Holafly eSIM Review (UPDATED After Testing in 11 Countries) | Best Travel eSIM or Not?

[@ProjectUntethered]

Grab an extra discount on Holafly eSIMs here: bit.ly/4aRE01N And don't forget to hit the subscribe button to stay up-to-date with the latest travel tips!

[@YosefElgart]

Can you test yesim or other esim with free internet sharing. I had yesim without calls and i needed to call hotel security guy.. I was needed internet sharing to my pc so no holafly

[@ProjectUntethered]

Good news is that Holafly is rolling out data sharing in many countries :) Also I recommend just loading up a few Skype credits if you ever need to make an odd phone call using a local number!

[@ProjectUntethered]

I like to load up a couple dollars of skype credit just in case of emergency if I need to make a local phone call every so often.

[@tshepangwright4746]

I used the Airalo when I went to South Africa earlier this year & it was pretty good. I could share data with my daughter for her tablet while on the road. I look forward to using an eSIM that will one day allow making calls. Thank you for all the helpful travel tips.

[@billanderson3346]

I ran low on data off my T Mobile plan on a recent trip to SE Asia. I used an Holafly Sim on my last day and it was perfect.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Glad to hear it worked well for you!

[@yasminsgreatescape]

Purchased my esim thanks to this video. Morocco, here i come!!!!

[@ProjectUntethered]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@Dovndyr13]

Just returned from South America visited 5 countries. It worked perfect in general, so much easier than regular sim cards. In all 5 spanish speaking countries I also could share some data. The eSim came with an Austrian number. This made that Uber got more expensive than other ride apps. So I used inDrive

[@stevodib47]

IM GOING 2 GOA, FOR A MONTH... IT SEEMS, LEBARA SIM MITE BE BEST FOR ME.. EVEN THOUGH ,..LEBARA,,, IS A BIT HIT AND MISS.. ENYONE BEEN 2 GOA,,THAT MITE NO A BETTER SIM I CAN USE.. DATA IS MORE INPORTANT THAN CALLS N TXT.. I CAN THEN USE WATTAPP... OR MAYBE,DONT EVEN HAVE A PHONE WITH ME.. AND JUST ENJOY WERE I AM😎😎😎😎

[@kevwwong]

Thanks as always Mitch for your honest opinion of Holafly. As I'm not a heavy data user it doesn't make sense for me at this point but I will certainly give it a go if and when I'm in a situation that requires heavy data usage. For now, what I get on Airalo is more than sufficient for my family when we travel. Side note: You're getting real close to 100k subs - I'm happy to see it!

[@ProjectUntethered]

Yes, that is an awesome option for lighter data users, for sure! And thanks so much - sooo close 🥳

[@tome788]

Is esim a good alternate solution on a cruise rather than buying cruise Internet? Thanks for your videos!

[@arialuv6894]

Thank you! May I ask if you can receive sms worldwide with this? If not, do you know which sim is best for that? I'm traveling a lot in Africa and the middle east. ❤

[@alatbloqs6056]

Just found your content a couple of days and finding it all cheerful and approachable. Thanks, buddy. I'm planning for a 3 week trip in South America but need to stay connected to the office in the UK so learning avidly about e-sims. I'm learning useful stuff, so grateful. I'm finding it very helpful. AP

[@ProjectUntethered]

That sounds like an awesome trip! Which parts of South America will you visit? Yeah definitely look into an eSIM if you value convenience. Also make sure to turn on wifi calling to your home line like I mentioned in the video so you can keep receiving texts/calls to that line while you're abroad (and keep that line activated with data roaming off while you're traveling). Hope this helps!

[@alatbloqs6056]

@@ProjectUntethered Ha! The man himself! I'll be in Chile, and as to your tips, I've made a note to rewatch a couple of days before flying out. ✈ 🙏🌟

[@ProjectUntethered]

Sounds like a fun trip - if you get a chance to make it down to Patagonia....totally worth it!

