Airalo review: Good value, but what’s the catch?

Quick verdict

If you’re looking for a low-cost eSIM for a weekend break or a two-week holiday, Airalo is an affordable option that’s well worth adding to your shortlist. And its longer-term global eSIM plans could be a great option for regular globetrotters who visit lots of countries over a year.

That said, some customers have reported technical glitches and that its customer service can be slow to respond, so it may be best suited to travellers who are comfortable troubleshooting occasional connectivity themselves.  

Pros:

• Available in 200+ destinations
• Local, regional and global plans available
• Competitive, transparent pricing
• Fast, simple app-based purchase and QR code setup
• 5G supported in most major destinations
• Airmoney loyalty programme gives store credit
• Some Discover+ global plans include an international phone number for calls/texts

Cons:

• No eSIM reinstallation if a profile is deleted or a phone is lost/changed
• Most plans are data-only, with a few exceptions
• Customer support is slow and often relies on chatbots
• Unused data does not roll over
• Coverage and speed vary significantly by destination and network
• Customer complaints about the refund process and connectivity issues

Why you should trust our review

We’ve independently researched and analysed Airalo’s key features and pricing structure using Airalo’s website and other reliable sources – including Trustpilot. We compare the prices of each eSIM provider with leading rivals on a like-for-like basis, and we’re not afraid to highlight an eSIM’s downsides as well as its plus points.

What is Airalo?

Launched in 2019, Airalo describes itself as “the world’s first eSIM store” and now has more than 30 million users worldwide. 

It offers coverage in more than 200 destinations, and you can get single-destination, regional (multi-country) and global (multi-continent) eSIM plans, offering a mix of fixed and unlimited data for fixed periods ranging from 3 days to a year. 

Most of its eSIMs are data-only, though you can get calls and texts included in selected destinations (including the US, Canada and Airalo’s global eSIM). 

It’s aimed at leisure  and business travellers, backpackers, digital nomads and expats who want to avoid expensive roaming charges and physical SIM swaps.

How does Airalo work?

Airalo’s eSIM is a virtual SIM, so you get all the functionality of a physical SIM, without having to delicately swap out a little card each time you travel. Instead, you keep your main SIM in your phone and switch between your regular mobile network and the eSIM whenever you like. 

For more information on how eSIMs work, read our guide to what an eSIM is and how to use one.

Setting up your Airalo eSIM

Set up your Airalo eSIM in just a few minutes with these 4 steps.

1. Buy your plan. Find a plan for your destination and purchase on Airalo’s website or app. You’ll need to sign up for an Airalo account as part of the purchasing process.
2. Install the eSIM. There are a few ways to do this… (Quick note: It’s best to do this on wifi before you depart for your destination.)
   • Directly via the Airalo App. You’ll need to go to My eSIMs, select your eSIM, and follow the steps to install your new eSIM. The app will take you through the process. 
   • By scanning the QR code that Airalo sends you. This should be possible on iPhones and most modern Android phones – you’ll need to print out the QR code or display it on another device. 
   • Manually by going into your phone’s SIM manager, selecting to add an eSIM and entering the Airalo activation code. 
3. Name your eSIM. Choose a label for your eSIM using your phone’s eSIM settings. This is optional, but can make it easier to identify the eSIM you need.  
4. Activate your eSIM. Once you get to your destination activate your eSIM for data. The precise steps depend on your device, but you’ll need to navigate to your mobile data settings, turn on your eSIM line, and select it as the primary line for data. You’ll also need to make sure data roaming is turned on for the eSIM. 

Unlike some competitors, Airalo does not allow eSIM reinstallation. If you lose, reset or upgrade the phone that the eSIM was installed on, you’ll lose the plan and will need to buy a new one.  

Device Compatibility

eSIM compatibility depends on your phone, not your usual mobile provider. Most iPhones from the XS 2018 onwards and most Android flagships from 2019 onwards support eSIMs, as long as the phone is unlocked.

If you’re not sure whether your device is compatible, check before you go ahead and buy an eSIM. Take a look in your device’s settings to see if you have the option to add an eSIM, or check Airalo’s list of compatible devices. 

