Is SIM Local eSIM worth it? Our honest review after testing it (and a discount code!)

We all know the drill: you land in a new country after a long flight, you’re exhausted, jet-lagged, and the first thing you have to do is figure out how to get online.

For a long time, the only options were hunting down a physical SIM card booth at the airport or leaving your home network active and getting slapped with exorbitant international roaming fees that could easily ruin your travel budget.

Thankfully, eSIMs have completely changed the game.

In these article we are reviewing Sim Local, a company that sells travel eSIMs for a big list of countries in the world. We recently put Sim Local to the test during our trips to the Philippines and Malaysia. Here is the honest truth about their coverage, pricing, and whether they deserve a spot on your travel packing list.

What is Sim Local and what is an eSIM?

Sim Local provides digital SIM cards (eSIMs – embedded subscriber identity module) that you can install straight to your phone via their app or a QR code. These eSIM cards allow you to get internet access on your smartphone in one or several countries, without the hassle of dealing with a physical SIM card. There’s no tiny plastic card to swap out and no risk of losing your home SIM card.

Is it better to use an eSIM or a local physical SIM card?

This is one of the most common dilemmas for travelers today. The truth is, there isn’t a single “right” answer—it completely depends on your travel style, budget, and the duration of your trip. Here is a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of each option to help you decide:

Travel eSIMs (like Sim Local)

• Pros: The ultimate convenience. You can buy and install it from your couch before you even pack your bags, giving you instant internet the second your plane touches down. Because it’s digital, you don’t have to remove your home SIM card (meaning you can still receive important SMS messages like banking 2FA codes), and there’s zero risk of losing a tiny piece of plastic.
• Cons: Most Travel eSIMs are often data-only, meaning you won’t get a local phone number to make traditional offline calls (although Sim Local offers some with calls included). They also require a relatively modern, carrier-unlocked smartphone to work. And they are usually more expensive compared to a local physical SIM card

Local Physical SIM Cards

• Pros: This is usually the cheapest option per gigabyte if you are staying in a single country for an extended period (like a month or more). They almost always include a local phone number, which can be handy for signing up for local ride-hailing/food delivery apps or contacting local companies. Plus, they work on older or budget phone models that lack eSIM technology.
• Cons: You have to spend your precious vacation time finding a places where they sell them, waiting in line, and dealing with potential language barriers or mandatory registrations. You also have to physically swap out your home SIM card and safely store it somewhere so you don’t lose it during your trip.

If your priority is saving time, avoiding airport hassle, and keeping your home number active, an eSIM is the clear winner. However, if you are slow-traveling on a strict budget for months at a time and absolutely need a local number for local apps, taking the time to buy a physical SIM card might be the better route.

Sim Local pricing and plans: which one to choose

Sim Local offers a variety of plans depending on the destination, so you can choose based on your specific needs. Normally plans vary by:

• Duration: normally 1 to 31 days, depending on the provider and destination
• Amount of data (GB): from a few GB to unlimited plans
• Speed: some eSIMs are 4G only, some are also 5G
• Countries: you can buy an eSIM for an specific country, or you also have eSIMs for some regions (like Asia or Europa) and even a Global eSIM (check the specific list of countries as not all the countries in the world are included)
• Calls included or not: some plans include the ability to make calls and send SMSs in the destination(s)
• Hotspot/tethering usage: some plans allow you to share your connection using your smartphone as a hotspot (so you can share the connection with other devices – other smartphones, computers, TVs, etc.)
• Network: you can see the local network that will be used by the eSIM in the country, in case you have a preference for that.
• Top-up possibility: some plans have the option to top-up if you finish the data.

Based on all those characteristics, prices vary a lot, from less than 5$ for shorter data-limited plans to more than 50$ for longer unlimited-data plans, so you can choose whichever plan suits your needs best. Ideally, you should start narrowing the plans down based on the number of days you need and the amount of data you plan to use.

