Stop Paying Roaming Charges: Best ESIM for International Travel

What is the best ESIM for international travel?

I tried Airalo recently during trips to Argentina, Brazil, and Spain and in my opinion it is currently the best eSIM for international travel. I hate paying roaming fees to use my cell phone while travelling and have been searching for a great alternative. I’ve now found one and am sharing my personal experience and review of the Airalo eSIM app.

What is an eSIM?

An eSIM is an embedded SIM card available on eSIM-capable devices through an App on your phone. You download the eSIM digitally to your phone and do not need to insert a SIM card into your SIM card slot.

Why would you want to use an eSIM?

If you want to travel to another country and have data on your devices (phone, Ipad, laptop, etc.) when you don’t have Wi-Fi an eSIM is the best solution.

eSIM’s are cheap, typically a fraction of the cost of roaming packages. For example, my cell provider would have charged me $210/CDN/$153USD for a two-week roaming package in Spain. Instead, I paid $9CDN/$6.50USD for an Airalo eSIM for 15 days and 2GB of data. That was enough data for me but I also had an option to top up the data.

I’m not very tech savvy – is it complicated to install?

Its super easy to purchase your digital eSIM on the Airalo website or by downloading the Airalo app. Just find the package you want and click “buy now” to purchase. To install it takes only a few minutes. No technical know-how, special IT skills, or inserting of a physical SIM card is required.

Once you’ve paid, you will be emailed a receipt and clear step by step instructions. There is also a video if you prefer that explains what to do. There are only a few steps for setup on either an IoS or Android device. You can set it up by scanning a QR code or a direct or manual setup process.

Will it work for you?

The Airalo eSIM works for cell phones but also for other types of devices like Ipads or laptops as long as they are on the list of devices compatible with an Airalo eSIM and it is a carrier/network unlocked device. Check out their website to see if your device is compatible before you buy to be sure your device will work.

My review of Airalo and why it is the best eSIM for international travel

I read online about a new eSIM by Airalo and first tried it out on my recent travels to Argentina and Brazil. I was travelling to both countries during a two-week trip and decided to purchase a 15-day regional (Latin America) eSIM with 2 GB of data included. The online cost was about @28USD for a regional card (including up to 28 countries in South America) but I was able to get a discount code online and paid less.

If you also want a discount use my referral code JENNIF8734 which will help us both out.  When you get to the checkout page, under “Total Price” click “Redeem Referral or Discount Code”, enter the promo or referral code in the box, and click “Redeem” to have the discount applied to your bill.

I downloaded the app on my phone before I left Canada, selected the plan I wanted, and paid for the eSIM on the Airalo website. They sent me a receipt with a button that said “install eSIM” to get started and there was also a short YouTube video and a link to an Android and IoS installation guide on how to install and activate the eSIM. The installation was seamless with clear step-by-step instructions and a link to their help centre and a “contact us” link in case you ran into any issues.

Picking the right plan

• One of the best things about Airalo is the wide variety of countries and plans to choose from. Options included local eSIMs for one country, regional eSIMs for multiple countries in the same continent or region, and global eSIMs. There are over 200 countries and regions to choose from so most areas are covered.
• If you need data, calls, and text there is the option to purchase a global plan that offers all three or you can just purchase data.
• You can choose the package you buy with the time frame you need it for and the number of GB you would need during that time.
• Individual country charges are the lowest and can be lower than one day of roaming charges with a cell phone provider.

How much does it cost?

Below are a few examples of prices on the Airalo website:

Country	Data	Validity/Time Period	Price
USA	1GB	7 days	$4.50 USD
Mexico	2GB	15 days	$15 USD
Italy	2GB	15 days	$8 USD
Greece	2GB	15 days	$9 USD
Europe (39 countries)	3GB	30 days	$13 USD
Asia (13 countries)	3GB	30 days	$13 USD
Global	3GB	15 days	$24 USD

What I liked about Airalo and why I think it is the best eSIM for international travel

• It was easy to use, even for someone like me who is not technologically savvy.
• The price point was great, a bargain actually, compared to roaming fees through my service provider.
• I liked that it did not activate the card until I actually landed in the new country and started using it. I set everything up before I left Canada but the clock didn’t start ticking until I first landed in Brazil and turned off my airplane mode.
• I stopped in Sao Paulo on the way to Buenos Aires and when I turned off airplane mode on my phone I instantly connected to the network and had data just like at home. No extra steps and no complications.
• I appreciated the tip they provided in the instructions to ensure that my phone would not auto-switch from my eSIM card to my regular cellular data, potentially incurring roaming charges.
• Although I didn’t have to contact their help centre I felt supported and that a real person was willing to help me if something went wrong. They did check in with me to ask how my experience was and I felt like they had a customer-focused approach. Airalo has a lot of great reviews online which is one of the reason I chose this eSIM provider.
• Airalo sent me reminders when I started getting low on data closer to the end of my trip and I just needed to press a button to top up my data.
• There is no subscription or extra fees other than what is advertised. Nothing auto-renews so you will not have anything more charged to your credit card than what you have already pre-paid for.

