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An Honest Maya eSIM Review: Features, Prices, and Plans in 2024
Read a real Maya eSIM review and explore plans, features, prices, and good alternatives. Check out the final verdict before deciding.
May 22, 2024
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eSIM cards are a favorite option for travelers and digital nomads worldwide, which is why there are over 200 eSIM providers today. When doing your research, you must have noticed a Maya eSIM – one of the popular providers. In this article, we’ll offer a comprehensive Maya eSIM review.
You’ll have all the info you need to know to make the best choice for your eSIM needs. We’ll break down Maya eSIM features, prices, and plans and introduce pros, cons, and interesting alternatives.
Let’s start with a brief introduction to Maya eSIM technology.
What Is Maya Mobile eSIM, and How Does It Work?
Maya Mobile eSIM is a virtual SIM card that offers mobile data. It is just what it sounds like – you don’t get a physical SIM card, but you use a digital one that you download by scanning a QR code. Such cards come with different plans and features, but you don’t need to deal with a little piece of plastic with a chip.
So, how does Maya eSIM even work?
For starters, it can only work with eSIM-compatible devices. This means that the device you want to use needs to have a specific chip already built in. eSIM providers, like Maya, can program those build-in chips in your device and get them to act as SIM cards. Scanning the QR code starts that process.
This eSIM technology is basically the same for all providers, including Maya. So, let’s review Maya eSIM specifically.
Maya eSIM Review: Features, Plans, and More
Maya mobile offers two main types of mobile data plans: unlimited and prepaid. Their prepaid plans are limited with SIM validity and gigabytes included in the chosen plan. Both capped and unlimited plans are available in versions of 5, 10, 15, and 30 days.
Their unlimited plans usually mean that you get a daily high-speed internet connection allowance, and after you spend it, you are switched to unlimited LTE data. Also, the price for unlimited plans depends on whether a Wi Fi hotspot is included. This feature costs extra. Unlimited plans are Lite, Standard, and Max.
- Lite offers 2 GB before switching to 1Mbps speed and not a hotspot.
- Standard has a more generous 3GB limit and hotspot included.
- Max also has the hotspot option and 5GB limit
Let’s review Maya eSIM plans and prices in more detail.
eSIM Data Plans and Prices
Here are some Maya plans for the major destinations: USA, Europe, and the UK.
USA Maya eSIM Plans
The cheapest plan for the USA is a 5-day plan with a 3GB limit, which costs 5 USD. Of all the limited plans for the USA, the most expensive one is 40GB for 30 days, which costs $44. Here are the limited plans and their prices for the USA region.
| 5 days | 10 days | 15 days | 30 days | |
| 3 Gigabytes | $5 | $6 | $7 | $8 |
| 5 Gigabytes | $8 | $9 | $10 | $11 |
| 10 Gigabytes | $13 | $14 | $15 | $16 |
| 20 Gigabytes | $20 | $22 | $23 | $24 |
| 40 Gigabytes | $39 | $40 | $42 | $44 |
Maya Europe eSIM
The price model is the same for all regions. With that in mind, you can expect to pay 6 USD for 5 days, during which you get to use 3 GB of data in Europe. You can choose between 5, 10, 15, and 30 days and limits of 3, 5, 10, 20, and 40 gigabytes. The price changes accordingly.
| 5 days | 10 days | 15 days | 30 days | |
| 3 Gigabytes | $6 | $7 | $8 | $9 |
| 5 Gigabytes | $9 | $10 | $11 | $12 |
| 10 Gigabytes | $13 | $14 | $15 | $16 |
| 20 Gigabytes | $23 | $24 | $25 | $26 |
| 40 Gigabytes | $42 | $43 | $44 | $45 |
Maya UK eSIM
While the USA and the Europe plans are regional, the UK plan is for the UK only. Maya eSIM offer starts at 1 GB for 5 days.
| 5 days | 10 days | 15 days | 30 days | |
| 1 Gigabyte | $4 | $5 | $6 | $7 |
| 3 Gigabytes | $6 | $7 | $8 | $9 |
| 5 Gigabytes | $8 | $9 | $10 | $11 |
| 10 Gigabytes | $12 | $13 | $14 | $15 |
| 20 Gigabytes | $18 | $20 | $21 | $22 |
Unlimited Plans have the same prices for the USA, Europe, and the UK.
| 5 days | 10 days | 15 days | 30 days | |
| Lite | $19 | $29 | $44 | $59 |
| Standard | $22 | $38 | $52 | $64 |
| Max | $28 | $52 | $65 | $79 |
Maya eSIM doesn’t offer a phone number, SMS, or call options. Instead, you can use your data to make calls via WhatsApp and similar services. You can decide to set Maya to renew your plan every month automatically.
Maya Mobile eSIM Compatibility
You can use your Maya eSIM with most iOS, Android, and Windows eSIM phones and other devices. It works with iPhones, Samsung, Google Mobile, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia, Oppo, Xaomi, and Honor. It also works with Microsoft Surface devices and some models of iPads.
