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This is my personal Holafly review.
Holafly is an international eSIM company from Spain. They sell eSIM card services. And this, if you haven’t heard of it yet, is how you can get reliable and fast internet abroad extremely easy. You buy an eSIM for Europe (or for specific country), go on a trip, and stay connected to the internet — it’s convenient and you keep your own number.
That’s one of the best things — you keep your number.
Let’s go more into details now.
Table of Contents
1. What Is an eSIM? How Does It Work?
An eSIM is basically a virtual SIM card.
Mostly people buy eSIM because of cheap internet.
Since it’s a virtual thing, you don’t have to insert anything in your phone. You also don’t have to take out your own SIM card. This is how you keep using your existing number. You can still use it for calls, sms and internet (if and when you want). However, most likely you won’t be using your own SIM card for internet — you will use your eSIM instead.
So, step by step:
- You buy an eSIM (you receive it online),
- You activate it (a few clicks on your phone),
- You start using the internet.
Holafly offers eSIM for more than 70 countries.
2. Holafly Review: International eSIM for Europe and the World
Holafly offers eSIM for more than 70 countries.
You can buy an eSIM for Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, or for any other European country. Or, if you’ll be traveling extensively across several countries in Europe, you can also opt for an universal eSIM for Europe. Holafly offers one, it works in 48 countries. And there are also eSIM for countries like Turkey, Singapore, China, United States and many more. You can see the up-to-date list of destinations on the website of Holafly.
2.1 Main Features of Holafly eSIM
The main feature is mobile internet.
While there are different eSIMs on the market, most of people buy eSIM because of internet. That’s why we’ll focus on internet here. Just like with regular SIM cards, eSIMs come with different data plans — you can get 1 or 2 GB or 10+ GB.
Then there are different data plan durations.
There are 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30 and also 30+ day eSIMs.
You can choose whatever suits your travels the best.
2.2 Network Coverage
It depends from the country and place you are traveling to.
If there is 4G, you will get 4G. If there is 5G, you will get 5G. Holafly don’t have their own mobile network, they use existing mobile networks of the best mobile operators in the world. These operators are the real service providers. So, there’s no need to worry about the network coverage — it’s good; you are getting more or less the best this country has.
2.3 Will It Work With Your Phone?
There are two important things.
Your phone must support eSIM technology. This is the most important thing. iPhone SE (2020), iPhone XR and all later iPhone models support eSIM technology. Samsung Galaxy S20 and later models support eSIM technology. Some of the latest Google Pixel, Motorola and Huawei phones also support it.
Your phone must be “unlocked”. If you can use it with other mobile operator SIM cards, that’s good. It means you have an “unlocked” phone. If your phone can be used only with one mobile operator, you won’t be able to use an international eSIM like Holafly.
3. How to Setup Holafly? (or any eSIM)
Most of eSIM work more or less the same.
You buy it online. Do the setup on your phone. And you are connected.
With Holafly, you choose a plan online. Make a payment. Receive your new eSIM in your email seconds later. It looks like a QR code. Like the one below. This is what I received.
You scan this code with your phone and do the setup.
Your phone starts the setup process automatically.
Holafly also sends you a setup manual.
All you do during the setup is basically giving this new eSIM a name and selecting it as the primary SIM card for internet. For calls and sms, most likely you will keep your default SIM. You also name your eSIM. I like to call it something like “my eSIM card” or “E-SIM”. It helps you to remember what is what.
Last, you activate data roaming for your eSIM.
And that’s all.
eSIM starts working right away. That’s why it’s better to activate it right before going on a trip. You can also do it the night before, so everything is setup.
4. Benefits of eSIM
I, personally, have used eSIMs for a little over a year now.
And I love them. I love the ease of use. I love being connected.
1. You Keep Your Number
It’s one of top eSIM benefits.
Your eSIM is a virtual SIM. It’s like the second SIM. You use it for internet. At the same time, you also keep your current number. People can still call you to this number. You can call your friends from this number. And you can also use it to send and receive sms. The latter is very useful — you can keep receiving, for example, bank sms.
2. You Get Cheap Internet Abroad
Internet can be very expensive abroad.
With an eSIM, everyone can get the same affordable internet abroad. You don’t have to rely on the offer of your mobile operator. You also don’t have to rely on WiFi, because you have mobile internet.
3. You Have Internet Everywhere
Mobile internet gives you freedom.
You don’t have to rely on hotel and restaurant WiFi anymore. If there is mobile phone network, there is internet, and you will be able to stay connected. Of course, don’t forget that eSIM is not some kind of magical solution. It’s internet. If the mobile network is bad, or if it’s very overloaded at the moment, also internet can be bad.
4. It Makes You More Safe
Simply because you have internet.
And because you have it right from the beginning of the trip. You buy eSIM on the internet at home. So, when you arrive to your destination, you have working internet on your phone. As a result, you are more prepared and more safe. You can order taxi via an app, if you want. You can check the map, double check the exchange rate or call your friends via Skype of Whatsapp.
5. It’s Super Easy to Start
I love the ease of use of eSIMs.
Normally, to use local internet abroad you buy a new local SIM card. You take out your SIM, and put in this new SIM. While the latter usually takes a couple of minutes, the former can take also days, until your card starts working. Plus, you lose your regular phone number for that period of time.
With eSIMs you have none of these problems.
You buy it online. You do the setup. And use the internet.
How do you use internet while traveling? Do you buy a local SIM in every country you travel to? Have you tried Holafly or some other similar service? What was your experience?
Disclosure: Although my eSIM was sponsored by Holafly, my opinions shared are my own. This is my personal Holafly review, based on my own experience using Holafly eSIM in Riga, Latvia.
Featured photo by Tyler Lastovich
Book Your Trip Like a PRO
1. Book Your Flight. Find cheap flights using Kiwi.com, Momondo.com. Or subscribe to Dollar Flight Club, if you don’t want to be searching for the flights yourself. Kiwi currently is my first choice.
2. Book Your Accommodation. Booking.com, Agoda.com and Airbnb. I use Booking and Agoda at least a dozen times a year, and Airbnb – when looking for a long-term stay. My best tip is to ALWAYS compare the price. Sometimes the same hotel is cheaper on Booking.com, other times – on Agoda. Always compare the price!
3. Buy Your Travel Insurance. Ekta and SafetyWings are two companies I can recommend. Ekta offers some extra benefits, that will be important for those doing some higher risk activities (make sure to choose the right plan!), while SafetyWings is better for digital nomads. SafetyWings is also very affordable.
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