aloSIM

Compared to paying my network's roaming fee for a week in Ireland this was a fair bit cheaper, which is why I went for it. The eSIM installed fine and the data worked from the moment I landed. Only thing is the plan I wanted was out of stock for a day so I had to pick a slightly bigger one.

Best thing I've done for my trip to Lisbon. Set it up on the sofa before flying, data was on as soon as I landed, no faffing with a sim card at the airport. Cheap too.

The QR code install took about two minutes which is the bit I didn't expect, I was sat on the train to Manchester and had data before we reached Stockport. Topped up mid trip for a bit more and that was just as easy, no chasing anyone. Would do it again for my next trip to Edinburgh, didn't have to think about it once I was there.

Compared to what my network wanted for roaming on a week in Ibiza, this was miles cheaper and I didn't have to faff about with a physical SIM. Ordered it on the sofa, got the activation email in a couple of minutes and had data on the plane's wifi-free landing. The data speed was decent for Insta and maps, and I topped up once when I ran low. Would not go back to paying roaming now.

I was a bit worried this would be a faff but honestly it wasn't. Bought it the night before my flight to Barcelona, scanned the code in the airport and the data just came on. I had a couple of days where I was using maps and Instagram loads of the time and never ran out. It's the easiest trip admin I've done in ages, and it cost way less than the roaming my mate got charged on her network.

I needed data for my daughter's wedding in Lyon as I wanted to be able to send photos home and check the train times without worrying about the bill. The plan itself was sensible and the price was fair. It did take a few minutes longer than I'd have liked to get going on the day we arrived, and the instructions on the screen could be clearer, but once it was running there were no problems at all.

Had a work trip to Milan and didn't fancy paying roaming. Got the plan sorted on the train over and it worked once I landed, only thing is the app wanted me to update it first which was a bit annoying. Otherwise fine.

Bought the 10GB eSIM before a week in Spain and it worked straight away once I scanned the code, which was the main thing I needed. The data ran out a day earlier than I expected, so I topped up through the app, and that was quick enough, though the price per GB is a bit higher than some others I looked at. Setup took maybe five minutes from start to finish and I had signal as I landed.

Got the 3GB plan for a week in Greece for about a fiver less than what I'd have paid to keep my normal contract data on. Install was quick, data came on straight after scanning. No complaints, I'll use it again for the next holiday.

Got the 5GB pack for a long weekend in Berlin and it was fine, scanned the QR code and was online in minutes. Only niggle was the app asked me to log in twice before it would show the plan. Still, data was there when I needed it.