Recommend me an eSIM

[Dysphone]

Travelling to Canada next week; my network (Smarty) looks to be very expensive out there so I'm looking into eSIMs. Does any one have any experience or recommend a provider?

I used Holafly in Turkey and it was great, really easy to install too.

Well this is an old thread so I'm back now 😅 but I didn't want to buy a local SIM because I wanted to keep my number.

The eSIM worked brilliantly - I used AirHub with no problems at all. My husband used Airolo also no problems - we decided to use different ones in case one didn't work when we got out there!

I've been highly recommending eSIMs to everyone ever since...

I was using Holafly for years. However, on a recent trip to Greece, it didn't work. Customer service was awful. They told me my phone was no longer on their compatible list, but it was. Had to fight to get a refund.

I now use Airalo and Orange. It's a much simpler process to install.

How do eSims work?

I want to keep my number.

Well @MollyJustMight someone else might be able to explain is better but here's my attempt:

It acts like a SIM card but it's not a physical card, it's electronic (a bit of code). You buy it from a website - millions to choose from and you can choose which country (or countries) you want it to work in, and for how long/how much data. So I went to Canada and bought one from AirHub with 5GB data that would last for 30 days. There was no 'voice' element with mine so I'm not sure how that would work but for data only; you buy the 'card' and they email you instructions to download, which was pretty simple. Then it sits in your phone settings next to your regular sim and you can adjust the settings so that all data is put through the eSIM but phone calls are still on the main SIM. So I could receive calls on my usual number, I couldn't make calls without it costing a lot but I made my calls through WhatsApp or FaceTime using my eSIM data. My WhatsApp / FaceTime number just showed as my usual Uk number and I basically used my phone normally the whole time we were there - 2 weeks. I used the map app, I uploaded photos to Facebook, I downloaded emails etc. No problems at all.

Thanks, you've explained very clearly.

I recently traveled to Canada and had a similar issue with my current network being expensive for data usage abroad. It was frustrating until I discovered Sims Direct and their prepaid eSIM options. What stood out to me was their flexibility and affordability, which is perfect for international travelers especially. So, I highly recommend giving them a look before your trip to Canada.