Anyone used an eSIM to avoid high roaming charges

Doshwaster

I used an eSIM for the first time last year in Thailand and it worked flawlessly. About £12 unlimited 5G data for 2 weeks.

One advantage of a eSIM compared to a replacement physical one is that your normal number remains active you can still receive incoming calls and texts which is useful in an emergency or for getting SMS codes for logging into websites.

I don't use an eSIM in Europe as I still have free roaming with O2 - though that probably won't last as the other main networks have reintroduced roaming charges.

steve99

Sending this using Airalo from the USA. Easy to install and good value especially with a discount code. 

chiny

Most not all eSIMs are only data.   It is rather more expensive if you want voice/texts/data but they do exist.  

Personally I use a UK eSIM, then hardware SIM when away, like others.   

All very straightforward, no nasties that I’ve found. 

CheeseDreams

C0lin61 said:

I was hoping to use O2 which includes free EU roaming; however, they provide no coverage at my home address despite their coverage chart showing "good 4G indoors"

does anyone have experience of using an eSIM to provide cheaper roaming in Europe?

My friend used an eSIM in Turkey. Told me it was the way to go when I was fretting about data before my trip to Istanbul. I bought one, then discovered my phone was too old to support using it! It's only 4 years old!

So I paid for an eSIM I couldn't use and then got clobbered for data roaming cos Three are appalling...

BernieKennedy

We (four of us) bought 30-day, 50GB e-sims from "Moba.coml" for use while we visited Japan last December.  We were there for a month, our DIL is Japanese so we were visiting family as well as ski-ing over Christmas.  On landing in Tokyo, I turned on the e-sim (I had turned off the UK sim on departure).  It activated and worked immediately.

It was brilliant!  With all the modern messaging (and calling) apps, we were able to behave as at home.  I used my data extensively for mapping and geocaching as well as all the normal stuff.  Even with my heavy use,  I used less than 15GB of the 50 - most surprised at that.

On returning to the UK, I simply turned the UK sim back on and deleted the e-sim.  Painless....

BernieKennedy

BernieKennedy said:

We (four of us) bought 30-day, 50GB e-sims from "Moba.coml" for use while we visited Japan last December.  We were there for a month, our DIL is Japanese so we were visiting family as well as ski-ing over Christmas.  On landing in Tokyo, I turned on the e-sim (I had turned off the UK sim on departure).  It activated and worked immediately.

It was brilliant!  With all the modern messaging (and calling) apps, we were able to behave as at home.  I used my data extensively for mapping and geocaching as well as all the normal stuff.  Even with my heavy use,  I used less than 15GB of the 50 - most surprised at that.

On returning to the UK, I simply turned the UK sim back on and deleted the e-sim.  Painless....

That should read "Mobal.com" (I don't seem to have an option to edit)!

gary1312

E-sims are quite easy to install and use, as long as one follows the provider instructions carefully. The best advice I can offer is to go with a good provider, I can see a few have been recommended on this thread already and there's more good advice in Clare MSE's article. Airalo seem to be well-respected and get mentioned a lot in these forums. 

As for myself, I have a Revolut account and one of the perks is that one can buy e-sims through the app. They're generally cheaper than Airalo and the like, plus also offer an initial free e-sim (with just 100MB) so you can get used to installing and using it before committing any money. I've used them twice on trips abroad now, with no issues. 

savergrant

CheeseDreams said:

C0lin61 said:

I was hoping to use O2 which includes free EU roaming; however, they provide no coverage at my home address despite their coverage chart showing "good 4G indoors"

does anyone have experience of using an eSIM to provide cheaper roaming in Europe?

My friend used an eSIM in Turkey. Told me it was the way to go when I was fretting about data before my trip to Istanbul. I bought one, then discovered my phone was too old to support using it! It's only 4 years old!

So I paid for an eSIM I couldn't use and then got clobbered for data roaming cos Three are appalling...

Not necessarily too old, just a model which doesn't have that spec. If your phone is esim compatible it will give you the option "add esim" in sim manager.

Doshwaster

CheeseDreams said:

C0lin61 said:

I was hoping to use O2 which includes free EU roaming; however, they provide no coverage at my home address despite their coverage chart showing "good 4G indoors"

does anyone have experience of using an eSIM to provide cheaper roaming in Europe?

My friend used an eSIM in Turkey. Told me it was the way to go when I was fretting about data before my trip to Istanbul. I bought one, then discovered my phone was too old to support using it! It's only 4 years old!

So I paid for an eSIM I couldn't use and then got clobbered for data roaming cos Three are appalling...

You always have to be careful in Turkey as the roaming charges are expensive. Last time I was there I had forgotten to turn off roaming on my phone and ran up a bill of £10 in no time before I realised.

Traditional SIMs are also expensive in Turkey compared to other countries.

sue.lewis

Another vote for Airalo eSIM. I used in 15 countries on a recent world trip and worked perfectly every time. Easy instructions, Airalo gives you options of best deals/providers for that country. Pay in USD but we used Starling via Apple Pay so no conversion fees. Cheap as chips