SimOptions Review: What Travelers Need to Know

For frequent international travelers and digital nomads, eSIMs are not a novelty but a reality. They are essential for staying connected. However, it seems the rest of the world is catching up, and getting an eSIM card when traveling abroad is becoming a necessary item on every traveler’s checklist.

So, how do you choose the best one on the market? There’s a long list of eSIM providers available online, and one of those names is SimOptions. Here’s an honest SimOptions review.

In this article, we’ll review their workings, eSIM and SIM cards, plans, and pricing. Here’s what we’ve discovered so far.

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What Is SimOptions, and How Does Their Marketplace Work? 

When you land on the SimOptions website, you’ll see that they advertise themselves as an eSIM and SIM marketplace. This means they have their own eSIM cards but are also allied agents for other providers. You can buy your plan from SimOptions directly or use their website to buy a SIM or eSIM from another provider, such as O2, Orange, Vinaphone, Three, etc. 

They even go a step further and offer physical products, such as mobile phones, travel accessories, car adapters, and power banks. In other words, while you can buy SimOptions eSIM cards, you can also use them to buy other products. 

This begs the question: If there are SIM options, should you go with an eSIM or SIM? Let’s look into the difference between these two.

eSIM vs SIM card: How to Choose

Before you even start thinking about the pros and cons of these options, you need to check two things first:

1. Is your mobile phone eSIM compatible? 
2. Does your phone have two SIM card slots?

The answers to these questions will help you determine what works best for you. Here’s why.

Not all phones support eSIM technology. If that’s the case, then your only options are to get a new phone, use the data plan from your mobile provider, or buy a SIM card from one of the local providers at the place you’re traveling to. 

Also, if your phone doesn’t have two SIM card slots, you need to know that you’ll have to remove your primary SIM card when installing a new, local one. This means, you won’t be available at your phone number, and your WhatsApp will also show you as unavailable. In this situation – eSIM is a much better option if you can use it.

So, what’s the real difference between eSIM vs SIM card? You probably already know what a SIM card is. It’s that little chip you physically put into your phone. It carries information about your phone number, plan, available services, and more. 

eSIM-compatible phones already have a chip installed, so your eSIM is basically your built-in chip programmed to act as a SIM of your chosen provider. In most cases, you just scan a QR code to activate it, and it can coexist with your current SIM. So, you can have your SIM 1 in your phone and use your eSIM as a SIM 2.

So, what works best for you? Here are some pros and cons to help you decide:

SimOptions eSIM Review: Everything You Need to Know

While SimOptions offers both eSIM and SIM options, we’ll focus on giving you a thorough SimOptions eSIM review this time. Let’s discuss their data plans, eSIM card compatibility, cancellation policy, coverage, purchasing experience, connectivity, and more. That’s how you’ll know if this is a good solution for your needs.

When it comes to using their eSIM, the setup is easy and almost instant:

1. Pick and buy a plan
2. Scan the QR code that you receive in your email
3. Your eSIM is now enabled

How to Use the SimOptions Browser

It is easy to use the SimOptions browser. On their website, you will choose between eSIM and SIM options by switching the toggle at the top of the page.

After that, start typing the location for which you need your eSIM to have coverage. You can try regions like Europe and individual countries like France.

When you start typing, a drop-down option will appear. Select it, and you will get a list of the offered plans.

Remember: SimOptions offers both their eSIMs and sells SIMs from different providers. When you get your results, check the upper left corner for each and look for the provider’s logo.

Once you choose your eSIM option, you will be prompted to go to the payment page, where you can complete the purchase. It’s easy, like any other online shopping experience.

Available Data Plans

Data plans are usually an essential purchase factor when making a decision about your eSIM option. If you don’t have access to WiFi, that is your only option for getting any Internet service while traveling. Data is even more important than the ability to make local calls.

Data plans vary greatly depending on the provider and the location. Let’s look into your connectivity options for these regions.

USA

At this moment, there are 4 eSIM options for the USA, coming from different providers. None of them offer calls and SMS options, and their data plans vary from 1GB to 20GB of data available

Australia

Only SimOptions and Three HK offer data plans for Australia on this website. 

United Kingdom

The offer here is a bit richer than for Australia and the USA, and it is a combination of exclusively eSIM providers and local mobile providers.

Bouygues offers calls, while Orange offers both calls and SMS options. Also, keep in mind that Orange Holiday Europe 50GB and O2 plans are the only two plans with 5G connectivity, while other plans offer 4G or less.

SimOptions eSIM Cards Compatibility

Most recent smartphones are eSIM compatible. iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, Huawei, Xiaomi, and others have been producing mobile phones with this option for quite some time.

