Staying connected while traveling is challenging.
We grew up with juggling local SIM cards or paying huge roaming fees when we forgot to turn our data off.
As full-time travelers, we feel your pain.
In this Yesim eSIM review, we’ll share our firsthand experience with Yesim’s eSIM service and why it’s a game-changer for global travel.
We’ll cover what Yesim is and how its plans work, plus insider tips and honest pros and cons, so you’ll learn if this digital SIM is the right fit for your adventures.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
✅ Coverage and speed: Yesim works in 200+ destinations and partners with 800+ operators, so you get reliable 4G and 5G connections in most places (we checked the speed further below).
✅ Flexible plans: Choose between fixed data bundles or pay & fly, a pay-as-you-go plan where you only pay for what you use (not the cheapest, but it is the most flexible plan you can get). Credit lasts 12 months, and hotspot sharing is supported.
⚠️ A few drawbacks: Data only, so no local number for calls or SMS, and speeds can vary in very remote regions. Some fixed plans also expire if unused.
Introduction
eSIMs, short for embedded SIMs, are digital SIM cards built into your phone that let you activate a mobile plan WITHOUT using a physical card.
Instead of hunting for a store, swapping SIMs, or risking losing your home SIM while traveling, you can scan a QR code, install a plan in MINUTES and be connected as soon as you land.
Travelers are switching from traditional SIM cards to eSIMs because they are:
- Faster to set up
- More flexible to change between countries or data plans
- Cheaper than roaming
- Your main number remains active for calls, SMS from your bank, and other two-factor authentication.
What is Yesim eSIM?
Yesim is a digital eSIM service for travelers that provides prepaid mobile data in over 200+ destinations worldwide.
Yesim is backed by a Swiss company and has been around for 7+ years, with over 3.5 million users globally.
It’s trusted by millions of travelers for its reliability and broad coverage.
Here is what that really means on the road:
- DIGITAL SIM, ZERO SWAPPING: your eSIM lives inside your phone. You install it once and do not touch your SIM tray again for the rest of your trip.
- AUTO NETWORK CONNECT: as soon as you arrive in a supported country, Yesim connects to a local partner network automatically, aiming for strong 4G or 5G.
- DUAL SIM FRIENDLY: You can keep your home SIM active for texts or banking codes while using Yesim for data.
Supported countries
Yesim covers 170 plus countries and works with 800 (!) plus operators worldwide.
In practice, this gives you coverage in common hubs (Europe, USA, Asia) and in more remote destinations too.
App features and usability
Think of the Yesim app as your travel data dashboard. It is where everything happens:
- PLAN BROWSING BY DESTINATION: pick a country, region, or global plan directly in the app.
- EASY INSTALL: either scan a QR code or install with one tap on supported phones.
- REAL TIME USAGE TRACKING: see how much data you have used, and how much credit or data remains.
- TOP UPS ANYTIME: If you are running low, you can add credit in minutes without hunting for Wi-Fi.
- HOTSPOT READY: Yesim allows tethering, so one person can share data with another phone or laptop.
From a traveler’s perspective, this matters because it keeps your setup simple. ONE APP, ONE E-SIM, AND YOU ARE DONE.
Pricing and plans
Yesim gives you two main ways to buy data:
- PAY AS YOU GO (pay & fly): top up credit and pay only for what you use. This is their SIGNATURE style.
- FIXED PACKAGES: classic plans where you choose a certain amount of GB for a certain number of days, either for one country, a region, or a multi-country bundle.
So, Yesim works whether you are a “I want maximum flexibility” traveler or a “just give me 10 GB for 30 days” traveler.
Pros and cons of Yesim
Pros
- EASY SETUP: you can be connected in 5 to 10 minutes, no shop visit, no passport photocopies, no language barrier.
- GLOBAL REACH: one eSIM works across 170-plus countries, which is perfect for multi-stop itineraries.
- STRONG LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Yesim partners with hundreds of operators, so your phone can latch onto a good local signal and hop to 5G when it is available.
- NO PHYSICAL SIM DRAMA: no losing your home SIM, no fiddling with SIM trays on a bus, no “wait, which SIM is which?” moments.
- COST CONTROL: prepaid model means no surprise roaming bill at the end of your trip.
- HOTSPOT SHARING: great for couples, one plan can cover two people if you tether.
