Buying a physical SIM card at an airport kiosk might seem like a good solution to stay connected during your international travels but it has the potential to be more sketchy than you might realize. Here are a few reasons to skip the kiosk and opt for an aloSIM eSIM instead.
Skip the sketchy SIM kiosk
Airport kiosks know that travelers are counting on them to get connected upon arrival. They have the ability to jack up their prices with no repercussions and no competition to compare against. When all you need is a temporary data plan, opting for an international SIM card at the airport can lead to overpaying by an exorbitant amount.
Even worse is the possibility that the SIM card isn’t legit. It could be of poor quality, faulty, or even a scam. If you’re not hanging around the airport, you’ll have little recourse to go back and find that kiosk to request a refund.
If you’re heading to a country with different cultural communication styles or language differences, it might be a struggle to understand specific details on the SIM card package you’re purchasing from the kiosk. You don’t want to end up with something you don’t need or that doesn’t work with your device.
In the case that you’re able to purchase and install what you need in an international SIM card from an airport kiosk, you’ll likely find yourself with a fixed amount of data or talk time without an easy path to topping up if you need anything in addition to what you have. Unfortunately, this puts you at risk of running out or facing having to buy yet another overpriced SIM.
Phone designs change quickly and random airport kiosks might not carry the inventory to ensure that their international SIM cards are compatible with your phone. If you don’t know until after you’ve paid, you might just be out of luck (and out of the money spent).
Installing a physical international SIM could require you to remove your regular hom SIM card. These are so tiny and fragile! If one gets lost or damaged, you won’t be able to access your personal phone number again (during or after your travels).
Do this instead!
When you arrive at your destination, you likely have a million things on your mind: retrieving your luggage, finding transit to your accommodations, getting food or making it to your first activity. The last thing you want to be worried about is having to finagle a finicky physical international SIM card.
AloSIM eSIMs can be purchased and installed before you step foot on a plane. The process couldn’t be easier. Just scan the QR code to get started. No need to fiddle with tiny physical SIM cards.
Not to mention, there’s no need to try to translate or interpret complicated instructions to try to determine if it will work on your device, if it will offer the coverage that you need, and any other potential complications that you might be too tired or travel-worn to have to decipher on arrival.
The best part? The affordable data packages with aloSIM start at just a few dollars. Need additional data? Topping up couldn’t be easier. Just use the app and forget worrying about staying connected. Plus your regular home number still lives on your device so you can enjoy your trip and keep in touch the entire holiday.