Airalo plans and pricing

Country-specific eSIMs

Airalo’s pricing is typically per-GB, with validity periods of 3–30 days. For popular single-country plans to destinations such as Spain or the US, you’ll pay from around £3.50 for 1GB of data over 3 days. For longer trips (up to 30 days) you can get more fixed data (up to 50GB). And some, though not all, destinations offer plans with unlimited data – though this is subject to a daily fair usage policy. If you exceed your daily high-speed limit (typically 3 or 5GB), your speed will be throttled to 1Mbps until the next day. 

Here’s how much Airalo’s 10GB and unlimited data plans cost for 7 and 30 days in popular destinations.

GBP prices for data-only eSIMs, checked on Airalo’s website on 14 September 2026. Prices may change. Unlimited plans are subject to fair usage restrictions.

Regional/global eSIMS

If your trip will take in more than one country, one option is to buy a different eSIM for each country. But you might find it more convenient to check out Airalo’s regional or global eSIMs. Here’s a quick round up of some of Airalo’s regional eSIM costs.

*Check Airalo’s website for the countries included in each plan.

**GBP prices for data-only plans, checked on 14 September 2026. Prices may change. “Not available” means that exact allowance and validity combination is not listed. Unlimited plans are subject to fair usage restrictions.

***Africa’s largest listed allowance is 5GB. Global 10GB is available with 180-day validity for £43.50.

If you’re only visiting a handful of countries, it’s worth doing a bit of maths to work out whether a regional eSIM would work out better financially. A 30-day, unlimited regional eSIM for North America would cost you £74.50. An equivalent US-specific eSIM would only cost £52, so if you’re spending most of your time in the States, it might be cheaper to buy a country-specific eSIM for your time there and add on whatever you need for additional countries. 

Airalo data, calls and texts plans

As well as data-only plans, some Airalo eSIMs let you make calls and send texts (SMS). If you choose a call and text plan, you’ll also get an Airalo phone number. 

Data, call and text plans are available for selected destinations – including the US and Canada – as well as Airalo’s global eSIMs. Adding calls and texts typically adds about a third to the cost of a data-only eSIM. 

If you don’t need a plan with calls and texts, you can adjust your phone’s settings to still use your main number for these; just bear in mind that you may need to pay roaming charges to make and receive calls and send texts (it’s usually free to receive texts, in case you need to do so for two-factor authentication). And don’t forget that it should be possible to call friends and family, and even some businesses, via WhatsApp or another internet calling service. 

Airalo vs Holafly vs Saily

Airalo, Holafly and Saily are some of the most popular eSIM providers for Brits. Our table gives the eSIM costs for each provider for 7 days in Spain and 30 days in Canada, based on each company’s “pay per trip” rates and for unlimited data. 

Based on pay per trip pricing, Airalo works out cheaper than Holafly, and on a par with Saily. It’s worth noting, though, that Holafly also offers unlimited, global, pay-monthly plans that are competitive for longer trips. 

*Prices collected from provider websites and correct as of 14 September 2026. Prices are for unlimited data (cellular calls and texts not included). Prices can change and should be verified on provider’s site. 

Network coverage and speed

The majority of Airalo users on Trustpilot have good things to say about Airalo’s coverage and speed, with generally strong 4G/5G coverage in major cities and well travelled routes. But coverage can be more inconsistent in remote or rural areas, 

And some travellers report inconsistencies between countries. One Trustpilot reviewer said they had great coverage in Amsterdam, but a terrible connection in Norway, while an independent travel blogger experienced great coverage in Qatar, but a hit-and-miss connection in South Africa. 

Airalo has multiple roaming-partner networks in many countries (for example it partners with both T-Mobile and Verizon in the US). But your eSIM might not always pick up the strongest network. If you’re struggling to connect to one network, it’s worth checking if manually switching to another network in your phone settings would help.  

It’s also worth noting that Airalo has a fair usage policy, even on its unlimited plans. If you use more than 3GB of data in 24 hours (5GB in some countries), you’ll find your speeds throttled to 1Mbps. You might find this more frustrating if you use your Airalo connection to hotspot to another device such as a laptop. 

