GigSky eSIM Review UK: What Does It Cost, and Is 25% Off Worth Having?

GigSky sells travel eSIMs: a digital SIM that installs on your phone alongside your UK SIM and gives you mobile data abroad. Your contract is with GigSky, Inc., a US company. Its terms are governed by California law, GigSky can choose to settle disputes by arbitration in Palo Alto, and you must be 18 or over to buy. GigSky calls itself "an actual network operator" that manages its own US-based eSIMs rather than a reseller. We could not verify any UK licence, and its own pages variously claim 175+, 190+ and 200+ countries, so go by the plan list for your destination.

The eSIM is for data only. GigSky's terms say voice calls, SMS and MMS can't be made with it, and it doesn't come with a phone number. To stay reachable on your usual number, keep your UK SIM switched on (your UK network may charge roaming for calls and texts) and make calls over WhatsApp, FaceTime or Messenger on your GigSky data.

You install one GigSky eSIM and it is reused for later plans. It can't be moved to another phone. If you replace your phone and stop using the old one, support can issue a new eSIM for the new phone.

Your phone needs to support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. The quick test is to dial *#06#: if an EID number appears, the phone supports eSIM. GigSky lists the iPhone XS, XR and newer, many Galaxy S and Z models, the Galaxy Note20 series, selected Galaxy A models and many Pixels. It also warns that most iPhones sold in mainland China don't support eSIM, which matters if you brought your phone from there.

To check the lock on an iPhone, go to Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock and look for "No SIM restrictions". On a Samsung, it is Settings > Connections > More Connection Settings > Network Lock Status. If your phone is locked, ask your network to unlock it before you buy. GigSky makes no promise that eSIM adapters such as eSIM.me, 5ber or 9eSIM will work.

Once you have signed up, new users can claim a free plan of 100MB for 7 days, usable in 125 countries, without adding a card. It is a simple way to check the eSIM installs and connects. GigSky's terms say it can change or end the free plan at any time.

Standard plans give you a set amount of data for a set number of days, and end when either runs out, whichever comes first. Country plans cover one country. Regional plans cover several: Europe covers 42 countries, including the UK, and Asia Pacific covers 19, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia. There are also plans for Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and North America. The World Plan covers 165 countries in GigSky's catalogue, and World Plan Lite covers 119 for less.

GigSky's catalogue names the networks each country uses: Movistar and Orange in Spain; Bouygues, Orange and SFR in France; NTT Docomo and SoftBank in Japan; AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon (plus Globalstar) in the US; China Unicom in mainland China; and 3, China Mobile, HKT and SmarTone in Hong Kong. Your coverage and speed come from those networks, and GigSky says speeds vary with signal, congestion and location.

You can share your data as a personal hotspot if your phone supports it. Every connected device uses the same plan's data.

Unlimited plans let you choose from 1 to 30 days. You are never cut off, but your speed may be reduced once you use 3.5GB of high-speed data in a day; GigSky's catalogue lists the reduced speed as 500 kbps. The allowance resets every 24 hours from the time the plan activated, not at midnight. At list price, unlimited data in Japan or across Europe was £2.99 for a day, £27.99 for 10 days and £55.99 for 30 days on 13 October 2026.

Day Passes, which GigSky's catalogue sells only for cruises, give you 500MB of high-speed data a day. After that you are limited to messaging and a set of essential apps until the allowance resets, every 24 hours from when the plan activated.

GigSky One is a monthly subscription with 25GB, 50GB or 75GB of high-speed data, then slower data for the rest of the month, in more than 120 countries but not on cruises, offshore or in flight. It renews automatically until you cancel it in the app (My Plans > View Details > Cancel Subscription), and unused data doesn't roll over. GigSky's help centre says no refunds are offered once it is purchased, and its terms say referral discounts and other promotions don't apply to subscriptions unless stated otherwise, so the 25% won't help here.

On 13 October 2026, GigSky's catalogue listed these prices in pounds for 10GB over 30 days: £6.99 in Spain, £10.99 in France, £12.49 in Japan, £15.99 in the US, £16.99 for Europe or Asia Pacific, and £26.99 for mainland China. The World Plan was £47.99 for 10GB over 60 days. Small plans start low: 1GB for 7 days was £1.99 in Spain, France, Japan and the US.

A regional plan only pays if you cross borders: Europe's 10GB is £16.99 against £6.99 for Spain alone. The exception is mainland China. If you are visiting it as well as Hong Kong, Asia Pacific's 10GB (£16.99) costs less than China's own plan (£26.99). Moving to Britain? A UK plan can cover your first weeks before you get a UK SIM: 10GB for 30 days was £6.99 (US$9.79), on 3, O2 and Vodafone.

Those are list prices. On 13 October GigSky's catalogue also showed a 15% promotion on most plans, and 25% off cruise Day Passes. Promotions come and go, and only one discount applies to each purchase, as the next section explains.

Sign up through our link or with code JIMB150 and GigSky takes 25% off your first data plan purchase. You must enter the code in the referral code field when you create your account: GigSky says it can't be added to an account afterwards, and no promo code can be added after a purchase. If our link opens the sign-up page with the field empty, type JIMB150 before you tap Sign up. Then verify your email address. The discount is applied to your first data plan purchase only once your email is verified, and GigSky's terms say accounts with an unconfirmed email are deleted after 30 days.

