Holafly Review 2026: Disadvantages, Reliability, and How to Fix eSIM Issues (Honest Take)

Holafly is the most popular travel eSIM provider in the world right now, with over 15 million users and a 4.6 Trustpilot rating across 78,000+ reviews. But is it actually reliable? What are the real disadvantages? And what do you do when your eSIM stops working at the worst possible moment?

We've used Holafly across Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, and more over the course of nearly four years of full-time family travel. Five devices. Three kids. Dozens of eSIM installations. We know where Holafly shines and exactly where it falls short. This is the honest review we wish someone had written for us before that time our data cut out mid-navigation in rural Kyoto with three hungry children in the backseat.

What Is Holafly and How Does It Work?

Holafly is an eSIM provider founded in Spain in 2017, now headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. An eSIM is a digital SIM card embedded in your phone that lets you connect to local cellular networks abroad without swapping physical SIM cards or paying outrageous roaming fees. You purchase a plan, scan a QR code, and you're online within minutes of landing.

What sets Holafly apart from competitors is their focus on unlimited data plans. While providers like Airalo and Saily sell capped data packages (1GB, 5GB, 20GB), Holafly offers unlimited data for a flat daily rate across 200+ destinations. For a family of five burning through data on Google Maps, translation apps, FaceTime calls to grandparents, and the occasional Bluey episode during a long train ride, unlimited data isn't a luxury. It's survival.

What Are the Disadvantages of Holafly?

No product is perfect, and we'd be doing you a disservice if we didn't lay out the real drawbacks. After installing dozens of Holafly eSIMs across multiple continents with our family, here's what you should know before you buy.

It's Data-Only (No Phone Calls or SMS)

This is the biggest limitation that catches people off guard. Holafly eSIMs don't support traditional phone calls or SMS text messages. You're limited to internet-based communication: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom, Facebook Messenger, and similar apps.

For most travelers, this isn't a dealbreaker. We live on WhatsApp and FaceTime. But it does create complications in specific situations. Some hotel check-ins require a phone call to confirm. Two-factor authentication codes sent via SMS won't arrive on your Holafly line. And if you need to call an emergency number in a country where VoIP services aren't reliable, you'll want your home carrier still active on your phone's physical SIM slot.

Our workaround: We keep our home carrier active (on an inexpensive plan) for the rare moments when a phone number is genuinely needed. The dual-SIM capability on modern iPhones and Android devices makes this seamless. Holafly handles data, your home SIM handles the occasional call or SMS.

Hotspot/Tethering Has Daily Limits

Holafly markets unlimited data, and you do get unlimited data on the device itself. But when it comes to sharing that connection via mobile hotspot (tethering), most plans cap you at 500MB per day. If you're a family trying to run multiple devices off one phone's hotspot, or a digital nomad who needs to tether a laptop for work, that 500MB disappears fast.

During our six-month stay in Da Nang, Vietnam, we learned to plan around this. We'd use our phones directly for heavy data tasks and save the hotspot allowance for getting the girls' iPads connected when they needed to do their worldschooling lessons. It works, but it requires some coordination.

For heavier hotspot needs, the monthly global plan (starting at $64.90/month for unlimited data) offers unlimited hotspot data, which is a significant upgrade.

Fair Use Policy Can Throttle Speeds

"Unlimited" comes with an asterisk. Holafly's plans are subject to fair use policies enforced by the local carrier networks they partner with. In practical terms, this means that if you consume a very large amount of data in a single day (reports suggest somewhere in the 3-5GB range in some destinations), your speeds may be reduced. You won't lose connectivity entirely, but streaming might buffer, and video calls could get choppy.

We've hit this threshold a handful of times during heavy usage days, usually when we're all streaming, uploading YouTube content, and running video calls simultaneously. For normal travel usage like maps, messaging, social media, web browsing, and even moderate video streaming, we've rarely noticed any throttling at all.

Pricing Is Higher Than Capped-Data Competitors

Holafly is not the cheapest eSIM option. Their per-day rate starts at around $1.99/day for popular destinations, which is competitive when you factor in unlimited data. But if you're a light data user who only needs 1-2GB for a week, providers like Airalo or Airhub will be cheaper because they sell smaller, capped packages.