Is Airalo legit and safe?

Airalo is a genuine, well-established company that’s been around since 2019 and has millions of users worldwide. It has a published privacy policy disclosing how it processes personal data. 

eSIMs are inherently secure by design, as they are encrypted and harder to clone than physical SIMs, and Airalo has a published privacy policy so you can see how it uses your data.

Airalo customers don’t rate it as highly on Trustpilot as Holafly, one of its main rivals, but it still gets a decent overall score of 4.1 stars out of 5 (based on 43 thousand reviews on 11 September 2026). 61% of reviewers award it the full 5 stars, praising its reliable connection and reasonable prices. But a significant minority of customers reported a less stellar experience, with many of the one-star reviews complaining that they couldn’t get their eSIM to work. 

And one established travel blogger who reviews eSIMs based on her personal experiences has raised questions about how Airalo deals with less-than-glowing reviews. In a blog she published in March 2026, she called Airalo out for trying to incentivise her to make an honest review more positive (she declined). This is a single allegation, but as we’ve stated up front, we believe in transparency in our reviews so highlight the points of concern about providers alongside the good stuff. 

Airalo customer service and refunds

Airalo offers 24/7 support. When you select ‘Contact us’ on its website, the default option is an AI chatbot, which can handle many technical queries competently. 

You can also contact Airalo via email, though we had to dig into its T&Cs to find an email address ([email protected]) and Whatsapp (this can be accessed through the chatbot menu). However, a number of the one-star reviews on Trustpilot highlighted issues with customer service, including slow response times – some reported being unable to reach anyone at the point they needed help. Lengthy waits to get through to a human customer service agent have also been reported on Reddit and Facebook, stretching into days in some cases.

If you end up not being able to use your Airalo eSIM, you can submit an automated refund request directly through your Airalo account. 

When you submit your request, you’ll need to select one of four reasons – “’Wrong purchase”, “Plans changed”, “Installation issues”, or “eSIM not working” (you can find more details on Airalo’s help pages). If you’ve bought the wrong eSIM or your plans have changed, the refund will be applied as Airalo credit (“Airmoney”). If you can’t install the eSIM or it doesn’t work, you can request a refund to your original payment method; according to Airalo’s T&Cs, you must request a refund within 30 days of the issue arising. 

If the refund button isn’t available or your request doesn’t fit the automated options, you’ll need to contact Airalo’s customer support. 

On Trustpilot, Airalo customers report mixed experiences of refunds. While some praise Airalo for its speedy refund process, others express frustration over lengthy waits for refunds or – in some cases – of having to fight to get a refund at all. 

Is Airalo good for long-term or frequent travellers?

Our price analysis suggests that Airalo’s single-destination eSIMs are competitive for longer trips based on its day rate, and its regional and global plans could suit those who country-hop between multiple destinations. 

Some of its regional plans can be extended for up to 180 days, or even 365 days for its global plans. These aren’t available with unlimited data, though, so you’ll have to be happy with a fixed amount of data. This could suit travellers making several trips a year across multiple countries. A 365-day data-only plan costs £50.50 for 20GB of data, at the time of writing.  

Full-on globe trotters or those that live or work abroad for extended periods might also want to consider a rolling monthly eSIM plan with unlimited data, such as the global data plan offered by Holafly. At the time of writing, Airalo doesn’t offer monthly data plans. 

Our final verdict

Airalo is best for budget-conscious travellers on short trips, or frequent travellers using global/regional plans, who are comfortable with occasional support delays. Some destinations and plan lengths don’t offer the option of unlimited data, though, so if this is important to you take a look at alternatives such as Holafly. And you can only get a local phone number in selected countries; if it doesn’t offer this in your chosen destination, you could be better served by Saily. 

While many customers rave about Airalo, a meaningful minority of Trustpilot reviewers have expressed frustration about connectivity and support issues, so it’s worth checking reviews for any complaints about Airalo’s service in the countries you’ll be visiting.