How to install the Sim Local eSIM

The Sim Local eSIM setup process is incredibly straightforward and takes about five minutes:

1. Check Compatibility: Ensure your phone is carrier-unlocked and eSIM compatible (most iPhones from the XR/11 onwards, and recent Samsung Galaxy/Google Pixel models are). You can check the list of eSIM compatible phones here
2. Buy Your Plan: Browse the Sim Local web by country or region and choose a plan that suits your need in terms of duration, available data, speed, pricing, etc.
3. Install and Activate: Download the eSIM before your trip and install it following the instructions just before you travel or when you land (as usually the plans have a time limit and it starts counting when you install it or when it connects to a network)

Installing the eSIM is very easy and straightforward. You can read more about it in the following sections as we share our experience with Sim Local in the Philippines and Malaysia

When to install the Sim Local eSIM

The countdown for your plan usually starts counting when you install it or when it connects to a network. Check in the page of each specific plan to be sure, or contact Sim Local help center

Ideally, you should install the eSIM just before your trip, as the installation process normally requires internet connection (through WiFi or through other SIM/eSIM with an active data plan.

We normally install our eSIMs at the airport while we wait to board the plane.

Sim Local discount code

You can enjoy a 10% discount on your Sim Local eSIM using the discount code RANDOMTRIP

Our experience using Sim Local

We had the opportunity to test some of Sim Local eSIMs in our trip to the Philippines and Malaysia. We tested both the regional Asia eSIM and a country-specific Malaysia eSIM, and both worked great!

Choosing and buying the eSIMs

As we wanted to test both, we chose to buy an Asia eSIM for part of the trip in the Philippines and Malaysia, and then also a Malaysia eSIM for our last days in Malaysia.

For Asia as a region, there was only one plan available (20GB for 31 days, 4G only), so we bought that for the first part of the trip. You can check the current available Asia eSIM plans here

For Malaysia, there were different plans available, and we ended up choosing an unlimited plan for 15 days. You can check all the currently available Malaysia eSIM plans here

Installing the eSIMs

Since we use iPhone, installing the eSIMs was pretty straightforward, as after installing Sim Local’s app and logging in with our account, there was a direct link to install each eSIM with a few clicks:

In case this doesn’t work in your case, there are other options available, like scanning a QR code (which should also allow to install the eSIM with a few clicks) or a manual installation (where you would need to copy some information and input it on your phone):

Managing your eSIMs/physical SIMs

Depending on your phone model and the SIMs/eSIMs you are already using, you may need to choose to deactivate some of them.

For example, in my specific case, my main Spanish SIM is a physical SIM card, and I also have a Portuguese eSIM card I use when I visit the country. Since my phone only allows to have one eSIM active at the same time, I had to deactivate temporarily my portuguese eSIM to activate the Asian/Malaysian eSIM. That means that during the trip, I wouldn’t get calls/sms for that portuguese number. However, if needed (for example, for receiving an SMS) it’s possible to quickly activate/deactivate any of the eSIMs at any time, so this is not a problem.

More modern phones allow to use 2 eSIMs at the same time.

Super important: make sure you turn off data roaming for any SIM card you may have (physical or eSIM) to avoid huge roaming fees from your home providers.

Check your specific case to understand how to deal with this during your trip, if necessary.

Real speed tests of Sim Local eSIMs in Malaysia and the Philippines

During our time using the Sim Local eSIMs in Malaysia and the Philippines, we performed some speed tests using the popular app Speedtest.net, so you can get a more realistic and truthful idea of the performance of Sim Local eSIMs:

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) speed test with Sim Local Malaysia eSIM:

Penang (Malaysia) speed test with Sim Local Malaysia eSIM:

Siquijor (Philippines) speed test with Sim Local Asia eSIM:

Sim Local: Pros and Cons

After thoroughly testing the service, here are Sim Local pros and cons:

FAQs about Sim Local

Following are some frequently asked questions about Sim Local. If after reading the article and this FAQ you still have doubts, you can leave us a comment:

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If you value convenience, reliable 4G/5G speeds, and want absolute peace of mind against expensive roaming charges, Sim Local is highly recommended to stay connected during your travels

Ready to try it out? Get a 10% discount with our discount code RANDOMTRIP