[@InfoSecTangSoo]

Travelling in Europe through 5 countries over 3 weeks with my family starting next week. I've been looking for a data solution for us (family of 4). Our US carrier has an international data plan, but it's wicked expensive ($10/day with only 500MB per day - my kids will burn through that in an hour). After doing a ton of research, and watching this video, I've decided to give Holafly a shot.

[@ProjectUntethered]

That's awesome, have a fun trip!

[@gdy2shus]

Me too. 3 weeks in Europe across 5 countries. After research then watching @projectumtethered previous video on Hola Fly, I chose to proceed with HolaFly.

[@cleetusyeetus7701]

How did Holafly end up working for you? I’m considering using for a trip in Europe through 5 countries at the end of the month

[@InfoSecTangSoo]

@@cleetusyeetus7701 worked great! Had an initial problem the first time trying to use it (in Paris). Contacted support (we had WiFi at our Airbnb) and Holafly walked us through it. No problems after that. Definitely recommend.

[@amirDPT]

Do you have any info on how well Holafly works in Iran? I will be going in December. Thanks.

[@Sirpalunleashed]

Hi very informative video. Quick question Ive gone for the 5 day plan. Do use a different QR code each day as I have 5

[@ProjectUntethered]

If you bought a 5 day plan, you should just have to scan it once for the entire period :)

[@franwoon]

Thanks for this video! off to Singapore and Indonesia tomorrow with my family (5 of us). It's cost a bit, but certainly much more preferable than unexpected roaming charges from my German provider!!! Thanks for the discount code too - made a difference! :-)

[@judgeworks3687]

i'm about to travel for 6 onths and am trying to get a handle on this eaim stuff. Thanks for the video. One thing i can't seem to understand is if I install an e-sim does that mean i can use my phone as a phone (for calls) in the country i am visiting without it charging my US phone?

[@Neekamhakane]

I found your video by accident, but now I am glad I found it!

[@ProjectUntethered]

I'm glad you found it too! 😎

[@claireness999]

Thanks for the discount code! I will be travelling to Europe and this esim will be of great help.

[@ProjectUntethered]

You're very welcome - have an awesome trip!

[@thespaceteam]

Thanks for your video :) I see they now offer 1gb per family which is more realistic than 500mb as per your video.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Oh really? Wow that is a pleasant surprise! Thanks for letting me know!

[@DwainThomas-l6e]

Really informative. However a question. I'm going to Vietnam & Cambodia I have used sims before. Would I need to buy a different plan/esim for each country or is there a plan that would cover Both?

[@ProjectUntethered]

I believe they have an Asia plan that would cover both :)

[@Ryan-dh7rr]

Thanks for the Holafly review. The lack of unrestricted tethering kills this as a valid unlimited data option for my wife and I when we travel together. At least I now know to look elsewhere. I'd love to get your recommendation on which travel eSim company you'd recommend to those that are not good with tech... namely, an eSim app that will install the eSim and are least likely to require further tinkering with settings like APN, etc. I ask mainly for my father as we've had issues with getting international roaming to work. I've given him a new phone with eSim capabilities but don't want him running into issues when he doesn't know how to add an APN, etc. Thanks in advance!

[@ProjectUntethered]

Hey Ryan! Yeah, in the end, it's hard to give a blanket recommendation for everyone since everyone's needs are different. Are you looking for a plan that allows you to share unlimited data so that you only need one plan for both you and your wife? As far as your question goes - I honestly haven't had to change the APN very often with any of the companies I've tested. Normally automatically sets correctly, and you only have to mess with it if for some reason things aren't working as expected (which happened maybe 5% of the time for me). I'd say the least complicated option would be to just set your dad up with a home phone plan that includes international data. One option is Google Fi, which many people like (although there are some limitations). But here is the home plan I use that also includes international data and is cheaper than Google Fi: bit.ly/3PKRANl (affiliate link). Or lastly, you could just set a travel eSIM up for him before he leaves, and just show him how to turn the line on when he arrives in his destination. Hope this helps!