However, SimOptions website advises that you should all *#06# (USSD Code – free of charge) to confirm if your device has an EID number. Only devices with EID number are eSIM compatible.

SimOptions Cancellation Policy

You may say that SimOptions cancellation policy is quite strict. They don’t offer refunds except if the eSIM can’t be activated and it’s SimOptions’ fault or the telecommunications provider’s fault.

Even if your phone is incompatible with the eSIM, you won’t get a refund because it is considered your responsibility to ensure that before you purchase.

Given the strictness of this policy, it’s not a surprise that there are some pretty unhappy customers on the Trustpilot.

Where SimOptions Has Coverage

SimOptions claims to cover over 200 countries worldwide. It offers regional plans and eSIMs that cover only one country. However, when it comes to coverage, speed, and reliable connection, much of it depends on the individual plan.

That comes from the fact that some offers are from local telecommunication providers. Their plans sometimes offer a more reliable connection and speed than SimOptions eSIM.

• The UK plans have only one offer that can reach 5G, and that’s O2 Go Card eSIM
• The USA has one 5G option from SimOptions.
• Offers for Australia have no 5G

Channels for SimOptions Customer Service

Customer service seems to be a hit-and-miss with this company, even though they advertise 24/7 customer service.

You can contact them via:

• live chat
• email: (contact@simoptions.com)
• phone: +1.6465862166. 

Still, the reliability and quality of the support seem to fluctuate, even though the availability is non-stop.

Here’s what some of the users shared on Trustpilot.

SimOptions eSIM vs. Local Carrier eSIM

The eternal question: an eSIM or a local carrier? Let’s examine some local options for Australia, the USA, and the UK and see if they make sense.

USA

Advantages and Disadvantages of SimOptions eSIM Plans

Let’s list the good and the bad of choosing your eSIM from SimOptions.

Trustpilot Reviews of SimOptions

There are 679 reviews for SimOptions on Trustpilot at this moment, and their average rating is 4.4. While this rating is quite high, it’s important to notice that the ratings are very polarized. 77% of the ratings are 5 stars, but as many as 16% are 1-star ratings. It seems that people are having either a wonderful or a horrible experience.

Here are some of the reviews.

These positive reviews come in spades, showing that people have had problems that were resolved by customer service. Many of these reviews are from people who left only one review on Trustpilot, and they have logged in exclusively to praise customer support. 

Of course, there are some negative reviews about eSIM cards and data usage. 

Negative reviews mainly concern customer service, which might be tolerable, but more concerning reviews concern the lack of transparency and acceptable service.

Alternative to SimOptions: Holafly eSIM with Unlimited Data

One of the ways to skip the problems listed above is to look into some alternatives. Holafly eSIM with unlimited data is an excellent choice for those who don’t want to deal with SIM cards, manual entry, or any other complicated setup or settings.

You can scan a QR code and have your eSIM ready.

Frequent travelers and digital nomads highly recommend Holafly because it offers convenient, customizable, unlimited data packages.

For many destinations, you can choose the number of days you need unlimited data, which you pay for. 

There is no need to buy a 10-day package if you are only traveling for 7 days or to cap your internet access to 2GB for a short time when you know you’ll be using a lot more, even if you’re staying in a foreign country for just a few days.

Holafly is an excellent company that offers reliable solutions for reasonable money, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing a local SIM for your trip.

Just like everything else, it’s not perfect, so let’s explore Holafly’s advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Holafly eSIMs 

Holafly is a solution worth looking into for your trip with friends and family or a business trip on which you need to be connected at all times. Here’s how Holafly works.

Review of SimOptions: Final Conclusions

SimOptions seems to be an ambitious project to create a marketplace for the best SIM and eSIM options. With that in mind, they offer their own products but also act as reseller agents for other telecom companies. This can have its advantages and disadvantages.

The good side is that you will have a great choice of options for your trip, but the downside is that it doesn’t seem to work perfectly every time.

Being a reseller means that many things are out of your control that can lead to a less-than-desirable user experience, especially when there are issues with settings, how to install your card, and more.

Nothing that you’d like to deal with when on your trip to a foreign country. On the other hand, Holafly has over 40k reviews on Trustpilot, excellent offers, and amazing customer support. It is a viable alternative to explore.

FAQ about SimOptions Reviews

Plans that may interest you

Australia

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North America

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USD

Katarina M Arsic

Senior Writer

With a background in English literature and a focus on storytelling, I’ve turned my interests in travel and technology into a career helping others stay connected abroad. Originally from Serbia, I work remotely with my husband, experiencing local cultures firsthand and bringing that perspective to my writing for Holafly. Fun fact: before focusing on content creation, I was a professional volleyball player.

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