”
10. Tap your eSIM line to receive cellular data, and make sure “Allow Cellular Data Switching” is turned OFF, otherwise you could be hit with hefty roaming fees. Then hit “Continue”

Is Airalo Worth it?

Rated 4.6/5⭐ on the App Store with over 28,000 reviews. Purchase your eSIM now!

I would say that Airalo is absolutely worth using, and it has become an essential travel tool as I aim to visit every country.

Do I think you need to use it everywhere you go? No, for easy countries you can generally find physical SIM cards for cheaper prices and with more generous data packages. However, you may still want to buy an Airalo eSIM if a hassle-free travel experience is more important to you than saving a few pennies.

In more challenging destinations, Airalo can be a life saver (quite literally in some scenarios) and I would recommend using it to make your travels much easier.

There are other eSIM providers out there such as Holafly, however they are generally seen as inferior to Airalo with more technical issues and more expensive starting costs for their offerings.

I’ve found that when I have used Airalo, it’s been invaluable, and I can’t wait to use it in Iraq and Central Asia which we plan to visit in the coming months.