[@Ryan-dh7rr]

@@ProjectUntethered Cheers for the advice. We're in Australia and had set up Dad with Amaysim for his home mobile plan as they're one of the few with roaming plans that lasts 365 days. However, we've had trouble getting roaming to work consistently after a few trips now. Mum and Dad are in South Korea and this is the first time roaming has worked well. They were in Japan a week ago and none of Dad's phones connected to roaming properly there. And a few months back when they were in China, Dad had one phone where roaming worked but Google and Meta services were blocked... I didn't think that was meant to happen over roaming. I suspect Dad's phone has the wrong APN or something on his phone but he has no idea how to check. Yes, I'm thinking I might have to set Dad up with a travel esim. They're abroad every second month and their home is 1hr drive away so I may not be able to physically visit them to set everything up for each trip... Dad's had past success with getting local sims at the airport in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia so he may have to resort to that again. The only country they'll visit where having an esim installed before leaving is a must is China due to the Great Firewall. But that's an easy one... there's a 180 day, 15Gb esim from TravelKon that's pretty cheap that will last Dad two or three visits easily. As for the unlimited plan for my wife and I, yeah, my wife is a big data user so I'd likely install the esim on her phone and I'll hotspot from it when I need to use lots of data.... probably set myself up a cheap international roaming plan so we have data during stopovers and also in emergencies when I am by myself and cannot hotspot off her.

[@ekmahas]

Hello bro, We are planning to visit Europe on coming days, like Budapest, vienna, slovakia, fussen, zurich, etc, which e sim better ( coverage for data) Airalo or holofly or orange ? Kindly advise Thanks

[@agshinsanili505]

Hi! Taking pretty much the same route tmrw. Which one did you use? I used Airalo before and was happy, but Holafly seems a bit more efficient

[@jstanovic]

BTW I always download google maps for the area i plan to visit and google translate with the appropriate language. You can use both without data.

[@equaco]

When you activate wifi calling and switch to esim in another country, do you still get home country numbers messages? Not sure i get it %100

[@ProjectUntethered]

Yup, but you still need to have the home line active as well. Both lines are active, but you set the travel eSIM as the eSIM you want to use for your data connection

[@equaco]

@@ProjectUntethered goot it thank you!

[@lindapark8467]

I need a plan that covers both Australia and New Zealand. Did not see that they have a regional plan.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Might be able to find one here! (affiliate link): bit.ly/3RM8hYb - I've tested their single country plans, but haven't tested regional plans yet

[@parvez7106]

Thx to your video, I now know my redmi 9c isn't on the list of compatible devices. Imagine that. Arriving in a foreign country, and it doesn't work. Is there still a way to make it work? I'm looking at Airalo.

[@ProjectUntethered]

You could try this company, which has an option to send you a physical SIM, and then you just load up credits, and it charges you for the data you use: www.projectuntethered.com/drimsim (affiliate link). But I found this is kind of an expensive way to do it. You might just be better off trying to buy a local SIM on arrival, being extra careful that you're getting what you're paying for (and perhaps using cash or a virtual credit card number to sign up, to prevent any recurring charges). If you plan to be traveling a ton, it might be worth switching phones if yours isn't compatible.

[@alanc4264]

Thanks for a great informative video. Warning! if you travel to China, Skype no longer works it was barred because it did not comply with technical requirements. So if you need to make local calls using Skype near the Chinese border it may not work. Also Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and anything Google owned are all blocked in China and to make them work you will need a good VPN. Having lived tn China on and off for a long time the only VPN I got to work consistently well was the expensive Astrill, all others I tried failed and most failed miserably especially at peak political conference times and during public holidays.

[@ProjectUntethered]

These are great tips! Thanks so much for sharing! Would you recommend getting a local SIM in China in order to get a local phone number? Or do most businesses just use WeChat?

[@dave_irish]

Hello and thank you for the great info on your youtube channel. OK I have a question about wifi calling in costa rica, so I turn wifi calling on so can I now call back to Canada with no long distance charge? Send sms messages with no charge? Thanks in advance and much appreciated...Dave

[@EricOnYouTube]

I am going to try Mint Mobile Intl esim.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Let me know how it goes!

