Free eSIM trial: which travel eSIM brands really give you one

Is there a free eSIM trial for travel?

Yes, there is one free eSIM trial among the brands we cover, and it comes from Nomad: new users can redeem 1 GB of data for 3 days, free, in 80 destinations. None of the other five brands on this site, Airalo, Holafly, Saily, eSIMCard and eSIM Go, offers a free trial we could find on their own sites. Holafly comes closest with free monthly backup data, but you have to buy a plan first.

We read each brand's site on 9 November 2026. This is desk research; we have not redeemed the Nomad trial ourselves.

Brand	Free trial?	What is free
Nomad	Yes	1 GB for 3 days, new users, 80 destinations
Holafly	No	1 GB a month of backup data after you buy a plan
Saily	No	US$5 credit per successful referral
Airalo	None found	Nothing found on its home page
eSIMCard	None found	Nothing found on its home page
eSIM Go	Not applicable	Sells to businesses, not travellers

How does the Nomad free trial eSIM work?

Nomad's trial page sets out the terms:

• 1 GB of data for 3 days, free.
• New Nomad users only. No credit card required.
• 80 destinations, including the United States, Europe, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Mexico and the UK.
• Hotspot tethering is supported.
• Redeemed in the Nomad app on iOS or Android, for your travel destination, or tried at home.
• Install up to 15 days in advance. If you don't use it, Nomad says the trial eSIM activates automatically 15 days after you redeem it.

There is one catch, and it is on the same page: users who redeem a trial eSIM will not be eligible for other first-time promotions or discounts afterwards. If Nomad is offering a new-user discount on a bigger plan you were going to buy anyway, compare the two before you redeem. Our Nomad promo code page covers what Nomad discounts and how.

Is 1 GB useful? For a weekend of maps and messaging, it can be enough. For anything longer it is a test: proof that your phone accepts the eSIM and that the network works where you land. Our eSIM compatible phones list is the first check, and your phone must be unlocked.

Does Holafly have a free trial?

No. Holafly says so itself, in its article on free eSIM trials: it doesn't offer a free trial, and instead offers Always On, 1 GB of recurring data per month for Holafly eSIM users.

Holafly's Always On page describes it as backup data that starts after your unlimited data ends: 1 GB every month, resetting every 30 days, included in all its eSIMs, usable in 150+ covered destinations, as long as you keep the eSIM installed. That is a genuine free extra, but you only get it after buying a Holafly plan. It is not a way to try Holafly before paying. Holafly's prices are on its review page and in our Holafly unlimited data guide.

Do Saily, Airalo or eSIMCard have a free trial?

Saily: no. Its own FAQ answer reads "there is no such thing as a completely free eSIM". What it offers instead is US$5 in Saily credits for every successful referral, which can eventually cover a plan.

Airalo: we found no free trial on its home page, which links to a "Refer and earn" scheme and a loyalty programme. We did not check the terms of either. The cheapest way to try Airalo is a small paid plan; the cheapest eSIM page shows what those cost per gigabyte.

eSIMCard: we found no free trial or free data offer on its home page.

eSIM Go: not a consumer shop. It is a wholesale platform that sells to businesses, so there is nothing for a traveller to try. See what eSIM Go is.

Visible, US Mobile and AT&T: free eSIM trials, but not for travel

Most "esim free trial" searches lead to US carriers, which let you test their network at home before switching. They are real and free, but they are trials of US phone service, not travel data. We read the following on each carrier's site.

Visible esim trial. Visible's trial terms give up to 15 days of service on its network. The terms limit it to non-Visible subscribers with an unlocked, compatible iPhone with eSIM capability, and exclude anyone who has used Visible in the past 12 months. You get a temporary Visible number. The terms say "Domestic calling only. No international service", and hotspot is capped at 5 Mbps. Service ends when the trial ends unless you subscribe.

US Mobile free trial eSIM. US Mobile offers eligible new customers a 30-day free trial with 30 GB of data and unlimited talk and text. You have to bring an existing number from another carrier. Its page says the line will automatically renew on the monthly Unlimited Premium plan unless you change plan before the trial ends, so set a reminder.

AT&T esim trial. AT&T offers 30 days free, with 100 GB of data, 25 GB of hotspot data, and unlimited talk and text in and between the US, Canada and Mexico. A compatible iPhone or Android is required. You keep your current phone, number and service, and get a separate trial number.

None of these is designed for use abroad. If you are visiting the US, they are not an option either; the USA guide covers what visitors can buy.

Can you get a free eSIM number?

Only as part of the US carrier trials above. Visible and AT&T both assign a temporary trial number. That number is for testing their network, not for keeping: Visible's terms say that if you subscribe you can port a number or receive a new one, which tells you the trial number itself is temporary. Travel eSIMs from the brands we cover are mostly data plans, so a free trial from Nomad gives you data and nothing else. Calls and texts carry on through your home line.

A free eSIM QR code, on its own, is not free service. The QR code is only the way the profile is delivered; what you pay for, or get free in Nomad's case, is the plan behind it.

What we would do

If you are new to Nomad and your destination is one of its 80, redeem the free 1 GB a few days before you fly and use it as a test. If it works, you are covered for the first days of the trip and you know what to buy next. If you have already used Nomad, there is no free trial left among these brands, and the cheapest route is a small paid plan; the cheapest eSIM table ranks them by cost per gigabyte. If you plan to buy Holafly anyway, its 1 GB a month of Always On data is a useful backup for later trips.