During my travels, I stopped briefly in Doha, Qatar, before heading to the United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi. My journey began with a flight on Qatar Airways from London Heathrow Airport. I opted for the Airalo Menalink eSIM to ensure data connectivity in both countries.
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If you want to compare Airalo Discover eSIM with other eSIM, you can find my reviews here:
Reviews: eSIM for Qatar
Airalo Discover eSIM for Qatar
Nomad Middle East Travel eSIM (coming soon)
This article (Roaming eSIM Ultimate Guide) discusses eSIM technology and other companies in detail. This article (How to choose eSIM) offers advice on choosing a suitable product for a trip abroad. All eSIM reviews are available here.
Airalo Discount Code
If you use my Airalo code SANDRA4293 you can get $3 off or 15% discount (link to the discount here) on your first eSIM.
If you already have an existing account you can get 10% discount on eSIMs US$10+ using this link.
Airalo Applications
Airalo has apps where you can buy new plans or track the usage of your existing plans. Below are the links where you can download them:
For Google Play click here.
For Apple Store click here.
Airalo offering for Qatar
Airalo offers three types of products for Qatar. The first product is the Airalo Pearl Mobile. It is a data plan specifically for use in Jordan.
The second type of product is Airalo Menalink, which can be used in 15 countries in the Middle East and the northern part of Africa. These include Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Tunisia)
Airalo offers two types of “Global eSIMs”. The first one is Airalo Discover eSIM, which offers data only. It varies from 1 to 20 GB. In March and April 2024, these data eSIMs could be used in 124 countries.
The second type is Airalo Discover eSIM, which contains data, voice calls, and SMS. The plans include voice calls (from 10 minutes up to 200 minutes), SMS (from 10 SMS up to 200 SMS), and mobile data (from 1 GB to 20 GB). These eSIM cards come with the Austrian phone number +43. In March and April 2024, these data eSIMs could be used in 125 countries.
Detailed instructions on creating an account and buying a data package can be found in this article.
Price
At the time of my trip, Airalo only offered three Menalink products. Each product offered a different amount of mobile data—from 1GB (for $15) to 3GB (for $39). The plans were valid for 7 to 30 days.
What phones support eSIM?
With this technology’s growing popularity, more and more phones and tablets are on the market that support it. When buying a phone, you should ask the seller if the phone supports eSIM. Airalo regularly updates the list of supported devices, so it is better to check their official support page.
Mobile operators in Qatar and connection type
There are two mobile operators in Qatar – Ooredoo and Vodafone. The Menalink eSIM data plans can be used on Ooredoo networks. In the capital city, Doha, Ooredoo has great signal coverage, but a lot of areas are not covered outside the city.
Connection type
Airalo lists that Menalink eSIM can use LTE. More and more operators are launching 5G networks, so you may see a 5G icon on your phone.
eSIM Activation
The activation and validity period of the data package starts as soon as the eSIM is connected to the Ooredoo network.
My Airalo Menalink experience
My data plan
During my nine-day trip, I visited Qatar twice, once on my way to Indonesia and then again on my way back. The seven-day validity period of the Menalink 1GB data package, which I purchased for $15 (but you could get it for $12 with a discount code), was sufficient for my needs.
Unfortunately, I ran out of data during my journey back and opted to use the airport’s Wi-Fi in Doha instead of recharging for another $15.
Network registration
I made sure to prepare my phone for the flight in advance. Once we arrived at Doha airport, I disabled flight mode and observed the sequence of events. My primary SIM card was the first to connect to the mobile network, followed shortly by the Airalo Menalink eSIM, and the name of the mobile operator, Ooredoo, was displayed.
Upon enabling mobile data, the 4G+ icon appeared. However, the connection was inconsistent, as the 4G icon would vanish every few seconds. Turning off mobile data and activating flight mode often helped stabilise the connection. I waited approximately a minute before turning off flight mode. Upon re-enabling mobile data, the 4G+ icon returned, and the connection remained stable this time.
Functionality
During my layover at the Doha airport, I found myself with only an hour and a half to make my connecting flight. I made the most of my time by catching up on some reading, browsing various articles on the Internet, and staying updated on different social networks. I didn’t encounter any issues.
Additionally, while waiting on the plane before takeoff, I could use my data without any problems.
Speed
After my experience with the Airalo in Italy (you can find my review in this article), I hesitated to test the speed at the start of my trip. I decided to wait and see if I had any data left for the journey back home. Unfortunately, I realized I had used up all my data in Abu Dhabi and had nothing left for the return trip.
Top-ups
Buying additional data was easy. Just select “My eSIM” and “TOP UP”.
Conclusion
I didn’t think that 1GB of data would run out so quickly. It turns out that social media, especially Instagram, used up most of my data. If I purchased separate data plans for Qatar and the Emirates, it might be more cost-effective and provide me with 2GB of data. I’ve been curious about trying out the Airalo Menalink eSIM in Qatar, and my experience has been positive so far. Other than a minor initial hiccup, I haven’t encountered any other issues.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Three options – local Pearl Mobile, regional Menalink and global Discover eSIM | No Unlimited Data bundle |
| Different sizes of data offered – from 1GB to 3GB | Higher Menalink price compared to the local eSIMs |
| Different validity periods of data plans – from 7 to 30 days | Only 3GB max |
| Simple process for top-up |
What is your experience with eSIM in Qatar? Do you have a favourite one?
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