Is Airalo worth it in 2026?

Airalo is the largest eSIM store a UK traveller can open, and the question of whether it is worth it comes down to two numbers: what a plan costs for the trip you are taking, and what your UK network would charge to roam instead.

What it costs

Airalo's UK store, read on the date at the top of this page, lists its most popular local eSIMs from £3.50: Spain, France, Italy and Greece for European trips; Turkey, the UAE and Saudi Arabia; the United States, Japan and Thailand further afield. Morocco starts at £5.00. Those are entry tiers, typically a small allowance over a week. Each destination lists bigger allowances and longer validity above the entry price, plus regional plans (one profile for a whole continent) and global plans, and unlimited data in selected destinations.

Against that, a UK network's daily roaming charge outside its included zones runs to several pounds a day. On a two-week trip beyond the EU, a local eSIM at the price of a coffee is the whole case.

Nothing to type, nothing to chase

The TopReferrals link opens the store in pounds with 15% off a new customer's first eSIM attached. There is no code to enter and nothing that can be refused at checkout: you pick a destination, pay by card, and the eSIM installs by QR code or one tap.

That matters because Airalo's own promotions, when they run, are strictly one per order. A copied code from a social post is often the wrong one or an expired one. The link reaches the live price every time.

The standing reward: loyalty cashback

Airalo's loyalty programme pays up to 10% cashback, automatically, in Airalo's words, on every eSIM purchase. The reward arrives as Airmoney, Airalo's in-app credit, and the rate rises with how much you buy. Spend it on the next eSIM or a top-up.

Airmoney's rules are precise and worth knowing: it is priced in US dollars, it applies once the balance reaches $1.00, it pays for eSIMs and top-ups but not renewals, and since 1 February 2025 it can expire, with every purchase resetting the clock by a further year. For anyone who travels more than once a year, it simply accumulates.

Check your handset first

The practical requirement that decides everything: your phone must be eSIM-capable and carrier-unlocked. Most recent iPhones (XS and later), Pixels (3 and later) and Galaxy S and Z models qualify. A handset still locked to a UK network declines the profile, however new it is. The thirty-second test is to look for an EID number in the phone's About screen.

Timing the activation

Most Airalo packages start counting down on first connection to a network, not at purchase. So install the profile at home, leave the line switched off, and turn it on when you land. Your UK SIM stays in the phone: calls and texts keep arriving on your number while data runs over the travel plan. Most Airalo plans are data-only; the store marks the ones that add calls and texts.

Who it suits best

UK travellers heading anywhere their plan does not already cover, and especially beyond the EU, where UK roaming has become expensive again. A week in Turkey, a fortnight in the United States, a month across Asia: a local or regional eSIM from £3.50 replaces a daily roaming charge, and the loyalty cashback makes the second trip cheaper than the first.

The verdict

Airalo is worth it for any trip where roaming is not already included. The prices are low from the first tier, the store covers 200+ destinations, the link opens it at Airalo's own price with nothing to type, and the loyalty cashback rewards every repeat purchase. Check the handset, install before you fly, switch on when you land.

To claim it, join through topreferrals.co.uk/go/airalo: no code needed, the reward is built into the link.