Travel eSIM guides
Straight answers, written in Auckland by the people who reply to your emails.
Every guide here started as a real question from a RoamMore traveller. We check them regularly, date them, and pull prices straight from our catalogue, so what you read matches what you can buy today.
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Choosing an eSIM
How to compare travel eSIMs, check your phone, and decide between an airport SIM and an eSIM bought at home.
- Buying a SIM at the airport or an eSIM before you fly?
Airport SIM counters versus a travel eSIM bought at home: queues, passports, prices, keeping your home number, and what to do if you land without either.
4 min read, last checked 18 Sep 2026
- Does my phone support eSIM? A one minute check before you buy
How to check whether your iPhone or Android supports eSIM, why a carrier locked phone will not work, and what to do if yours turns out not to support it.
7 min read, last checked 19 Sep 2026
- How to choose a travel eSIM, and how to compare any provider
A neutral checklist for travel eSIMs: coverage and named networks, where data exits, when the clock starts, unlimited speed caps, top ups, refunds, support.
9 min read, last checked 30 Sep 2026
- RoamMore vs Airalo vs Holafly: an honest comparison
RoamMore, Airalo and Holafly for NZ travellers: 10GB prices, unlimited, hotspot, refunds, support, apps and currency. By RoamMore, from rivals' own pages.
12 min read, last checked 30 Sep 2026
Setup and landing day
Getting the eSIM onto your phone before you fly, and switching it on when you arrive.
- Landing day: how to get your travel eSIM online at the airport
What to check when you land, what to do if your travel eSIM will not connect, and the one thing never to do. Written from real RoamMore support cases.
9 min read, last checked 19 Sep 2026
Data and cost
What a trip really costs, how quickly data goes, and when unlimited is worth it.
- NZ roaming vs a travel eSIM: what One NZ, Spark, 2degrees and Skinny charge
One NZ, Spark, 2degrees and Skinny roaming prices read on 2 October 2026, set against a travel eSIM for 7 and 14 day trips in eight destinations.
10 min read, last checked 2 Oct 2026
- Travel eSIMs for families, and when to share one connection instead
Connecting a family abroad: one eSIM per phone, or one plan shared by hotspot with the kids' tablets. How much a family uses and how to keep it in check.
5 min read, last checked 30 Sep 2026
- What does a travel eSIM really cost? A plain breakdown by trip length and data use
How much data you will use per day, what that means for a 7, 10 or 14 day trip, live RoamMore prices, and when unlimited is worth paying for.
8 min read, last checked 3 Oct 2026
- What unlimited really means on a travel eSIM
Most unlimited travel eSIMs slow down after a daily amount. What the big brands publish, what 1 Mbps, 512 kbps and 384 kbps feel like, and how to compare them.
9 min read, last checked 30 Sep 2026
Your number, apps and banking
Keeping your home number, getting texts and codes from your bank, and why some apps think you are somewhere else.
- How to keep your home number while using a travel eSIM
Use a travel eSIM for data and keep your number for texts, bank codes and WhatsApp. iPhone and Android settings, and how to avoid surprise roaming charges.
5 min read, last checked 16 Sep 2026
- Where does your travel eSIM's internet come out? Banking apps, streaming and your IP address
Your travel eSIM connects to a local tower, but your data may reach the internet in another country. Why that matters for banking apps, streaming and search.
5 min read, last checked 16 Sep 2026
Destinations
Trip specific advice for Europe and beyond, with live prices and the networks you will use.
- Asia eSIM for digital nomads and long trips
Weeks or months in Southeast Asia and beyond: regional or country plans, long validity and daily plans, laptop hotspot, video calls and where data exits.
6 min read, last checked 30 Sep 2026
- One eSIM for Europe: travelling through several countries without swapping
How a Europe eSIM works across borders, when one country's plan is cheaper, what to check before a Balkans, UK or Swiss leg, and what happens on ferries.
5 min read, last checked 3 Oct 2026
- eSIM for Argentina and Chile: one plan for a South America trip
Argentina, Chile and the rest of South America: country or regional eSIM, the networks you will use, Patagonia and the Andes, and crossing borders by bus.
5 min read, last checked 3 Oct 2026
Coverage and reliability
Where travel eSIMs work, where they do not, and an honest list of their limits.
- The downsides of travel eSIMs that nobody mentions
What a travel eSIM will not do, honestly: no number, needs an unlocked phone, never delete the profile, hub routing, slower unlimited data, no signal at sea.
5 min read, last checked 30 Sep 2026
- Travel eSIMs in remote areas, and the backup plan for when there is no signal
What a travel eSIM can and cannot do in national parks, mountains, islands and at sea, how to check coverage first, and the backup plan for no signal.
5 min read, last checked 18 Sep 2026
Still stuck?
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Popular eSIM destinations
Plans, networks and prices for each place, one page per destination.
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