The best eSIMs for International Travel
Are you a frequent traveller? Do you like to have the flexibility of being able to work while on the road and not worry about romaing fees or switching SIMs? If so, you should consider using an eSIM card when travelling in the United States.
An eSIM is a digital SIM card that allows you to connect to cell networks without having to physical insert a SIM card into your device. This can be really helpful if you’re travelling internationally and don’t want to worry about finding a local SIM card or compatibility issues. In this blog post, we’ll talk about how eSIMs work and provide some tips on how to best use them when travelling around the world.
How eSIM works
What Is an ESim And Benefits
eSIM is a new standard that should make it easier to switch carriers or add a second line to your existing phone. It is a type of SIM card that is embedded in your device and you don’t need a physical SIM card. This makes it more convenient for people who travel internationally very often.
The eSIM offers a number of benefits, such as being able to change your wireless carrier or a data plan on the fly. Also, you don’t have to stress about finding SIM cards and replacing them inside your phone when you arrive at a new destination.
All you need is (phone)software and an internet connection! You can also often use two different lines with one device – like home and work line for example-or switch between plans depending upon where in town it’s used most frequently; this means less time wasted waiting around at airports trying not miss any important deadlines because there was no Wi-Fi available when needed most urgently.
Alternatively, you can use your physical eSim in conjuction with one more more eSIMs giving you extreme flexibility, especially when you change countries very often.
The great thing about using these types? They’re easy enough that even people who don’t know much about technology will be able make changes without needing help from specialists right away.
eSIMs are not yet universally supported. So before you switch to an eSIM, make sure your device is compatible.
Compare the best eSIMs for International Travel
The United States is a very big country and sometimes you have to switch the physica SIM multiple times to have signal in some of the remote areas.
But that’s a thing of the past now. No more need to stress about loosing the small cards or changhing them. You can buy now multiple eSIMs from one or more providers or you could get a USA package from one vendor that will cover the entire country.
4G LTE coverage of the country varies greatly with Verizon at 70% and Sprint (prior to the acquisition) around 30%. So be careful – not all networks are the same.
AT&T tends to offer the best balance between value, fast network speeds, and broad coverage. If you’re planning on visiting more remote locations in the US.
However, purchasing an eSIM directly with AT&T as a foreigner can be painful. So, if you choose a travel-friendly eSIM provider that uses the AT&T network, then you can get the best of both worlds – solid customer support AND great coverage with this global suppliers below.
Scan the QR code and get the "UBIGI" eSIM for USA instantly
Save 10% with our exclusive code “RT10” at checkout.
Scan the QR code and get the "AIRALO" eSIM instantly
Save 10% with our exclusive code “RT10” at checkout.
What can you do with 3 GB?
What can you do with 10 GB?
🌐 Online browsing for 120 hours.
✉️ Send 10000 emails.
🎵 Play 2000 songs.
🎥 Stream 10 hour(s) of video.
🤳 Have 6 hour(s) of video calls.
What can you do with 30 GB?
🌐 Online browsing for 360 hours.
✉️ Send 30000 emails.
🎵 Play 6000 songs.
🎥 Stream 30 hour(s) of video.
🤳 Have 18 hour(s) of video calls.
Asia
Here is the list of carriers supporting eSIM in Asia: Ais, Viettel Telecom. Airtel, Globe, M1, Celcom,
Preparing for a trip to Asia requires good preparation, and that includes, amongst many others, making sure you have data on your phone or you can call emergency services. Another challenge of travelling on the Asian continent is the telecom market is very fragmented and most of the times you’ll need an eSIM for every country your travel on that continent.
You can connect to the internet at 4G speed and get mobile data with an international SIM prepaid data card, but that requires purchasing a SIM card in a store locally or at the airport, waiting in line, presenting your ID or passport, and swap your current SIM card with the newly purchased one.
But we’ve done the research for you when it comes to eSIM data plans.
14 Countries covered in the AirAlo package
China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Macao, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam.
12 Countries covered in the Ubigi package
Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam.
Scan the QR code and get the "AIRALO" eSIM instantly
Save 10% with our exclusive code “RT10” at checkout.
Scan the QR code and get the "UBIGI" eSIM for USA instantly
Save 10% with our exclusive code “RT10” at checkout.
Europe
Here is the list of carriers supporting eSIM in Europe: Orange, Vodafone,
Continental Europe has over 40 countries (44 to be more precise 🙂 ) , all within a few hours of flight or by train. It’s straightforward and fast to do international travel and for that, you need a flexible eSIM to cover
Most of the eSIM operators cover between 27 and 39 countries in their packages, so ideally if you are travelling on the old continent you want a solid provider to cover ALL the European countries where you will be travelling.
So what is the best eSim to travel to Europe? Let’s have a look below.
Scan the QR code and get the "UBIGI" eSIM for USA instantly
Save 10% with our exclusive code “RT10” at checkout.
How To Choose The Best ESIM Provider?
Besides the obvious main point which is THE PRICE, how can one tell which eSIM service to use? We will briefly share the top features that consumers may consider to pick the right service.There are a few important things to look at when choosing an eSIM for international travel. Here are some major factors when choosing an eSIM provider:
- Coverage: Make sure the eSIM provider has good coverage in the countries you travel to and look into what networks they partnered up with.
- Data: How much data do you need? Try to estimate the monthly/daily usage so you know what type of eSIM plan to buy for your international travel. Use this cool estimator from Vodafone.
- Speed: Some eSIM providers offer 3G and 4G and even 5G so have a look at the description of the plan. They usually mention that.
- Price: eSIM plans can vary in price, so consider your budget when choosing a provider. We’ve broken them nicely above, so if you need regional eSIMs we’ve listed the best SIMs for you.