Cons
- DATA ONLY: no local phone number. If you need calls or SMS, you will use apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, or Skype, or keep your home SIM for OTP texts. You cannot call a restaurant using a local phone number, which is sometimes a pity.
- DEVICE COMPATIBILITY: Older phones without eSIM support cannot use it. Always check your model first. You can check your compatible phone here.
- SPEED VARIES BY REGION: In most places, speeds are excellent, but remote areas are still limited by local infrastructure. That is true of any provider, so you should be aware that sometimes the connection might drop to 3G or disappear.
- FIXED PLANS EXPIRE: If you choose a package instead of Pay & Fly, unused data can disappear once the validity period ends.
Overall, if your priority is SIMPLICITY + BORDER HOPPING + COST CONTROL, the pros outweigh the drawbacks fast.
Yesim’s Pay & Fly
Pay & fly is the reason why we (and many other travelers) pick Yesim over other brands. It is basically a global data wallet.
Here is how it works:
- You top up credit inside the app (called YCOINS).
- As you use data, your balance decreases by MB or GB.
- You pay local rates per country, so it stays closer to what locals pay.
- Your credit lasts 12 MONTHS, so leftovers roll into your next trip.
Key things we love:
- ONE E-SIM FOR EVERYWHERE: activate once, then just cross borders. No plan switching needed. This saves us always a lot of hassle in juggling eSIMs!
- NO GUESSWORK: You do not have to predict your data needs. If you use little, you pay little. If you use a lot, you still do not overpay for unused GB. You can always use it during your next trip.
- GOOD FOR LONG TRIPS: If you travel for weeks or months, pay-as-you-go is more efficient than expiring bundles.
- UPFRONT TOP UP: to start pay & fly, you need a minimum top-up of about €29. That becomes your usable balance, not a fee.
Pay & fly is ideal if you want travel data to feel as automatic as breathing. You install it, then forget about it.
Why Yesim is a strong alternative to other eSIM brands
Best use cases
Yesim is a strong alternative to physical SIMs, roaming passes, and pocket Wi-Fi for THREE TYPES OF TRAVELERS:
- FREQUENT TRAVELERS: Install once, reuse for every trip. If you’re a US resident and you go on a 2-week Holiday in France, then this is it!
- DIGITAL NOMADS: Flexible data for uncertain schedules and surprise border runs.
- MULTI-COUNTRY TOURISTS: No time wasted buying SIMs in each stop.
Our experience with Yesim eSIM
The setup of the eSIM was QUICK and EASY, we were done in a few minutes.
The only small downside, the confirmation email did not include super clear, step-by-step instructions.
If this is your first eSIM, you might not realize you need to TURN ON DATA ROAMING for the Yesim line, and that part is not spelled out during setup.
Once everything was installed, the plan took a couple of minutes to kick in, so do not panic if you are not online instantly.
One extra tip that makes life even simpler: if you have the Yesim app installed on iOS, you can use their DIRECT (FAST) INSTALLATION option.
In plain terms, this is a one-tap install because Yesim has a system-level setup agreement with Apple (and in some cases Android), so your phone handles the eSIM installation for you.
No QR scan, no manual settings hunt, just tap, approve, and you are ready to go.
When using the eSIM, we were very happy. Our phone quietly switched networks at the borders between countries, so we stayed online.
That is why Yesim feels like a TRAVEL FIRST solution. It supports the way we actually move, plan, and change our minds on the road.
Conclusion
Wrapping it up, Yesim is a TRAVEL FIRST eSIM that solves the biggest connectivity headaches we have all dealt with on the road.
Instead of hunting for local SIMs, risking your home SIM, or paying ridiculous roaming fees, you install one digital SIM, manage everything in one app, and stay connected across borders automatically.
With coverage in 200+ destinations and partnerships with hundreds of operators, it is built for real itineraries, not just single-country holidays.
What makes Yesim especially strong for 2026 is the mix of simplicity and flexibility.
The app is easy to use, setup takes minutes, and you can monitor usage and top up anytime.
If you want classic bundles, they are there.
But the standout is pay & fly, a global pay-as-you-go model where you only pay for the data you use, and leftover credit rolls into future trips for up to 12 months.
For frequent travelers, digital nomads, and multi-country tourists, that combination of NO GUESSWORK, NO EXPIRING DATA PRESSURE, AND ONE E-SIM EVERYWHERE is exactly why Yesim feels like one of the smartest, most practical choices right now.
