I have been touring world wide for a 12 months and a half, and one among my favourite money-saving journey hacks is utilizing an eSIM.
When you’re unfamiliar with the idea of an eSIM, it is a digital SIM put in onto your telephone that permits you to entry a cell community and not using a bodily SIM card. Utilizing an eSIM for all my cell information overseas means I haven’t got to fret about costly roaming prices from my US cell supplier or shopping for a bodily SIM for a neighborhood community each time I enter a brand new nation.
Once I discovered that eSIM supplier GigSky was providing eligible Visa cardholders a complimentary 15-day worldwide information plan, I used to be curious. I hadn’t seen this provide extensively mentioned within the bank card rewards sphere, nor had I heard of GigSky earlier than. Perhaps this might be a helpful, free profit that I would be including to my checklist of favourite bank card perks. Perhaps it would be a two-week catastrophe of no information and tech troubles.
There was just one method to discover out.
As soon as my earlier eSIM plan expired, I grabbed my trusty Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card — the Visa Signature card that I would be utilizing to entry this provide — and headed to GigSky’s web site.
What to know in regards to the GigSky Visa provide
From now till Nov. 15, 2027, eligible Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cardholders can obtain a complimentary international cell information plan via GigSky that grants entry to cell information in additional than 175 nations.
A Visa Signature card provides you a complimentary 1GB plan legitimate for 15 days, whereas a Visa Infinite card provides you a 3GB/15-day plan. After your complimentary plan expires, you may additionally get an ongoing low cost on all paid plans: 20% off for Visa Signature cardholders and 30% off for Visa Infinite cardholders. You’ll be able to redeem a complimentary plan as soon as per calendar 12 months.
To get the complimentary information plan and the low cost, you need to add your card as your default cost methodology within the GigSky app.
Eligible playing cards
All US Visa Signature and Visa Infinite playing cards are eligible for this provide, together with choose Visa playing cards issued in Canada and Latin America.
Common Visa Signature playing cards embrace:
Common Visa Infinite playing cards embrace:
My expertise claiming and utilizing my free GigSky eSIM
Claiming the provide
I began off by heading to the official provide web page to learn via the small print. I additionally seen that GigSky was providing a free 100MB trial eSIM for everybody, no Visa card required. When you do not qualify for the Visa provide, it is value checking this one out.
I learn via the phrases and situations for the Visa provide. The phrases have been clear, and I did not see any crimson flags or hidden “gotchas.” Glad, I downloaded the GigSky app to say the provide.
On the app’s residence web page, I instantly noticed a hyperlink to verify my eligibility for the Visa provide.
After clicking the hyperlink, I used to be prompted to enter my card quantity to verify my eligibility. I entered my Chase Sapphire Most well-liked card quantity and was informed I used to be eligible for a 1GB/15-day complimentary information plan and a 20% low cost on all paid plans. I appreciated how they laid out the small print up entrance so there was no confusion about what I used to be getting.
Following the app’s prompts, I created an account and added my Chase Sapphire Most well-liked as my default cost methodology. The app despatched me again to the house web page, the place I now noticed a hyperlink to redeem the provide tied to my particular card. I clicked it, chosen the complimentary plan, made certain that the order whole was $0, and checked out.
Organising the eSIM
I’ve used quite a lot of completely different eSIMs, however GigSky was by far the simplest to arrange.
I discovered my new eSIM underneath the “My Plans” tab on the GigSky app. It wasn’t activated but. In accordance with the phrases, you might have as much as one 12 months after redeeming your complimentary information plan earlier than it will robotically activate.
I clicked on the “Set up eSIM” hyperlink, then clicked “sure” on the affirmation pop-up. It took a few minute for the eSIM to obtain. My telephone then prompted me to decide on a brand new main SIM card (as a result of it is a dual-SIM telephone) and restart. I used to be fairly shocked, as a result of my earlier eSIMs from different corporations had required some additional setup steps, however it appeared GigSky may very well be put in with a single obtain.
