Airalo eSIM Review UK: Is a Travel eSIM Cheaper Than Roaming?

Airalo sells travel eSIMs: digital SIM profiles that install on your phone alongside your UK SIM and give you mobile data from a network at your destination. It is run by AirGSM Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore, which describes itself as an aggregator and marketplace: it buys connectivity from networks around the world and resells it as packages for more than 200 destinations.

With a data-only eSIM you can keep your UK line switched on for calls and texts to your usual number while the Airalo eSIM handles data, provided your phone supports dual SIM. Airalo itself warns that your UK line can still run up roaming charges, so turn data roaming off for it.

Airalo's terms are governed by the law of England and Wales and, except where the law restricts it, cap its total liability to you at US$100. Your account is personal, and Airalo can suspend it if it has a security concern. If you spot a purchase you didn't make, tell support straight away: whether you get that money back is at Airalo's discretion.

You need an unlocked phone that supports eSIM. Airalo keeps a device list in its help centre (last updated September 2026); check it before you pay, because buying a plan won't make an incompatible phone work.

One catch matters if your phone came from Asia. Airalo says iPhones from mainland China have no eSIM, and nor do iPhones from Hong Kong and Macao, apart from the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone XS. All Galaxy phones from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Huawei phones bought in China, are on the same list.

Local plans cover one country. Regional plans cover several: Eurolink covers 41 European countries, including the UK, Switzerland and Turkey, and Asialink covers 18, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Discover plans are global. A regional plan costs more for the same data (in pounds, Eurolink's 5GB for 7 days was £14.50 against £6.50 for Spain alone), so it earns its keep only if you are crossing borders.

Each package's details name the network it uses. On 13 October 2026 the Spain eSIM used Orange, the US eSIM T-Mobile and Verizon, the Japan eSIM SoftBank and KDDI, and the China eSIM China Unicom. Coverage and speed come from that network, so your experience depends on how well it covers the places you visit.

Most plans are data only. A few include a number for calls and texts, with limits: the global Discover+ plans give a US (+1) number without call forwarding or voicemail, from US$9 for 1GB, 10 texts and 10 minutes over 7 days, and the US plans with calls don't allow outgoing international calls. If you just need to reach home, a call over WhatsApp or FaceTime on your data does the job.

Choose GBP and Airalo shows prices in pounds, VAT included. On 13 October 2026, 5GB for 7 days cost £6.50 in Spain, £10.00 in the US and £9.00 in Hong Kong; 10GB for 15 days in Japan was £14.00, and Eurolink's 5GB for 15 days across Europe was £15.00. Your first order is £2.50 cheaper with our code, and orders you pay for earn at least 5% back in Airmoney.

Compare that with your network's roaming. EE's Pay Monthly price guide (charges from 31 March 2026) puts its Daily EU Charge at £2.72, or £19.04 for a week, and its Weekly EU Roaming Pass at £16.50. Those let you use your UK allowance of calls, texts and data, while Airalo's 5GB is data only, so it isn't quite like for like. But if data is what you need, Airalo costs well under half as much.

Check your own plan first. EE handset and SIM-only tariffs launched before 7 July 2021 roam in the EU at no extra cost, and the daily charge doesn't apply if your plan includes roaming; if yours does, an Airalo eSIM for Europe saves you nothing. Other networks set their own roaming charges.

New customers get US$3 off their first purchase with our code JIMMY2336, which Airalo shows as £2.50 off when you pay in pounds. Our link opens Airalo's sign-up page with the code attached. If it doesn't appear, enter it when you sign up, or at checkout on your first order under "Use Airmoney or code". On the £6.50 Spain plan that is more than a third off; on a £15 Eurolink plan, about a sixth.

The conditions: it applies to your first purchase only; Airalo says you may not get the referral discount if you have used other Airalo promotions; and only one discount method works per order, a code or Airmoney, so nothing else can be stacked on top. Check the order summary shows the discount before you pay. It comes off the price; it isn't cash.

Disclosure: JIMMY2336 is GetQuids' own code, so we receive US$3 in Airmoney when you make your first purchase with it.

You can buy and install well before you travel. Airalo says the validity period starts when the eSIM activates, and most activate when they first connect to a supported network at your destination. Some activate as soon as they are installed, wherever you are; the package's Additional Information tab shows its activation policy.