Airalo Loyalty Program

If you are a fan of Airalo like I am you can join their free loyalty program which rewards users for every eSIM purchase. Once you have created an account, you will automatically start earning benefits based on your transactions.

New users start as Travelers, earning 5% cashback. The program consists of four membership levels: Traveler, Silver Traveler, Gold Traveler, and Platinum Traveler. Each level offers a distinct cashback percentage: 5%, 6%, 7%, and 10%, respectively.

Cashback rewards are credited as Airmoney in users’ accounts. Airmoney is a digital currency equivalent to a percentage of the transaction value. The amount of Airmoney awarded varies depending on the user’s membership level within the loyalty program.

What needs improvement

• There were a few locations where internet cut out in Brazil. It seemed that this would happen where there were dead spots in the network and not due to the actual eSIM. I couldn’t actually select the network because it wasn’t available in the area so that was inconvenient. With the eSIM there is a specific network that you connect to, and this will be clearly indicated when you purchase the eSim for each country so you couldn’t really switch between different networks to choose one that would work. That is similar to my access at home in Canada where there are dead areas for coverage.
• The eSIM provides access to data only and not phone or text.  You will need to use a data-based messaging system like Signal or WhatsApp for phone calls and messaging or you will incur roaming charges. I used WhatsApp for phone and messaging so this wasn’t an issue for me and most hosts, transport and tours messaged me first on WhatsApp anyway. If you are taking a lot of calls on your regular phone number and working while you are away this might not meet your needs.  I understand that there is a way to forward your texts and phone calls to WhatsApp but I haven’t personally tried this myself. UPDATE: Since I wrote this review Airalo has launched a new Global eSIM with data, calls, and text so this area of improvement is now available in their eSIM products.
• If you don’t have a compatible device that is unlocked you will not be able to use the eSIM.
• The 2 GB for 15 days package I bought worked for me as I only ran out of data on my last day. This might not be enough for everyone. It is an easy enough fix to top up your data but it does also add to the cost so it is something to consider.

What are my other options to avoid roaming charges?

1. Buy a physical ESIM card

Some people buy a local SIM card in the country they are travelling to and this is a great inexpensive option but there are some downsides.

• You won’t have internet access when you land. You will have to wait until you actually buy the SIM card and install it to have data unless you bought it prior to travel.
• If you arrive at night shops may be closed and you may need to wait until the next day to buy it.
• If you want to arrange transport and don’t have access right away when you land this can be inconvenient.
• Personally, I find it a bit of a hassle to have to search around for a place that has the SIM card, remove my original SIM card, and keep it somewhere safe so I don’t lose it before I leave the country again.
• Maybe it is just me but I always struggle opening the tiny little SIM card slot on my phone and getting the cards in and out.  Some phones do have dual SIM card slots that can be used while travelling but not everyone has this type of phone.
• Apple removed the SIM slot entirely on iPhone 14 series phones sold in the US. This has resulted in faster adoption of eSIMs. Most phones and carriers allow for eSIM usage.

2. Don’t use your phone

After a couple of surprise bills with huge unexpected charges, at first I tried not to use my cell phone at all when leaving the country unless I either had WiFi or there was emergency situation.

It was possible, but very inconvenient while travelling because I often need to use my cell phone to arrange meetings with hosts for local accommodation and to confirm transport and tour pickups.  Accessing apps like Google Translate, Google Maps, Uber, or What’s App is essential to navigate new surroundings.

3. Try an eSIM from another provider

There are many other eSIM options out there like Flexiroam, Holafly, or yeSIM that you can consider. I haven’t tried any of these yet so my review is focused on Airalo which is the one I did actually use. I have done some research on the alternatives though and most don’t cover as many countries as Airalo. I still believe Airalo is the best eSIM for international travel because of all of the features and promotions available.

Overall, I am a big fan of eSIMs and am telling everyone I know about my experience so that you can also save money and avoid roaming fees during your own travels.

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