In this article, I will focus on Airalo eSIM for the UK. It is a good practice to compare the products of several eSIM providers. I decided to compare Airalo, Nomad, Holafly and Keepgo eSIM for the United Kingdom.
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.
If you want to compare Airalo Uki mobile with other eSIM, you can find my reviews here:
Reviews: eSIM in the UK
More about eSIM technology and other companies is in this article. In this blogpost, you will find advice on choosing a suitable product for a trip abroad.
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’s offering for the United Kingdom
Airalo offers three types of products for England. The first product is Airalo Uki Mobile. It’s a data plan specifically for use in England.
The second product type is Airalo Eurolink, which can be used in 39 European countries.
The third product is the global product Airalo Discover, which is intended for 127 countries (January 2024).
Detailed instructions on creating an account and buying a data package can be found in this article.
Price
In January 2024, when I bought my eSIM, Airalo offered six Uki Mobile products. Each product provided a different amount of mobile data – from 1GB (for $5) to 20 GB (for $18 – January promotion). The validity of the packages was from 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 the UK and connection type
The UK has four mobile operators – EE (Everything Everywhere), O2, Three (3) and Vodafone. The Uki Mobile eSIM can be used on the O2 and Three networks. Both operators have excellent coverage in London, but coverage varies outside the city.
Connection type
Airalo lists that Uki Mobile eSIM can use 4G/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 connects to one of the supported networks in the UK, in this case, either O2 or Three (3).
My Airalo Uki Mobile experience
My data plan
For this test, I bought a data package with 1 GB of data and a validity period of 7 days. The price of the package was $5. After applying the discount code, it is possible to have this package even for $2.
Network registration
My phone supports two SIMs simultaneously. Before my flight to London took off, I enabled Airalo Uki Mobile eSIM as a second eSIM in the phone settings.
After landing and parking the plane at Heathrow Airport, I turned off the flight mode and watched how quickly both (e)SIMs can register into the mobile network. My primary SIM card registered to the network almost instantly. Airalo Uki Mobila struggled to register even after 5 minutes.
If this happens, my very first step is to switch on the flight mode and wait for a minute. Then I switch the flight mode off again and watch what happens. This procedure helped. My Airalo Uki Mobile eSIM successfully registered to the O2 LTE network almost immediately, and I could use data.
Coverage
I tried Airalo Uki Mobile only in London. On the first day, I used the O2 network. I selected Three (3) in the phone settings on the second day. I had no problems with any of the networks.
Some London Underground lines (e.g., the Picadilly line from the airport) are not covered by mobile signal. Thus, browsing the Internet or watching videos online is impossible.
Speed
I decided to test what downlink and uplink speeds both networks offer. I tried the O2 LTE network first. The download speed went up to 67.8 Mbps. Mobile operator Three (3) was slightly slower, with a download speed of just 41.1 Mbps.
Top-ups
Buying additional data was easy. After clicking on “My eSIM” and “Uki Mobile,” I saw the offer for these packages. After payment, there is no need to install the eSIM again. The data was automatically added to the existing eSIM. Quite simple, isn’t it?
Application
I used the Airalo application to install Uki Mobile eSIM. It meant that I didn’t have to scan the QR code to install the eSIM. I went to “My eSIM” and “Uki Mobile” and followed the installation instructions.
After successfully installing the eSIM, the application said, “Your eSIM has been successfully installed.”
Conclusion
I was delighted with how easy it is to install eSIM in the Airalo application. I could find other helpful information there, such as data spent, validity time, etc. It was a great experience as the Airalo app is very easy to use.
I did not encounter any issues while using Uki Mobile eSIM in London.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Three options – local Uki Mobile, regional Eurolink and global Discover eSIM | No Unlimited Data bundle |
| Different sizes of data offered – from 1GB to 20GB | Problem with network registration |
| Different validity periods of data plans – from 7 to 30 days | |
| Simple process for top-ups |
