Travellers are finding a cheaper way to use their phones abroad in destinations such as Kenya, the USA and South Korea, avoiding unexpectedly large phone bills by switching to an eSIM.
Those who pick a Holafly eSIM are calling it 'their best purchase ever made' as they can connect to a new country's network in seconds from landing. The service is described as a cost-effective solution for short-term trips abroad, with the main perks being flexibility and ease.
Users praise ease and coverage
One recent Holafly user said: "My 80-year-old mum was able to use it too. Purchasing the eSIM saved me the worry of having a large phone bill when I visited the USA for a few days."
Another highlighted the ease, especially for less tech-savvy flyers. One person said: "I'm an old man technophobe…it was a great experience as I never once worried about coverage or data speed." They added: "I had a small issue to begin with which was completely user-related and not the eSIM…Chet sorted my problem out immediately."
Shopping Editor Tom Capon has used Holafly twice, both in South Korea and in Kenya, destinations which typically have a heightened roaming cost for UK users as they're in the more expensive Asia and Africa zones. Even in parts of his holiday that were in low signal areas, 'connectivity wasn't a problem'.
He explained: "In both Kenya and South Korea, I was able to sign up in minutes (using a WiFi connection, but if you do it at home it's less of an issue) and get my data activated immediately. The prices are way more reasonable than roaming charges, making it a no-brainer for me."
Comparing eSIM with UK roaming charges
Extra roaming charges on UK networks, including Sky Mobile, EE, O2 and Vodafone, cost an average of £2 extra a day if using a phone in Europe or up to as much as £8 extra a day in Asia or the United States - but consumers are still limited to their plan's allowance.
Sky, for example, has its Global Roaming Passport; consumers use their existing plan for £2 a day - but depending on consumers T&C's in their plan (do they have unlimited calls or high data allowance?), it can still rack up unexpected costs.
Vodafone breaks their roaming costs into zones - including Zone A - which covers the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Norway and Iceland, which is free but subject to a strict 25GB fair use limit. So even if a consumer's at-home plan is 50GB, 100GB or even unlimited per month, they can only use 25GB across an entire year in the above-listed countries.
Three has a strict 12GB roaming fair-use data cap for its pay-monthly consumers, even when using its Go Roam plan. When this runs out, users are then hit with an additional data passport cost. In Europe, for a 7-day trip, this is £16 for only 18GB of data. Holafly's calculator quoted £23 overall for a 7-day use in Italy with unlimited data.
Another comparison is Three's 14-day worldwide passport data charge of £54 - this includes Mexico. Holafly, for 14 days, quotes £37 with unlimited data.
Why travellers choose eSIMs
The lower prices and peace of mind are what draw mobile users to using an eSIM, with similar perks found at rival Saily. Tom continued by explaining why he chooses to use an eSIM.
Speaking about Holafly, he shared: "As someone who goes on a big trip every year, getting a huge phone bill at the end of your holiday is the absolute worst-case scenario when you've already drained your bank account. However, twice now I've relied on Holafly when I've landed in a country and gone - oh god, I forgot to sort my phone out."
Another Holafly user said: "I'm 72 and never used an eSIM before and it was so very easy. We were driving for the first time in the USA for three weeks. I've absolutely no idea how we would have found the nine hotels in four states on our 1,582-mile trip. Best purchase I made this holiday!"
Consumers can browse their next holiday destination roaming charge at Holafly here. One thing to note is that for UK data coverage, it won't be the most cost-effective.
