Holafly eSIM Review - Does It Really Work?
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I purchased a Holafly eSIM as a way to use the internet while travelling on a seven day cruise around Europe.
When planning for my latest cruise, I knew that I needed an eSIM but initially wasn’t sure which brand to try.
After doing some research I found that Holafly had lots of great reviews, with users finding that they were a safe and reliable way to connect to the internet while travelling abroad.
Here’s a full review of my own experience using Holafly, which I paid for with my own money.
To browse the Holafly website and for a 5% discount, click this link or my code JULIASBOOKCASE.
About Holafly
One of the market’s leading eSIM retailers, Holafly has been used by more than 10 million travellers around the world, achieving a 4.5/5 rating on TrustPilot.
Their eSIMs allow users to access unlimited data while travelling abroad, without racking up any roaming fees or additional charges. They’re easy to use and remove the need to physically change the SIM card itself. Phone users can toggle between their original SIM and eSIM with ease, as and when they want to use it, and even use their original number on WhatsApp.
With 24 hour support available, Holafly offers an affordable yet effective way to connect to the internet while on the go.
My Review
In order to decide which eSIM was right for me, I initially spoke to an assistant on live chat who was able to identify the package that I needed.
As I was travelling to both Greece and Turkey my eSIM needed to work in both countries. Although I was travelling on a cruise, I didn’t need to use the eSIM on the ship as we had WiFi included.
When discussing my options, the assistant advised me that their eSIMs might not work as well while we were at sea, which was absolutely fine for me, but worth considering if you are taking a cruise.
In total I paid €25.56/£22.13 for a 7 day Europe eSIM which worked out at €3.65/£3.16 a day. This was cheaper than the offer I was sent by my phone network, which would cost £5 a day to access the internet while in Europe.
After purchasing, the installation instructions were sent immediately to my email address with multiple options for getting started. These included a QR code, which could be used to download the eSIM onto my phone, a manual option, and automatic installation using the Holafly app.
I opted for using the app, which installed the eSIM within seconds, and started working immediately.
Over the course of my trip I visited a variety of locations across Greece, including the islands Rhodes, Mykonos, and Patmos, as well as Nafplio and Athens on the mainland. My eSIM worked perfectly on each of them, providing me with an internet connection wherever I went in Greece.
Most importantly, I was able to connect to Apple maps whenever I needed to, which meant that I never got lost and was able to explore each location efficiently during our limited time in port.
I did find that the eSIM worked less well while I was in Turkey, and that my data connection could be a bit patchy. This was something I had been warned about by the cruise ship itself, as their own connection tends to be considerably slower while in Turkey.
As I was only in Kusadasi for two days and only left the ship to explore once, this wasn’t a real problem for me, but is worth considering if you are planning to spend a lot of time in the country.
On the Holafly website they explain that their eSIMs match the speeds of local data lines, and may have a poorer performance in areas where there is less coverage.
My Verdict
I’m very pleased with how well this eSIM worked while I was away on my cruise.
Not only was the eSIM well priced, but it was also easy to use and worked well in the majority of locations that I visited. I also saved money by switching to a Holafly eSIM instead of accessing data using my usual provider.
As far as I can tell, the eSIM presented no security issues - something that has been reported by some of its competitors.
I definitely plan on using Holafly again on my next trip, and highly recommend that other people do too.
To purchase an eSIM with a 5% discount, click this link or my code JULIASBOOKCASE.
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