Everyone who plans to go on vacation or a business trip abroad tries to find a way how to avoid expensive roaming. There are many products on the market, whether for a classic plastic SIM card or a virtual eSIM. Many travellers do not know how to choose an eIM prodoct. In this article, I will describe how I make the decisions.
Disclaimer: Some links in this article contain affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase any service, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
How to choose the product
I always ask myself the following five questions before a trip or vacation:
- What communication services will I need abroad?
- Does my phone support eSIM technology?
- How many countries do I plan to visit?
- Does my accommodation provide wifi?
- What is my average daily data usage?
Telecommunication services
Classic mobile telecommunication services include:
- making and receiving calls
- sending and receiving SMS messages
- Internet (data services)
Nowadays, only a handful of people send SMS messages. Most of us use various applications (Whatsapp, Viber, Signal, Telegram, Threema, etc.) to communicate with family and friends. In many countries, incoming SMS messages are free. However, you’d better check with your mobile operator, as it is still charged in some countries.
Classic phone calls are less popular than they used to be. People have learned to use different apps the same way they use messaging.
On the contrary, we increasingly depend on the Internet (data services). All the applications mentioned above need an internet connection.
eSIM technology support
eSIM is a technology that is becoming more and more popular. You can find more about this technology in this article.
With the eSIM growing in popularity, more and more phones and mobile devices on the market support it. When buying a mobile device, you should check with the seller whether this device supports eSIM.
Countries visited
Why is this question important? Because each country may have different roaming prices. In some countries, you may still use your home plan (e.g. EU countries if your plan is from the EU).
You need to take into account that you will need a product per country. The more countries you plan to visit, the more products you should consider.
Wifi availability
Wifi is everywhere, whether in restaurants, hotels or public transport. Find out if the accommodation has wifi (probably yes). Public wifi is handy, but are they also safe? Do you trust them?
Data consumption
We use social media, send emails, watch videos or play games daily. Some applications consume a lot of data (social media and videos). Think about how you plan to use your phone while abroad. Accordingly, decide on the amount of data you will need.
eSIM support
My phone does not support eSIM
In this case, you will need a classic plastic SIM card. First, start looking at the offers of local mobile operators and compare them with the offers of aggregators. Aggregator is a company that cooperates with several mobile operators and sells their services (e.g. OneSimCard, SimCorner).
Find which mobile operators are in the country you want to visit on the Internet. This can be complicated as not every mobile operator has their website in English.
Mobile operators usually offer two types of products – monthly plans and prepaid cards. Monthly plans are for at least one year. You will be asked to sign a contract. For short-term stays, prepaid cards are the best.
Check all mobile operators’ prepaid (or “pay as you go”) offers and compare their prices.
Example: I am planning a two-week vacation in America, and I plan to visit several places.
There are four mobile operators in America: AT&T, Dish Network, T-Mobile and Verizon.
As you can see from this example, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon offer prepaid plans, which are all valid for a month. In my case, I only plan to stay there for two weeks.
OneSimCard (more in this article) and SimCorner are companies (aggregators) that offer telecommunications services in America.
In this example, I would choose either SimCorner, which offers the services of American operators cheaper than the operators themselves, or OneSimCard.
My phone supports eSIM
Great, in this case, I recommend buying an eSIM. As in the previous case where the phone did not support eSIM, check all the offers of local mobile operators. And then compare them with the products from aggregators such as Airalo, Holafly, Keepgo, Nomad, OneSimCard or SimCorner.
I will not give an example here. Read further and see examples of visited countries below in the article.
Type of telecommunication services
I want calls, SMS and data
If your phone does not support eSIM technology, proceed to “My phone does not support eSIM”.
If your phone supports eSIM technology, you have the following options:
- The products of mobile operators
- Airalo (Global eSIM products only)
- Holafly (Europe only)
- OneSimCard
- SimCorner
I want SMS and data
If your phone does not support eSIM technology, proceed to “My phone does not support eSIM”.
If your phone supports eSIM technology, you have the following options:
- The products of mobile operators
- Airalo (Global eSIM products only)
- Holafly (Europe only)
- Nomad (Canada, the United States and Great Britain only)
- OneSimCard
- SimCorner
I want data only
If your phone does not support eSIM technology, proceed to “My phone does not support eSIM”.
If your phone supports eSIM technology, you have the following options:
- The products of mobile operators
- Airalo
- Holafly
- Keepgo
- Nomad
- OneSimCard
- SimCorner
Visited countries
I plan to stay in one country
In the case of visiting one country, the decision is relatively simple. Look at the products offered by local mobile operators and compare them with products from the aggregators (you can find the list in the section “Choosing telecommunications services”).
I plan to visit several countries
When visiting several countries, the situation can be more complicated. Let’s explain it with an example.
Example 1
I am planning a holiday on the island of Borneo. During my stay, I want to visit Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. My phone does not support eSIM technology.
In the first step, I check the products from Malaysian, Indonesian and Bruneian mobile operators. Malaysia has 13 operators! Fortunately, Indonesia only has four and Brunei three.
Do the same for OneSimCard, SimCorner or other companies. Compare prices, offered services and amount of data.
Example 2
I am planning a holiday on the island of Borneo. During my stay, I want to visit Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. I plan to be in Indonesia for 10 days, Malaysia for 8 days, and Brunei for only 3 days. My phone supports eSIM technology.
For simplicity, I will only look at products from Airalo. In the case of Indonesia and Malaysia, local, regional and global products are available. For Brunei, these are local and global products.
Choosing 3 different local products will cost me $25 (1GB Brunei, 2GB Indonesia, 2GB Malaysia) or $30.50 (1GB Brunei, 3GB Indonesia, 3GB Malaysia).
If I combine Asialink for Indonesia and Malaysia and the local product for Brunei, I will pay $22 (1GB Brunei, 3GB Asialink) or $29 (1GB Brunei, 5GB Asialink). The advantage is that I can spend the data from the Asialink however I like.
The third option is the global package for $35.
Choosing 3 different local products will cost me $25 (1GB Brunei, 2GB Indonesia, 2GB Malaysia) or $30.50 (1GB Brunei, 3GB Indonesia, 3GB Malaysia).
If I combine Asialink for Indonesia and Malaysia and the local product for Brunei, I will pay $22 (1GB Brunei, 3GB Asialink) or $29 (1GB Brunei, 5GB Asialink). The advantage is that I can spend the data from the Asialink however I like.
The third option is the global package for $35.
In this example, I would opt for the second option – Asialink and Brunei local eSIM. It is the cheapest option from Airalo and allows me to use the data according to my needs.
In the same way, I would also compare products from other companies (Holafly, Keepgo, Nomad, OneSimCard, SimCorner).
We are all set and ready to go
Comparing products is a rather time-consuming process. I hope this blog post will help you how to choose the best eSIM product for your next travel.
Another option is to find a favourite company and buy products only from them. However, I like to try new companies and products.
What is your selection process? Share with us in the comments.
