If you are traveling with your camper, you are generally moving within the EU, of course there are exceptions, such as crossing over to Morocco and thus to Africa or a visit to our neighbors in the United Kingdom.
Thanks to the EU’s roaming reform, you generally use your cell phone tariff when traveling, just as you do at home. But what happens if you are traveling outside the EU or have simply used up your data volume? We found a great app for this on our last trip, Airalo.
What is Airalo?
Airalo is a globally active eSIM store. You can think of it like the App Store on your smartphone, but not for apps, but for eSIMs.
Okay, but what is an eSIM now?
If you’re wondering what the hell an eSIM is, don’t panic, here’s the explanation:
In the past, you always inserted a small plastic SIM card into your cell phone or smartphone and were then able to use your phone plan.
A few years ago, smartphone manufacturers began using a type of permanently installed SIM card on their end devices, known as an eSIM. The advantage is obvious: instead of a plastic card that is tied to a specific tariff and provider, eSIMs use a profile. This can come from any provider in the world. As a user, you therefore have full flexibility when choosing your provider. This is precisely where Airalo comes in.
How does the use of Airalo work?
First and foremost, your smartphone must support the use of eSIMs; if this is not the case, you will not be able to use the app.
In the App Store on the iPhone or in the Google PlayStore on Android smartphones you will find the Airalo app, which is required to book the eSIMs and then install them on your device.
Please note that our experience and instructions reflect the use on an iOS device. It is therefore possible that the appearance of the app and the function may differ from Android. Maybe you’re an Android user and can say something about it in the comments!
After the download you have to create a user profile. All you need is your name and an e-mail address. This point is quite remarkable, because eSIMs can be booked via Airalo without you having to enter your address.
Selection of the country
After registering, you must select the country for which you want to book the eSIM.
In our test, we booked an eSIM for France.
Selecting the tariff
If the country is selected, all available tariffs are displayed. The app always breaks down data volume and duration.
Once you have decided on a tariff, it’s time to pay.
Apple Pay, credit card, PayPal and Alipay are available on the iPhone.
Activation of the eSIM
Once the tariff has been selected and paid for, Airalo will immediately provide you with an eSIM profile to install on your smartphone.
To activate the eSIM, simply click on “Install eSIM” and the setup wizard will open on the smartphone immediately afterwards.
Well, and that was it, the tariff was immediately available in our test. The subsequent speed test was also successful:
In the Airalo app, you can view your remaining data volume at any time and extend your booked package if necessary.
You absolutely need to know this:
- The booked eSIM profile can only be installed once and can therefore only be used on one end device.
- Don’t be confused by the screenshots, my devices are set to English. The APP is also available in German.
- Billing is always in US dollars!
If you want to test the app, you can get three dollars starting credit with the code MARTIN98139.
Click here for the app –> Click here