- Accessibility: do you want to stick with one international eSIM which is usually more expensive or do you need it only when you land for a short while so then you can switch to the local eSIMs, which are usually more cheaper? Do your math on that and see if you want to buy more or fewer data depending on your preference.
- Quality of Service
The cellular network(s) behind the eSIM (vendor) determines the quality of service – speed, latency and coverage – and this is where you should look at ultimately.
Embedded SIM providers typically share this detail before purchase so you can use it to assess which underwriting carrier network will provide your service.
Security
eSIMs are very secure. In fact, they are as secure as SIM cards. They use exactly the same authentication mechanisms to access mobile networks like 3G, 4G or 5G. And this is important when you do international travel.
However, not all eSIM’s have the same activation security. eSIM activation codes are usually shared at purchase and built into eSIM QR codes and apps. They can include 10 to 20 variables – characters and digits – in general, the longer the activation code the more secure is the eSIM.
Locality
Similar to other digital products and services, eSIMs are mostly provided online. Service providers can be local or international providers.
There’s a reason why local providers are your best bet for safe, secure data. They will be held accountable to laws and regulations, especially around data security and consumer privacy.
Support
Certain consumers may find embedded SIM relatively easy to activate and use, while others look will have to talk to responsive customer support to solve their issues.
Accordingly picking a service provider with good support is essential. Have a look at the online customer reviews and comments about your eSIM provider before purchasing.
How to Install and Activate an eSIM
There are two ways of installing an eSIM on your device:
- Manual method
- QR Code method
Manual
On your device, go to Settings
Tap Cellular or Mobile.
Tap Add Cellular Plan or Add Mobile Data Plan.
4. Select Enter Details Manually. You will be asked to enter:
- SM-DP+ Address
- Activation Code
- Confirmation Code(if available on your Airalo Account)
5. Choose a label or customized label for your eSIM.
6. Under the Default Line page, select your eSIM for cellular data only
7. You should see your new eSIM under your Cellular Data or Mobile Data Plans.
2. QR CODE METHOD
- On your device, go to Settings
- Tap Cellular or Mobile
- Tap Add Cellular Plan or Add Mobile Data Plan
- Use your printed QR code or another device that displays the QR code to scan your eSIM QR Code
5. If prompted, enter the 4-digit confirmation code. You can skip this step if you are not provided with the confirmation code.
6. Choose a label or customized label for your eSIM.
7. Under the Default Line page, select your eSIM for cellular data only
8. You should see your new eSIM under your Cellular Data or Mobile Data Plans.
Frequently Asked Questions About eSIMs
eSIM vs Physical SIM - What is the difference
The main difference between eSIM and a physical SIM card is that eSIM is built in the phone and cannot be removed, as opposed to SIM cards, which are physical and can be ejected from one phone and placed in another. You already know what a SIM card is and how it works in your current phone.
The great thing about your eSIM being permanently embedded in your phone, it can’t be stolen (especially when you travel) and placed in someone else’s phone or cloned as easily.
They’re also extremely difficult to hack thanks to additional built-in security features (more on this below). Some newer phones are eSIM-only, meaning they don’t even have a slot for a physical SIM card.
The extra space is used by manufacturers to insert bigger and longer-lasting battery or a faster processor.
Benefits of using ESIMS
eSIMs offer many benefits for frequent international travelers. Here are some major reasons why we love and recommend eSIMS:
- You get data connectivity as soon as you land or cross the border.
- You can activate your eSIM in minutes.
- You can keep your main phone line and use eSIM (one or more) in parallel.
- You don’t need to keep changing the SIM cards when you change countries which makes it extremely practical.
- You can top up your data plans very quick.
Are eSIM cards safe?
Yes, they are. Security has become important more than ever and that is why it has become a priority for carriers. Like physical SIM cards, eSIM provide the most secure and private ways to connect to the Internet.
Security standards on cellular networks are much higher than those of the public Wi-Fi networks that you can find in airports, hotels or cafés. 3G and 4G connectivity make data theft nearly impossible thanks to:
– Private access
– Private network
– End-to-end control of your data
– Encryption
– Authentication
How Much Data do I Need when I travel internationally?
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Where To Buy An eSIM?
eSIMs can be bought from a variety of places, bust most of the times, you will buy them online from:
- Speciality eSIM providers: Many eSIM providers sell eSIMs on their websites. Usually you will find the eSIM by country or region. This is the most convenient option because you can buy and activate your eSIM in a few minutes…literally.
- Carriers: Check with your current carrier if you can switch to a SIM and if they have any international plans too so you can use data roaming and calls. That will save you a lot of troubles.
Who supports eSIM?
Most of modern smart phones will support an eSIM. If your device in in the list below, then you’ll have no problem using eSIMs as you travel the world!
ESIM List of supported devices
Apple:
• iPhone14*
• iPhone14plus*
• iPhone14pro*
• iPhone14pro Max*
• iPhone 13*
• iPhone 13 Pro*
• iPhone 13 Pro Max*
• iPhone 13 Mini*
• iPhone 12 Mini*
• iPhone XS Max*
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone SE2
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XR
Android:
• Samsung Galaxy Fold
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S20
• Samsung Galaxy S20+
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20+
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
• Nuu Mobile X5
• Google Pixel 3 & 3 XL
• Google Pixel 3a & 3a XL
• Google Pixel 4, 4a & 4 XL
• Google Pixel 5*
• Google Pixel 6*
• Gemini PDA
• Motorola Razr 2019
• Motorola Razr 5G
• Huawei P40
• Huawei P40 Pro
• Huawei P40 Pro*
• Huawei Mate P40 Pro
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