Good travel sim?

[Solaris17]

In light of this thread https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/esim-vs-physical-sim.302181/page-2#post-5256138

I thought I might be able to get some good pointers here.

I have an iPhone that is eSIM only. Which I don’t mind at all.

I plan on doing some traveling this and next year. I will be going to Europe as well as South Korea and Japan. some of this is for work, other times holiday.

Can anyone recommend some good over seas temp eSIMs if you have experience? Anything travel friendly?

 

[TheLostSwede]

I tend to use local SIM cards when I travel, as in general, that's cheaper than getting one of the international ones. However, there are exceptions, like the US.
I don't have any recommendations, but my SO had some real issues with an international eSIM she loaded on her phone for work, as it simply wouldn't connect to the network where she was, even though she had specifically applied to use it in that country. I'm afraid I can't remember what the company was called though.

This might be of some help though.

Prepaid Data SIM Card Wiki

This wiki collects information about prepaid mobile phone plans from all over the world. Not just any plans though, they must include decent data rates, perfect for iPhone, iPad and Android smart phone travellers, as well as mifi users.

prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com

They have a specific entry about eSIM options.

International data on eSIM

This page features eSIM plans with data to be used worldwide, in certain regions or limited to individual countries, but they are not issued directly by local providers. Some of these providers started out by issuing physical/traditional SIM cards and simply copied their portfolio to eSIM, while...

prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com

One thing in Europe is that at least in some countries (most EU ones), you can get a local pre-paid SIM that you can use in all of the EU at the local rate of the country you got it in, so that might well be worth checking, using the link above. Do remember that the UK is no longer an EU country and any EU roaming agreements no longer apply.

South Korea and Japan you might be better off with one of the international SIM cards, as at least in Japan, it's a PITA to get a local SIM card and you can only get them in the airport as a tourist. I don't think I have ever gotten a local SIM card in Korea, as I could roam cheaply when I was there.

 

[Solaris17]

Also, over seas for you seem to apply for most of the world, except the US if I'm not mistaken? In other countries, it has other meanings...

I didnt quite understand this, but I am US based. I simply mean that for work or otherwise I will be hopping over oceans pretty frequently.

Thanks for the info I will give it a look! As you can imagine, while I may be spending several weeks at a time in these locations I am looking for no hassle no contract just pay for some allotment and then leave.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I didnt quite understand this, but I am US based. I simply mean that for work or otherwise I will be hopping over oceans pretty frequently.

I removed that, as I saw you mentioned specific places. As a European, overseas has a different meaning, as the US would for example be overseas here, which it wouldn't be for you.

Thanks for the info I will give it a look! As you can imagine, while I may be spending several weeks at a time in these locations I am looking for no hassle no contract just pay for some allotment and then leave.

I added some more things while you replied. That Wiki is quite handy to figure out what makes the most sense, but Europe isn't a single place, so if you leave the EU/EES, other rules applies.
See

European Roaming Unions

International roaming (= the use of a provider from one country in another) is usually very expensive. Local providers mainly compete for domestic customers and thus foreign and roaming rates get less attention and remain quite high. That’s why in this wiki it's recommended to buy a local SIM...

prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com

 

[Solaris17]

I removed that, as I saw you mentioned specific places. As a European, overseas has a different meaning, as the US would for example be overseas here, which it wouldn't be for you.

I added some more things while you replied. That Wiki is quite handy to figure out what makes the most sense, but Europe isn't a single place, so if you leave the EU/EES, other rules applies.
See

European Roaming Unions

International roaming (= the use of a provider from one country in another) is usually very expensive. Local providers mainly compete for domestic customers and thus foreign and roaming rates get less attention and remain quite high. That’s why in this wiki it's recommended to buy a local SIM...

prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com

perfect thanks! I was aware of the unions which is really what was spurring this, since I will need to figure it out soon. So far it seems like the best course of action may be to just get one in each country I visit. Which is fine, I just want to be a little more savvy then get off the plane and buy the first sim someone waves in front of my face.

