Help understanding esim please

heatherw_01

DullGreyGuy said:

How can it be "always cheaper for me" if you state you haven't even done price comparisons? It may be cheaper than using your UK sim but that is a big caveat that you are missing from the statement and it could easily be taken as meaning it's cheaper than any other option. 

"esims" are just a sim that has no physical existence (yet a couple of years ago at least O2 still had to "post" it to you). They can be a "travel" sim, a sim issued by an overseas operator or a sim issued by a UK operator... you can sign up to the likes of iD Mobile or EE and your esim is emailed to you within a couple of minutes. Just because they are electronic doesnt mean they are limited to companies selling things for travel. 

I never said that.
I price compare esims online and they are always cheaper for me for where I go to, I don't compare local esims you buy on arrival as I don't use them as I said. I buy online for accessibility reasons.

I said in my post that I didn't do a price comparison between different companies for the OP, I just gave another site to get a quote on that are always cheaper for me for where I travel to. I never said I don't price compare esims at all as that is how I know they are cheapest for me as I check every time for the places I go to.

I said that alosim are always the cheapest for me for where I travel to. Of course I price compare online esims if I need to buy them, but as I said, they are always cheaper for me for where I go to. That all.

I know a esim is just a digital sim. I just said I don't use local sims that you buy on arrival as I am disabled, so I buy online and I price compare online esims such as the op's original suggestion of airlo and other companies.

This is becoming argumentative and that is not what we do on this forum. Kindly, please can we move on?
This is irrelevant from the OP's question and it is getting very much off topic. 
Please lets stay on topic and help the OP. Thank you.

BFBW

heatherw_01 said:

DullGreyGuy said:

How can it be "always cheaper for me" if you state you haven't even done price comparisons? It may be cheaper than using your UK sim but that is a big caveat that you are missing from the statement and it could easily be taken as meaning it's cheaper than any other option. 

"esims" are just a sim that has no physical existence (yet a couple of years ago at least O2 still had to "post" it to you). They can be a "travel" sim, a sim issued by an overseas operator or a sim issued by a UK operator... you can sign up to the likes of iD Mobile or EE and your esim is emailed to you within a couple of minutes. Just because they are electronic doesnt mean they are limited to companies selling things for travel. 

I never said that.
I price compare esims online and they are always cheaper for me for where I go to, I don't compare local esims you buy on arrival as I don't use them as I said. I buy online for accessibility reasons.

I said in my post that I didn't do a price comparison between different companies for the OP, I just gave another site to get a quote on that are always cheaper for me for where I travel to. I never said I don't price compare esims at all as that is how I know they are cheapest for me as I check every time for the places I go to.

I said that alosim are always the cheapest for me for where I travel to. Of course I price compare online esims if I need to buy them, but as I said, they are always cheaper for me for where I go to. That all.

I know a esim is just a digital sim. I just said I don't use local sims that you buy on arrival as I am disabled, so I buy online and I price compare online esims such as the op's original suggestion of airlo and other companies.

This is becoming argumentative and that is not what we do on this forum. Kindly, please can we move on?
This is irrelevant from the OP's question and it is getting very much off topic. 
Please lets stay on topic and help the OP. Thank you.

The links that I have posted are for online purchase, as opposed to your assertion of "local eSIM you buy on arrival". Some through 3rd Party websites and some directly from the mobile operator. 
The only one that is 'on arrival' is for Metfone in Cambodia, but I've mitigated that by showing an option for Roaming in Cambodia via a Thailand network.
alosim cannot compete, neither in cost nor data volume. It appears misleading to suggest that they are cheaper for you, especially since the thread is specifically discussing Asia. I think it important to clarify this.

MSE_JC

Hi all,

A gentle and general reminder that the community exists to support fellow MoneySavers, and that we can disagree, offer different opinions or correct unwitting errors made by others while still being respectful. We're all here to help each other.

Thanks,

MSE JC

owls1867

Revolut will be your best bet IMO. Not only is it excellent for currency exchange, but they also offer an e-sim for each of those countries your daughter will visit. Its a doddle to set up as well - just make sure you turn off roaming on your phone when you set it up.

They can be topped up easily and you can track how much data you have got left using the app. Then when you go from Vietnam to Cambodia lets say, you just buy an e-sim for Cambodia and your Vietnam data will just naturally expire after so many days as it will automatically connect to Cambodia's network (whatever it is). 

Not just for e-sims - but I couldn't recommend Revolut enough for this type of trip.  

Happy to provide any assistance if I can.

Hope your daughter enjoys her time out there. Cambodia and Vietnam in particular are stunning. 

jimi_man

To the OP.

Now all the bickering has finished, Airolo are good. Not the cheapest as you saw but not exactly expensive. And probably the most convenient as you can sort it out before you go. The first time you set it up it’s a little convoluted but every other time after that it’s easy. Just follow the guide. I’ve been using them for a couple of years. Sure you could probably save a pound or two by searching through little local back street stores, or you could pay a little more and do this. Maybe you could supply them for your daughter as a present and set them up beforehand so you know she’s going to be in contact?

Ballard

This is off topic, but I’ve read recently that a dispute between Thailand & Cambodia has lead to the borders between the two countries being closed. Thailand are also not allowing foreigners to fly into Cambodia from Thai airports. 

I don’t have the full details, so your daughter should look for clarification from the authorities. Things may have changed in the days since I read that anyway.  

owls1867

Ballard said:

This is off topic, but I’ve read recently that a dispute between Thailand & Cambodia has lead to the borders between the two countries being closed. Thailand are also not allowing foreigners to fly into Cambodia from Thai airports. 

I don’t have the full details, so your daughter should look for clarification from the authorities. Things may have changed in the days since I read that anyway.  

Yep - good point.

Looks like it’s only for certain land boarder crossings and flying into Siem Reap. 

jimi_man

Unfortunately, as is often quite common, the OP has not been back since the 6th July so it’s another ‘dump and run’. 

So I probably wouldn’t waste any more time offering assistance. 

BFBW

jimi_man said:

To the OP.

Now all the bickering has finished, Airolo are good. Not the cheapest as you saw but not exactly expensive. And probably the most convenient as you can sort it out before you go. The first time you set it up it’s a little convoluted but every other time after that it’s easy. Just follow the guide. I’ve been using them for a couple of years. Sure you could probably save a pound or two by searching through little local back street stores, or you could pay a little more and do this. Maybe you could supply them for your daughter as a present and set them up beforehand so you know she’s going to be in contact?

It seems that you might have missed the point that most every other option posted here can be sorted before they go anywhere. In addition, there are massive differences in the amounts of data offered. 10GB for £28 with Airalo or 50GB for £14 via trip.com? 
As an aside, neither would be my choice, as I posted better options on the first page.
To which back street stores are you referring?  I see lots of links for buying eSIM much cheaper than Airalo or AloSIM.
Another thing not mentioned, is that you need to register SIM/eSIM in Thailand with your passport details. This can be done online via the network portals. If not done, certain features will not be available. This is one reason why the eSIM you buy from the companies such as Airalo and AloSIM only mention data, as unregistered SIM won't have full function and may not be able to make outgoing calls nor send SMS. VoWiFi may also be disabled. Buying an eSIM directly from the network will ensure that the eSIM is fully functional, as you register the eSIM at the same time.

BFBW

jimi_man said:

Unfortunately, as is often quite common, the OP has not been back since the 6th July so it’s another ‘dump and run’. 

So I probably wouldn’t waste any more time offering assistance. 

I guess that is because the OP received all of the information necessary on the 6th. 
'dump and run' is a very unpleasant accusation. In fact she thanked the posters for their help on that day.