Some eSIMs also have a recycling deadline: if the eSIM isn't in use within a set time, often 90 days from purchase, it is recycled and you need to buy a new one. So check the package details before buying months ahead.

The data covers the whole validity period rather than a daily ration, unused data can't be used once the period ends, and validity can't be extended. Rechargeable eSIMs can be topped up from My eSIMs; if there is no Top up button, the eSIM is single-use. Renewals, if you turn them on, buy the package again when 10% of your data is left. They need a saved payment method and Airmoney can't pay for them. Turn them off when you get home.

You can share your Airalo data as a personal hotspot if your phone and the network support it. Some eSIMs need an APN typed in, and in that case the hotspot needs it too; the installation details say so.

Unlimited plans aren't unlimited at full speed. By default you get 3GB a day of high-speed data, then 1 Mbps. There is no separate tethering limit, but hotspot use comes out of the same 3GB. In pounds, unlimited data was £9.00 for 3 days in Spain and £21.00 for 7 days in Japan.

Heading to mainland China? Airalo says its China, Asia regional and global eSIMs don't need a VPN, because the traffic is routed outside mainland China. That covers only the eSIM's own data: hotel and café Wi-Fi is still filtered. The China eSIM runs on China Unicom and doesn't cover Hong Kong or Macao; Asialink covers all three.

Airalo takes Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay and JCB cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay (not in every country) and, in the app only, Alipay. It supports 16 currencies, including pounds. Pick GBP: if you pay in a currency your card doesn't use, your bank's exchange rate and any foreign transaction fee apply.

Every purchase you pay for earns Airmoney: 5% back at the starting Traveler level, 6% once you have spent the equivalent of US$20, 7% from US$70 and 10% from US$200. Airmoney is Airalo credit tied to the US dollar, for future purchases only. It can't be used while the balance is under US$1, can't pay for renewals and can't be combined with a discount code. The whole balance can expire, but the expiry date moves a year later each time you buy or receive Airmoney.

Refunds go through the Request Refund button in the app, which appears only on eligible orders, or through support. For "Wrong purchase" and "Plans changed", the help centre says Airmoney is the only refund method. For "Installation issues" and "eSIM not working" you can choose Airmoney or your original payment method; card refunds usually take 7-10 business days, or up to 30 depending on your bank. Expired or fully used eSIMs aren't eligible, and if you bought the wrong one, Airalo asks you to contact support before installing it.

The terms of use set out the rules behind that. As a consumer you can withdraw from a purchase within 14 days, but the right ends as soon as the eSIM activates. If a fault on Airalo's side stops an activated eSIM working, ask within 30 days of the problem; Airalo gets 10 days to fix it, then you choose a replacement or a refund, of the unused part only if you have used some of the plan.

The terms also say that where a refund is due, for example when you withdraw within 14 days and before the eSIM activates, you can take it as Airmoney or back to your original payment method, which the help centre's Airmoney-only rule doesn't reflect. If you would rather have money back on your card, ask support and point to the terms.

On 13 October 2026 the Airalo app was rated 4.6 from about 47,000 ratings on the UK App Store and 4.6 from about 188,000 reviews on Google Play, which lists more than 10 million downloads. On Trustpilot it scored 4.1 from about 47,000 reviews: 62% five stars and 16% one star, with Airalo replying to 93% of negative reviews.

The complaints repeat: an eSIM that won't install or activate, signal but no data on arrival, slower speeds than advertised, a support chat that is slow or scripted and needs a connection to reach, refunds paid as Airmoney, small plans running out fast, and prices higher than expected. The praise is just as consistent: easy to buy, connected on landing, and cheaper than roaming.

If it won't connect, Airalo's own steps are to turn the Airalo line on and set it as your line for mobile data, enter the APN if the app gives one, set data roaming as the app's connection instructions say, and, if it still won't connect, pick the network named in the app by hand. Support is by in-app or web chat, WhatsApp or email at support@airalo.com, so install and test the eSIM at home while you still have Wi-Fi.

Use it if your UK plan charges for roaming where you are going, if you mainly need data for maps, messaging and bookings, if you are visiting several countries on one trip (a regional plan), or if you are going to mainland China and want your usual apps without a VPN.

Skip it if your plan already includes roaming at your destination, if you need a local number for calls, if your phone is locked or has no eSIM (check the Asia-bought models above), or if you are staying for months, when a local SIM may work out cheaper. And buy carefully: the wrong country or changed plans get you Airmoney, not cash.