Here's how the math breaks down for a 7-day Japan trip:

The gap narrows dramatically if you need more data. Once you're buying 5GB+ from a capped provider, Holafly's unlimited plan is often the better deal. And the peace of mind of never worrying about running out of data mid-trip? For our family, that's worth the premium.

Regional Plans Have Coverage Gaps

Holafly's regional eSIMs (Europe, Asia, etc.) cover most countries in a region, but not always every country. Their Europe plan covers the majority of EU and Schengen nations, but if you're crossing into a neighboring country that isn't on the list, you may lose connectivity. We experienced this during a train journey where coverage briefly dropped while crossing certain borders.

Always check the specific country list for any regional plan before purchasing. If your itinerary includes a destination that falls outside the regional plan, you may need a separate country-specific eSIM for that leg.

The App Could Be Better

Holafly's app has improved significantly over the years, but it still has some quirks. The "My eSIMs" page sometimes doesn't accurately reflect activation status, which means you can't always check remaining days from the app itself. The app has also been known to occasionally switch to Spanish without warning, which makes sense given the company's Spanish origins but isn't ideal when you're troubleshooting at midnight in a foreign country.

That said, the app isn't essential. You can manage everything through the website and your phone's built-in settings, and their 24/7 support team is genuinely responsive when you need help.

Is Holafly Reliable?

Short answer: yes. Holafly is a legitimate, well-established company that has served over 15 million travelers worldwide. Their 4.6/5 Trustpilot rating across 78,000+ reviews is one of the strongest in the travel eSIM industry, and they've been operating since 2017, which makes them one of the longest-running eSIM providers.

Here's what reliability looks like in practice based on our family's experience.

Network Quality

Holafly partners with major local carriers in each destination. In Japan, they use NTT Docomo, which gave us rock-solid 4G/5G coverage everywhere from downtown Tokyo to small towns along the bullet train routes. In Thailand, coverage was excellent across Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the southern islands. In our European travels through France, Italy, Germany, and beyond, connectivity was consistent and fast.

The quality of your Holafly connection is ultimately tied to the quality of the local network they partner with. In major tourist destinations and urban areas, that means excellent performance. In remote or rural areas - deserts, mountains, jungles - coverage may be weaker, just as it would be with any local SIM card.

Setup Speed

Installation genuinely takes under five minutes. You purchase the plan, receive a QR code via email within minutes, scan it with your phone camera, and the eSIM downloads and installs. We've done this process so many times that our nine-year-old Lily can walk through the steps herself. The key is to install your eSIM before you travel (you need WiFi for installation), then simply enable data roaming when you arrive at your destination.

Customer Support

Holafly's 24/7 chat support has been consistently responsive in our experience. We've reached out at odd hours from various time zones and received replies within minutes. Simple questions get thorough answers. More technical issues (signal problems, activation glitches) sometimes require a bit more back-and-forth, but we've always eventually gotten things resolved.

When Things Go Wrong

No eSIM provider has a 100% success rate, and we want to be transparent about that. We've had a small number of instances where connectivity was inconsistent or activation didn't go smoothly on the first try. In every case, a combination of troubleshooting steps (detailed below) and a quick chat with Holafly support resolved the issue.

The negative reviews you'll see on Trustpilot and Reddit typically fall into a few categories: connectivity issues in specific destinations (often tied to local network problems rather than Holafly specifically), confusion about the data-only limitation, and frustration with fair use throttling. These are real issues, but they affect a small minority of users and are generally manageable.

How to Fix a Travel eSIM That Won't Connect

Why Is My eSIM Service So Bad? (Slow Speeds, Dropped Connections)

If your eSIM is technically connected but performing poorly, the issue is different from a complete outage. Here's what causes sluggish or inconsistent eSIM performance and how to address it.

Network Congestion

Just like any cellular connection, eSIM performance degrades in crowded areas. If you're at a major festival, a packed tourist attraction, or in a densely populated city center during peak hours, speeds will naturally slow down. We noticed this during Halloween in Tokyo's Shibuya crossing, which wasn't exactly surprising given that a million people were in the same neighborhood.

Fix: Wait it out, move to a less congested area, or connect to available WiFi. This isn't a Holafly-specific problem; every cellular user in the area is experiencing the same thing.

Fair Use Throttling

As mentioned above, Holafly's unlimited plans come with fair use policies. If you've been streaming video, downloading large files, or otherwise consuming heavy data all day, the local carrier may reduce your speeds. You'll still be connected, but things will run slower.

