How we test travel eSIMs
Every score on this site comes from plans we bought and used in the country they were sold for. Here is exactly what we do, and what we do not.
- 14eSIM companies tested
- 9countries tested on the ground
- 25test spots per city
- 3 mobetween retests
The process
- 1
We buy the plan anonymously
At the normal price, with our own card, from the provider's own app or website.
- 2
We install it at home
We time the install and note every screen that could confuse a first-time user.
- 3
We switch it on when we land
We record whether it connects first time, which network it uses, and how long it takes.
- 4
We test at the same 25 spots
Morning and evening, on two phones side by side, so every eSIM gets the same conditions.
- 5
We contact support with real problems
Without saying we are reviewers, and we time the first useful reply.
- 6
We score and publish, with dates
Every result shows when and where we measured it.
- 7
We retest every three months
Prices and networks change. Old results are replaced, never quietly kept.
How we score
Six things, weighted by how much they matter on a real trip. These are the exact weights the site uses.
Our test setup
Phones
[Exact models and software versions you really use]
Speed test tool
[The app or service you really use]
Countries and cities
[Where you have really tested, with dates]
Where we record results
[How results are logged and kept]
What we do not do
- −Accept free plans or payment for a review
- −Copy prices or speeds from providers' websites and call them tests
- −Let a provider see a review before it is published
- −Remove a bad result because a provider complained
Method changes
- 1 Oct 2026v1.2Added evening speed tests after readers reported slowdowns.
- 1 Jul 2026v1.1Support response time added to the score at 5%.
- 1 Jun 2026v1.0First published method.