In this article, I will focus on the Nomad United Kingdom eSIM for the UK. Nomad is one of many companies offering travel eSIM data products. I recommend comparing products from different companies before visiting this country.
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.
As it is easy for me to test eSIM available in the UK market, I decided to run a series of articles where I will test them. It is always a good idea to compare different products in the same market before buying them.
If you want to compare Nomad United Kingdom eSIM 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.
Nomad discount code
Clicking on this link, you will visit the Nomad page. If you use my Nomad code LEOS92MM, you will get $3 off your first eSIM purchase.
Nomad data plans for the United Kingdom
Nomad offers two types of products for England. The first product is Nomad United Kingdom eSIM. It’s a data plan specifically for use in England. Nomad also offers unlimited data “UNLIMITED Plans”.
Several “Regular Plans” products are available for those needing a smaller amount of data.
The second product type is Nomad Europe, which can be used in 30 or 35 European countries.
Since I planned to stay only in England, I tried the “Regular Plan” United Kingdom Travel eSIM.
Nomad eSIM Products Price
Nomad offers several “Regular Plans”, which differ in the amount of data offered, the length of validity and supported operators. The price ranges from $7 for 1 GB to $21 for 20 GB. “UNLIMITED Plans” are offered by the number of days. The price starts from $7 for 1 day.
You can find more information about this product by clicking “Plan Details”. “Network” contains a list of operators whose mobile network you can use in the UK.
I recommend checking the information about the supported mobile network under “Network”. The more supported mobile operators, the better. Nomad United Kingdom Travel eSIM supports all four British mobile operators.
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. Alternatively, check the list in this article.
Mobile operators in the United Kingdom and type of connection
You can find four mobile operators in the UK – EE (Everything Everywhere), O2, Three (3UK) and Vodafone. Nomad United Kingdom Travel eSIM will work in any of the mobile operators. This is a massive advantage because each mobile operator has different coverage and signal quality.
Connection type
Currently, a lot of mobile operators offer 5G for their customers. In the technical information for this data plan, Nomad mentions 5G/4G/LTE network support. However, it depends on the location (see the maps in the pictures above).
Activation
Unlike competitors, Nomad products must be activated within 30 days of purchase. (After purchase, you have 30 days to activate your plan. Otherwise, your plan expiry will start on the 30th day.)
The activation and validity period of the data plan starts as soon as the eSIM is connected to a supported mobile network for the first time or on the 30th day after the purchase of the product.
It is always a good idea to check the product information by clicking “Plan Details”.
My experience with Nomad United Kingdom eSIM
My data plan
I planned to visit several places in the UK and test the downlink and uplink speeds while using all four mobile operators. Thus, I bought the 3GB data plan, which cost $8.
The eSIM installation was straightforward. I used the Nomad application and followed the instructions.
First, the application warned me that some eSIMs can only be installed once. Activation starts once the eSIM connects to the mobile network. In the next step, the app asked if my phone was unlocked.
Network registration
Before every flight’s departure, I checked whether the Nomad United Kingdom eSIM was enabled in the phone settings.
I have used Nomad eSIM in three cities: Aberdeen, London, and Glasgow. In all three cases, the Nomad eSIM connected to the Vodafone 4G network a few seconds after turning off the flight mode. I assume the Vodafone mobile network had the strongest signal at the airports.
After enabling mobile data, I could immediately browse the Internet and use social media. And after a few seconds, the 5G icon appeared.
Behaviour
I spent two days in Aberdeen, where I had no problems using social networks, Google Maps, browsing mobile sites, or other applications.
I had the same experience in Glasgow and London. In both cities, I manually switched between all supported networks. Everything worked smoothly as I moved around the city.
Speed
In Aberdeen, I tested the network speed only on the Vodafone 4G network while chilling at the hotel. Even though I only got 7.8 Mbps downlink and 1.4 Mbps uplink, it didn’t cause any issues while watching videos or browsing the Internet. The hotel may be in a location not yet covered by a 5G signal.
I tried all four networks in Glasgow:
- 5G Vodafone: 41.1 Mbps downlink and 9.33 Mbps uplink
- 5G Three (3UK) 5G: 5.42 Mbps downlink and 0.80 Mbps uplink
- 4G+ EE: 47.2 Mbps downlink and 11.3 Mbps uplink
- 5G O2: 49.6 Mbps downlink and 7.37 Mbps uplink
I also tried all four networks in London:
- 5G Vodafone: 158 Mbps downlink and 0.48 Mbps uplink
- 5G Three (3UK): 12.8 Mbps downlink and 0.00 Mbps uplink
- 4G+ EE: 44 Mbps downlink and 3.25 Mbps uplink
- 5G O2: 169 Mbps downlink and 15 Mbps uplink
Top-ups
Buying additional data is simple. Just click on “Add more data”.
Conclusion
Of the three tested eSIM, the Nomad United Kingdom eSIM is by far my favourite travel eSIM for England. What I liked the most was that Nomad eSIM can be used on all mobile networks. If I had any issues with one network, I could always switch to several other mobile networks with better performance.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Two options for England – United Kingdom eSIM and Europe eSIM | Limited time for activation – 30 days from buying |
| Support of all mobile operators in the country | |
| Fast registration to the network | |
| Unlimited data plans | |
| Different data offered in the data plans – from 1 to 20 GB |
Latest Travel SIM articles
Like this article? Share it!