However, it is NOT compatible with
- Apple Watch
- iPhone X (2018)
- Samsung Galaxy “FE” models
- Huawei P40 Pro+
Maya Mobile Refund Policy
Maya claims that it will refund you 100% if your eSIM doesn’t work or isn’t compatible with your phone. Moreover, you may be eligible for this refund if your trip has been canceled, you decided that you don’t need your eSIM or any other reason. This comes with some limitations. Namely, this guarantee applies to faulty plans with no data usage.
This means that if you use more than 10% of your data allowance if you’re using a limited plan or 1 GB of any unlimited data plan – you are not eligible for this refund. Also, you must request a refund within 30 days of your purchase.
Now, if you want your refund, you must submit a request via email or Maya website. Your refund may come through your original payment method, or you can choose to take Maya Mobile Rewards points that you can use to get different Maya plans. In this case, you’ll earn 1000 points for each US dollar you spend.
Countries with Coverage and Network Speed
Maya covers over 200 destinations. In this regard, they have two types of plans: regional eSIM plans and country-specific eSIMs.
Their regional eSIM plans cover:
- USA
- Europe+
- Asia+
- Middle East
- Latin America+
- Caribbean+
- Oceania
This is the map of coverage they get from their partner networks; admittedly, it is not available for all regions. Also, just because a certain region has 5G or 4G available, there’s no guarantee that you’d get that type of speed.
Accessibility to Customer Service
Your first customer service line on Maya’s website is the chat option. However, it’s a pretty basic ChatBot. You can type “agent” at any time to get help from the support team. However, you will have to give them your email address for that to happen. This seems like an unnecessary step to get more information and talk to a person.
If you try the Help tab from the main menu, you will be sent to the page where you can submit a request for Technical Support and Billing requests. The rest is covered by a Knowledge base.
How to Activate Maya eSIM
Just like with many other eSIM companies, Maya mobile eSIM has a very easy setup.
- Pick your plan. Once you do that, you’ll get your QR code to your email within 5 minutes.
- Scan the QR code and follow the instructions.
- Turn on Data roaming on your phone.
- Turn off Data roaming for your primary SIM card
Sometimes, your data takes up to 15 minutes to kick in. This depends on the network you are using and many other factors.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Maya Mobile eSIM
| Pros | Cons |
| Great coverage, both regions and individual countries Offers both unlimited data and limited data plans Business plans available | Some users had issues switching back to their original SIM card. Reports of patchy connectivity, even in big cities The auto-renewal option doesn’t warn you about the new billing cycle Some users report issues with iMessages not working properly Setup process can be glitchy and require support |
Maya Mobile eSIM Users’ Opinions
Alternative to Maya eSIM: Holafly eSIM with Data Share
Source: Holafly.com
If Maya mobile eSIM doesn’t tick all your boxes when it comes to your expectations concerning a data plan, you can always try exploring alternatives like Saily or Ubigi. However, none of them offer customizable plans like Holafly eSIM with Data Share. Here are these two compared side-by-side:
| Maya | Holafly | |
| Data plans | Unlimited and limited | Unlimited and limited |
| Coverage | Around 200 | Around 200 |
| Prices | $4 to $79 | $6 to $139 |
| Practicality | Auto-renewal option Great coverage Plans go up to 30 days only | Has an app Choose your own number of days (1-90) Generous refund policy |
| Data sharing | For some plans | For some plans |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Holafly eSIMs with Unlimited Data
Probably the most popular Holafly feature is the unlimited plans that you can customize. You can choose the number of days you’ll use your plan, and that’s all you pay for. For example, if you’re traveling for a weekend, you don’t need a 5-day plan. With Holafly, you can buy as many days as you need.
One of the disadvantages is the fact that not all plans offer hotspots, and some of the hotspots are limited. It’s advisable to check the description and technical specs for these limits and features.
Review of Maya eSIM: Final Conclusions
Every honest review of Maya mobile eSIM will tell you that it seems to be an affordable eSIM option with good global coverage. They are a great option for vacations and trips that involve changing countries within a single region.
Given that even the positive reviews of Maya users point to some installation and compatibility issues, this may not be the best possible option for first-time users, or those that use their data for work and cannot afford such glitches.
If customer support, reliability of service, and flexibility of unlimited plans are your priority, you may want to look into Holafly instead.
FAQ about Maya Mobile eSIM
Yes. Maya eSIMs are legit. Maya mobile’s website states that it has been around since 2021, and Maya Mobile eSIM has almost 5,000 reviews on Trustpilot, which points to a significant customer base.
There is no real downside to using eSIM. However, eSIM usage is limited to devices compatible with this technology.
No. Maya eSIM doesn’t give you a phone number. You will only get data to use on your phone. You will keep your old number that you can use for calls and SMS. Of course, you can use data from your Maya plan to make calls via WhatsApp.
There is no Maya Mobile App. You can install Maya eSIM by scanning a QR code and following instructions.