Only one discount or promo code works per purchase, and GigSky's system applies the highest one automatically. On 13 October the 25% would replace the 15% promotion, so you pay about £9.37 for Japan's 10GB rather than £12.49, not 40% off. If a bigger discount applies to you, such as an eligible Visa card's 30%, it takes the place of the 25%. GigSky doesn't say whether the referral discount then carries over to a later plan. It doesn't apply to GigSky One subscriptions. GigSky publishes no cap, minimum spend or end date for the offer. Check the order summary shows 25% off before you pay.

Because it is a percentage, the saving is about £3.12 on that Japan plan but about 50p on a £1.99 plan. Buy the plan your trip needs rather than a bigger one to chase the saving. Disclosure: JIMB150 is GetQuids' own code, so we receive a 25% discount coupon when you sign up with it and buy a plan.

GigSky suggests installing the eSIM the day before you travel or on the day, while you have a strong connection; installation needs Wi-Fi. Most plans start when the eSIM first connects to a network in a place the plan covers. But regional, global and cruise plans can start as soon as they are installed if you are already somewhere they cover, and the Europe, World and World Lite plans all include the UK. Install one at home, keep the GigSky line switched off in your phone's settings, and switch it on when you land. If a plan starts early anyway, GigSky's purchase FAQ says support can extend its expiry date: email help@gigsky.com with the transaction details.

Once a plan starts, it can't be paused. Leaving the country or turning the eSIM off doesn't stop the clock, and most plans can't be extended, although support may review a request. A standard plan ends when the data or the days run out, whichever comes first, and any unused data is lost.

Eligible plans can be topped up under My Plans > Top Up, before or after you run out. Free Visa plans can't be topped up. If you hold two plans covering the same place, such as a country plan and a regional one, only one can be "In Use"; you switch between them in My Plans. If you can't connect, GigSky's checklist is to make sure the GigSky eSIM is on and selected for mobile data, data roaming is on for it, and the APN is set to gigsky, then restart the phone.

GigSky takes credit and debit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay depending on your device, cryptocurrency (USDC and USDP, charged in US dollars) and GigSky Credit. It bills in USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY or BRL. Set GBP under Profile Details so your card isn't charged in a foreign currency.

GigSky says you earn 5% credit on every purchase. GigSky Credit is applied automatically at checkout on eligible purchases, never expires, and can't be transferred or exchanged for cash. GigSky doesn't say whether the 5% is worked out before or after a discount; on a £9.37 plan it would be about 47p.

Refunds are where the official sources disagree. GigSky's terms, last updated 21 April 2026, say unused data won't be refunded, whether or not the plan was activated. Its help centre, updated in September 2026, offers a Request Refund button under Transaction History, but says approval isn't automatic and depends on things such as whether the plan was activated or used. An approved refund comes back as GigSky Credit or to your original payment method. If you bought a plan for the wrong phone, the help centre says you can request a refund and buy it again. Treat any refund as case by case, not a right, and check the destination and dates before you pay. To leave, delete your account in the app under Account Details > Delete Account. Deletion is permanent, so use any credit first.

Cruise plans come at sea only or with land coverage, and work only on supported ships, so check GigSky's ship list before you buy. Data at sea usually starts once the ship is about 12 nautical miles offshore, roughly an hour after leaving port. A sea-only plan may not work in port, and the plan isn't used while your phone is on the ship's Wi-Fi, so turn Wi-Fi off. If your cruise plan covers the country you sail from, keep the eSIM off until you are on board, or the plan may start early.

At-sea data costs far more than data on land. On 13 October GigSky's catalogue listed two sea-only plans with 1GB for 7 days at £14.99 and £23.49, and a Cruise Day Pass at £13.49 a day at list price. The Day Pass gives 500MB of high-speed data every 24 hours, then GigSky Essentials: text messages in apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage, text-only email, maps and ride-hailing apps, but no calls, voice notes, attachments or streaming.

GigSky also sells plans for selected ferry routes, and inflight data on supported airlines, including Aer Lingus and Cathay Pacific, once the aircraft reaches 20,000 feet. Free Visa plans don't cover cruises, inflight or offshore, though an eligible Visa discount can be used on a cruise plan.

On 13 October 2026 the GigSky app was rated 4.5 from 1,117 ratings on the UK App Store and 4.3 from 5.3k reviews on Google Play, which lists more than 500,000 downloads. On Trustpilot it scored 4.3 from 7,677 reviews: 67% five stars and 8% one star, with GigSky replying to 99% of negative reviews.

The complaints repeat: signal showing but no data, slower speeds than expected or no 5G, cruise data that is patchy or down for a whole voyage (with some refunds refused, in one case because GigSky said the eSIM had been used), unlimited plans slowing down more than expected, prices higher than a local SIM, an app some find confusing, and the same settings working on one phone but not another. Users also report slow or missing replies from support, and an in-app chat that sometimes fails to load.

So install and test the eSIM at home while you have Wi-Fi, check your remaining data and expiry date in My Plans as you go, and keep help@gigsky.com handy.

Use it if your UK plan charges for roaming where you are going and you mainly need data for maps, messaging and bookings, if you are visiting mainland China and Hong Kong on one trip (Asia Pacific costs less than China alone), if you are moving to Britain and need data before you get a UK SIM, or if you are on a supported cruise ship and accept the higher price at sea.

Skip it if your UK plan already includes roaming at your destination, if you need a phone number for calls and texts, if your phone is locked or has no eSIM, or if you are staying for months, when a local SIM may cost less. And buy carefully: plans can't be paused and refunds aren't automatic.