USIMS sells travel eSIMs. You download the app, pick a data plan for your destination and use mobile internet on the spot, without roaming fees from your own carrier and without a physical SIM card. It is worth a look if you rely on maps, translators or booking apps abroad and want to know the cost beforehand. The site quotes prices in US dollars.
What you can book
You choose a country and a data package. The home page shows examples for the USA, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and more, each with data allowance and validity. The site speaks of coverage in more than 100 countries. You buy and activate in the app, where you can also top up data.
What the booking really costs
The package price is shown up front, you pick country, data allowance and validity. Check three things:
- Data and validity: the examples on the home page often run for 10 days. If you stay longer or stream a lot, you need a larger package or have to top up.
- Device: your phone must support eSIM. According to the terms you are responsible for that, and for app updates too.
- Currency: prices are in US dollars, and your bank may add a fee for card payments abroad.
What you gain compared with roaming depends on how much you actually use. Compare the package price with your carrier roaming tariff for the destination and with the price of a local SIM card.
Cancellation and payment
There is a clear rule here: purchases of eSIMs, SIM cards and data packages are final once payment is completed. According to the terms no return is possible because the product is consumed on purchase, and there is no refund after payment. Credit cannot be paid out in cash or transferred. The eSIM itself is not transferable either: once it is on a device, you cannot move it to another. So buy only when you are sure which phone you take along.
How to save
The site advertises that the first gigabyte is free and that data you top up and do not use up rolls over. We list two promotions for USIMS, which are about global connectivity and data that stays with you. You can see the current cashback rate on our provider page. Also read the conditions on the daily cashback page.
Booking with cashback
The cashback runs through daily cashback. Here is how to go about it:
- Open the daily cashback store page for USIMS.
- Click through to USIMS and start your booking from scratch.
- Book as usual and finish everything in one go, in the same browser.
The credit arrives once the trip is confirmed.
Setting up and using it
Download the app, log in, choose your package and activate the eSIM. According to the site this takes a few minutes. You can keep your normal SIM card active in parallel, for example for calls and texts, and use the eSIM only for data. Ideally set up the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before you leave and switch on the data connection only on arrival. That avoids trouble at the airport when you have no connection yet.
Your trip length also decides the plan. For a short city break a small package is often enough, on a two-week round trip you need more data or have to top up. Split your usage: maps and messages need little data, video calls and streaming a lot. If you stay on hotel Wi-Fi, you save part of the allowance.
Tips
- Check beforehand that your device supports eSIM.
- Choose the package by validity and data, not only by price.
- Switch off data roaming on your regular plan so that costs do not appear anyway.
- Keep the receipt and login details until after the trip and the credit.
You can see the current cashback rate on the USIMS provider page at TripPrice. You book with USIMS.