[@lindamahan15]

I love all of your videos

[@EricOnYouTube]

I still need an app that will help me journal my trip next month to Germany and Italy

[@ProjectUntethered]

I'm using the Day One journal app and I really like it 🤓

[@ruthballardart]

@@ProjectUntethered Many thanks!

[@eprohoda]

Project, cool !godspeed- 🙃

[@mariamartinez-xu2nb]

Hopefully someone can answer this question so when you mean unlocked, do you have to have the carrier unlock it? I attempted it, but since I’m still currently paying off my phone, it won’t let me unlock it. Does that mean that I won’t be able to use holafly?

[@ProjectUntethered]

Unfortunately it won't work if your carrier won't unlock it :(

[@brucezhang5138]

Everest Base Camp！🎉

[@allanb52]

Many European countries do 40gb 1 month for €10 SIMs. Ask the shop to install it most will and all you need is a passport..

[@ProjectUntethered]

That's a great deal - just be careful for SIM scams! I'll have a video coming soon that talks about one in Italy 😬

[@allanb52]

@@ProjectUntethered These are from phone shops, we bought one in Austria, all good and are planning on getting a Moviestar one in Spain.

[@ethanshen1]

how do you still use an iphone XR?

[@ProjectUntethered]

Haha it's my backup phone now. I mostly just use it just to keep my notes on...and also if I'm going somewhere where a nicer phone might get stolen ;)

[@affinity4vanlife]

500mb data hotspot/tethering for one day is too less. no phone number, no sms

[@ProjectUntethered]

If you plan to use your phone's data as your main internet connection for your laptop, then it's probably not the best option. But if you're just using it as a backup plan, 500mb seems reasonably for a few hours of work as long as you're not watching a bunch of videos or downloading tons of stuff. If you need a local phone number, SMS, and high tethering limits, then you're better off setting up a local SIM once you arrive - just be careful you're getting what you pay for.

[@affinity4vanlife]

@@ProjectUntethered thank you very much for your information. i like your channel. i have subscribed for it. best greetings from austria

[@ProjectUntethered]

I'm honored to have you as a subscriber!! 😇🙌

[@massbygus]

Piece of S service. They charged me €40 before letting me know that my Android was NOT compatible and now tell me that the refund might take up to 6 months... Classic scamers.

[@ProjectUntethered]

Hey there! On the checkout page, there a four different places where it tells you to check if your phone is compatible. I'm sorry this happened to you, but the way you wrote your comment makes it sound like they charged you before telling you your phone wasn't compatible. But it appears to me like you just checked out without reading anything on the page. This makes me wonder if what you're saying about the 6-month refund is also accurate. On their refunds page, it says that you have up to 6 months after buying your eSIM to ask for a refund, but it doesn't say how long it takes to process. I just reached out to their customer service team anonymously, and they told me it usually takes 5 to 10 working days. Lastly, just a heads up - if you decide to try a different eSIM company instead, I highly recommend taking the time to make sure your device is compatible. Because if it wasn't compatible with Holafly, it likely won't be compatible with other companies either.

[@jimfromburbankca5253]

OH MY GOD. I literally developed a splitting headache listening to this E-sim installation video. Download, activate with two devices, toggle on, etc. etc. What a bunch of nonsense. Fly to your destination, drop in a sim card, and move on with your vacation. This 15+ set up installation process is insane, and simply not worth the hassle.

[@colinnich]

So trying to find somewhere to buy a physical SIM, assuming someone will sell one to a tourist, is easier? Yeah, ok.

[@kevwwong]

None of the steps are particularly complex. If you were to try it, you'd be fine.

[@ProjectUntethered]

I was showing 3 different ways you could do it - each one of these ways takes about 2 minutes. But if that sounds overwhelming to you, you can certainly continue buying physical SIMs on arrival. I guarantee it will be more of a hassle and odds are you'll eventually get scammed, but travelers have been doing it this way for ages, so it's not a bad option (just not the best, imo). If you prefer it, you do you!