When travelling abroad, especially as a solo traveller as I very often am, staying connected is mandatory, and what a bonus it was when eSIMs became the norm for international travel back in 2018.

I must confess that I only started using an eSIM in 2022 when embarking on a Mediterranean cruise. What a saving, and what a pleasure to stay connected at a fraction of the price, instead of briefly switching international roaming on and off to check emails and WhatsApp messages, or purchasing a local SIM soon after arriving at my foreign destination.

So it’s no surprise that using an eSIM saves money abroad by bypassing exorbitant home carrier roaming fees, which can run into hundreds of Rands. It provides direct access to localised prepaid data rates, protecting you from “bill shock” while keeping your physical home SIM safely in your phone to receive important texts and calls.

Key Advantages of Using an eSIM Abroad

Several key advantages make eSIMs a highly cost-effective choice for international travel:

Bypass Roaming Fees

Traditional international roaming can cost R200 to R350 per day, or charge astronomical rates for data usage (R200+ per megabyte in some cases). eSIM data plans are often 80 to 90% cheaper, with fixed prepaid packages, like those found on Airalo (my preferred eSIM), usually starting at under R100 for basic allotments.

No Bill Shock

Because you buy a specific amount of data upfront, such as 5GB or 10GB, at a fixed price, you cannot accidentally exceed your limit and get hit with overage charges.

Maintain Your Home Number

Unlike swapping physical SIM cards, an eSIM lets you keep your regular SIM card active in your phone. This means you can still receive 2FA (two-factor authentication) texts for banking, or get emergency calls, while using the eSIM strictly for cheaper mobile data.

Avoid Airport Traps

You can purchase, download and install an eSIM while sitting on your couch at home or in your hotel. This saves you the time, hassle and potential tourist markups of tracking down a local SIM card vendor at the airport.

Getting Started

I highly recommend using an eSIM, and if you plan to do so, it helps to check that your smartphone is carrier-unlocked and compatible.

Many of the eSIM service providers, such as Airalo, Holafly and Nomad, assist in estimating how much data you will need for your upcoming trip, and assist in checking if your specific device supports eSIM technology.

The Pros of Using an eSIM

• Strong speeds
• Easy setup
• Great support
• Excellent pricing
• Data-only simplicity

The Cons of Using an eSIM

• Might not be worthwhile for ultra-light data users
• Data options for some countries (such as the UK) start at 20GB plans

I would highly recommend using an eSIM for your next international trip. I’m happy to assist in walking you through the easy process to install your eSIM.