I hadn’t heard of this until last month, so thought I’d pass on how much cheaper it is to buy a disposable travel eSim when you’re abroad. Total gamechanger.
I’m with O2 (the only big UK network that post-Brexit still includes free EU data roaming for new customers) but outside the EU their data packages are very expensive. And O2 require buying rolling bolt-ons, etc, if you want the best value option.
Obviously there’s always been the option to buy a physical sim when you arrive at your overseas destination but it’s fiddly and you lose access to your UK number.
The virtual eSim process works so well - you just buy a set amount of data, scan a QR code and it just works for a fraction of the price. You then end up with two sims.
On an iPhone it’s super simple - you just say you want texts and calls through your UK sim and mobile data through your eSim. Then it’s as if you were at home. The phone battery also seems happier not using a foreign network for data.
The two services I used in USA and Mexico were:
1) Airalo, more options but quite restricted on timeframes which is annoying if you want more than seven days of data: https://www.airalo.com/ (lots of referral codes for $3 off first purchase around if you google.)
5GB for 30 days in USA is $16, so unless you’re streaming video that’d do you fine for a holiday. (Assuming you use hotel Wi-Fi etc.)
2) eTravelSIM, run by Manx telecom, no referral intro codes I could find. Had excellent customer service when I had an issue with setting it up: https://etravelsim.com/
At the end of the trip you just delete the eSim from your settings.
Anyway, tldr: I’ll never buy a roaming data package through my UK network ever again, eSims are the future, saved a load of money.
I’m with O2 (the only big UK network that post-Brexit still includes free EU data roaming for new customers) but outside the EU their data packages are very expensive. And O2 require buying rolling bolt-ons, etc, if you want the best value option.
Obviously there’s always been the option to buy a physical sim when you arrive at your overseas destination but it’s fiddly and you lose access to your UK number.
The virtual eSim process works so well - you just buy a set amount of data, scan a QR code and it just works for a fraction of the price. You then end up with two sims.
On an iPhone it’s super simple - you just say you want texts and calls through your UK sim and mobile data through your eSim. Then it’s as if you were at home. The phone battery also seems happier not using a foreign network for data.
The two services I used in USA and Mexico were:
1) Airalo, more options but quite restricted on timeframes which is annoying if you want more than seven days of data: https://www.airalo.com/ (lots of referral codes for $3 off first purchase around if you google.)
5GB for 30 days in USA is $16, so unless you’re streaming video that’d do you fine for a holiday. (Assuming you use hotel Wi-Fi etc.)
2) eTravelSIM, run by Manx telecom, no referral intro codes I could find. Had excellent customer service when I had an issue with setting it up: https://etravelsim.com/
At the end of the trip you just delete the eSim from your settings.
Anyway, tldr: I’ll never buy a roaming data package through my UK network ever again, eSims are the future, saved a load of money.
)