Fix: Reduce data-heavy activities. Download entertainment, maps, and content over WiFi before heading out. Use WiFi where available to give your cellular data a break. Switch to lower-quality video streaming when on mobile data.

Wrong Network Band

Your phone might be connecting to a less optimal network band, resulting in slower speeds than what's available.

Fix: Toggle airplane mode to force a network reconnection. Or go to your network settings and manually select a different carrier from the available list.

Local Infrastructure Limitations

In rural areas, developing regions, or countries with less developed cellular infrastructure, eSIM performance reflects the local network quality. Holafly can only deliver speeds that the underlying carrier network supports.

Fix: Set realistic expectations for remote areas. Download offline maps (Google Maps or Maps.me) and offline translation packs before heading to areas with limited coverage. This saved us numerous times in rural Vietnam and during our travels through less-connected parts of Southeast Asia.

Phone Software Issues

Outdated phone software can cause compatibility issues with eSIM connectivity.

Fix: Make sure your phone is running the latest iOS or Android version. Go to Settings > General > Software Update (iPhone) or Settings > System > System Update (Android). Keep your phone software current before any international trip.

Holafly Pricing: What Does It Actually Cost in 2026?

Holafly's pricing is straightforward: a flat rate for unlimited data based on the number of days you need. Longer plans have lower per-day rates. Here's a snapshot of popular destinations:

Apply code ADAMANDLINDS at checkout for 5% off every purchase.

When Monthly Global Plans Make More Sense

If your trip extends beyond 30 days, or you're traveling across multiple countries, Holafly's monthly global plans offer significantly better value than stacking destination-specific eSIMs. These plans cover 113+ destinations under one eSIM that you can cancel anytime.

The unlimited monthly plan works out to roughly $2.16/day with unlimited hotspot data, which is a substantial upgrade over the destination plans that cap hotspot at 500MB/day. For long-term travelers and digital nomads, this is the obvious choice. We wish this plan had existed during our early months of travel when we were juggling separate eSIMs for every country hop.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Holafly eSIM

After years of trial and error across 20+ countries, here are the tips that make the biggest difference:

Install before you fly. Don't wait until you land to set up your eSIM. Install it at home on WiFi, test that it appears in your cellular settings, then simply enable data roaming when you arrive. This eliminates the stress of troubleshooting at a foreign airport with jet-lagged kids.

Screenshot your QR code. Your eSIM QR code is sent via email, but we always take a screenshot as backup. You can't reuse it once installed, but having it saved prevents the panic of searching through emails while standing in an immigration line.

Download offline maps. Even with unlimited data, having offline Google Maps downloaded for your destination means you're covered even in underground metro stations or areas with spotty coverage. We do this for every new country, no exceptions.

Keep your home SIM active. The dual-SIM setup (home SIM for calls/SMS, Holafly for data) is the ideal configuration. Your home carrier handles the occasional SMS verification code or emergency call, while Holafly handles everything internet-related.

Monitor your kids' data. With unlimited data, it's tempting to let the kids stream to their hearts' content. Set device-level screen time limits and data restrictions to prevent the fair use policy from throttling speeds for everyone. Ask us how we learned this one. (Harper discovered Netflix downloads on a bullet train, and we all paid the price.)

Buy an extra day. Flight delays happen. Plans change. That day you thought you'd have airport WiFi turns into an unplanned overnight. We always add a buffer day or two to our eSIM plans. The cost is negligible and the insurance is worth it.

Our Verdict: Is Holafly Worth It in 2026?

After nearly four years of full-time travel and testing every major eSIM provider on the market, Holafly remains our top recommendation for most travelers. The disadvantages are real but manageable, the reliability is strong, and the convenience of unlimited data with easy setup is hard to beat.

Is it perfect? No. The data-only limitation means you'll want to keep your home carrier active. The hotspot caps on destination plans can be frustrating for multi-device families. And the fair use throttling, while rarely an issue for normal usage, is something heavy data users should know about.

But for the vast majority of travelers, especially families, Holafly solves the single biggest headache of international travel: staying reliably connected without bill shock, without hunting for local SIM card shops, and without rationing your Google Maps searches like you're conserving water in the desert.

Frequently Asked Questions