 

[TheLostSwede]

perfect thanks! I was aware of the unions which is really what was spurring this, since I will need to figure it out soon. So far it seems like the best course of action may be to just get one in each country I visit. Which is fine, I just want to be a little more savvy then get off the plane and buy the first sim someone waves in front of my face.

As I said, for the EU, you can get one where you start, if you pick the right country so data doesn't cost too much and use it EU wide.
That said, it might be a bit tricky topping it up, as some network providers only accepts local credit/debit cards. This could easily be solved by getting some extra data to start with or some networks also have scratch cards which can be used for topping up.

Regardless, that Wiki has tons of useful information and price comparisons, although not everything is 100% up to date.

 

[tritananders]

I personally overs refer back to this post with the best esim comparison table. Someone put this together with an in-depth comparison, and it has basically saved me in many situations before. I tried a few in different locations with different providers, and it's neat that they have included some discounts as well.

 

[W1zzard]

I personally overs refer back to this post with the best esim comparison table. Someone put this together with an in-depth comparison, and it has basically saved me in many situations before. I tried a few in different locations with different providers, and it's neat that they have included some discounts as well.

Post approved, not spam

 

[AusWolf]

Do remember that the UK is no longer an EU country and any EU roaming agreements no longer apply.

The only UK providers that still offer free EU roaming are O2, Lebara, Lyca and giffgaff.
O2 is one of the "big four" - the others are small providers running on other networks (Lebara uses Vodafone UK, Lyca uses EE and giffgaff uses O2), specialising in prepaid SIM cards and no-contract rolling plans.
Tesco Mobile (another small provider on O2's network) offers free EU roaming until 2026.

As for which EU networks still offer free UK roaming, I have no idea.

 

[TheLostSwede]

The only UK providers that still offer free EU roaming are O2, Lebara, Lyca and giffgaff.
O2 is one of the "big four" - the others are small providers running on other networks (Lebara uses Vodafone UK, Lyca uses EE and giffgaff uses O2), specialising in prepaid SIM cards and no-contract rolling plans.
Tesco Mobile (another small provider on O2's network) offers free EU roaming until 2026.

As for which EU networks still offer free UK roaming, I have no idea.

It doesn't work the other way around, as none of the EU carriers allow you to roam in the UK these days.
You're also screwed if you go to Switzerland, but Norway and Iceland are included in EU roaming.

 

[jameslee13]

Can anyone recommend some good over seas temp eSIMs if you have experience? Anything travel friendly?

Yes, I recommend Airalo and Holafly for temporary eSIMs when traveling overseas. They are easy to set up and work well in many countries. I’ve used Airalo in Europe and Asia, and it was seamless, no need to swap a physical SIM card. Holafly also offers unlimited data options, making it a great alternative to using a traditional SIM card while traveling.

 

[cvaldes]

From recent experience I can say that TruSIM did not have good service quality in Japan (poor reception, poor data speeds, etc.); I activated a Ubigi eSIM which worked fine. TruSIM worked okay in a couple of EU countries I visited recently but I did not visit every single EU nation.

TruSIM's recent failure in Japan was disappointing since I had used that service before successfully several times. It is likely that they switched mobile operator partnerships. And I had used a physical Truphone SIM card for travel before I started using their eSIM offering.

The eSIM comparison table doesn't actually rate service quality. It also appears to be written from the viewpoint of an EU citizen and European cellular data coverage is not part of the table. OP's travel plans included Europe.

It's worth pointing out that eSIM services like TruSIM and Ubigi have partnerships with different mobile operators in each country (which you don't get to choose). So it's entirely possible to have mediocre service in one EU country but far better service just across the border. You may see a variety of connections ranging from 3G, 4G LTE, to 5G depending on country/city.

If you are traveling on business, you might want to ask colleagues who have visited the same locations for recent experiences.