After restarting my telephone, the brand new eSIM did not instantly have a sign, which was regular. In my expertise, it often takes a couple of minutes for a newly put in eSIM to connect with the community. My telephone restarted once more, then lastly managed to connect with GigSky’s community. I checked that my main eSIM for cell information entry was set to GigSky as a substitute of my US service supplier, turned on my information, and that was it — I used to be on-line.
Utilizing the eSIM
I used the eSIM for the complete 15 days of the complimentary plan, and I had a largely constructive expertise regardless of a number of hiccups.
I used to be in Hanoi, Vietnam, once I downloaded the eSIM, and it labored completely the primary day.
Speeds have been largely 4G/LTE or 5G, and I may entry cell information at any time when I wanted with out problem. Net pages, Google Maps and even the occasional video loaded rapidly.
I may verify how a lot time and information remained on the plan via the GigSky app. There, I additionally noticed the choice to buy further plans, with the 20% Visa Signature low cost mirrored within the costs.
However a number of days later, my information all of a sudden stopped working. My telephone confirmed that I used to be related to some “H” community — which I later discovered is a kind of 3G community, about one step decrease on the web velocity ladder than 4G/LTE. However regardless that I used to be technically related to information, the net web page I used to be making an attempt to entry simply would not load. After returning to my resort, I checked the GigSky app and confirmed that my plan was nonetheless lively and I had loads of information left.
My information connection was spotty for the following two days, generally working and generally not. I attempted turning the eSIM on and off, restarting my telephone, and turning airplane mode on and off, however I could not discover a dependable repair. This on-and-off scenario went on for about two days earlier than I used to be once more in a position to constantly entry information each time I attempted. I by no means found out what the precise drawback was, however I’ve had different eSIMs randomly cease working too, so I do not assume it is a problem unique to GigSky. Typically you simply have to just accept that know-how is not excellent.
I traveled from Hanoi to Cat Ba, an island on the coast of Vietnam, throughout the second half of my 15-day plan. Since Cat Ba is a little more distant, I used to be apprehensive about my cell sign there. I used to be pleasantly shocked that every thing labored completely. I constantly had 4G/LTE or 5G information and by no means had hassle connecting to the web once I wanted to.
Supply’s finish
I paid particular consideration when my complimentary plan expired, simply in case this was a type of “free trial turning into auto-renewing subscription except you cancel” conditions. (The phrases and situations steered nothing of this kind, however in a world of subscription creep, I’ve developed a wholesome vigilance.)
I am pleased to report this was not the case. When my plan ended, that was it. I may not entry information regardless of the eSIM remaining on my telephone, and at any time when I attempted, I acquired a notification letting me know my plan had expired. I wasn’t robotically enrolled in a brand new, paid plan, and my bank card was by no means charged.
I may see my authentic plan particulars within the app, in addition to buy a brand new plan if I so desired.
My 1GB of knowledge lasted me until the very finish of the 15-day plan. I used information sparingly, conserving my cell information off by default and solely turning it on once I wanted it for navigation, internet searches, or checking messages or e-mail on the go. I used Wi-Fi at any time when I may and infrequently watched movies or scrolled social media utilizing cell information. In case your habits are much like mine, the complimentary 1GB information plan ought to be sufficient for brief holidays.
Would I like to recommend the GigSky eSim?
eSIMs are invaluable once you’re touring overseas, and I am glad Visa has partnered with GigSky to deliver this profit to cardholders. Though it is most likely not the most monetarily priceless perk from my Chase Sapphire Most well-liked — a 1GB worldwide information plan much like the complimentary plan usually retails for $20 via GigSky — it is positively one of many extra sensible ones.
When you journey internationally, the complimentary plan may help you narrow down on one additional value whereas letting you conveniently entry the web wherever you go. GigSky’s service is nearly as good as another eSIM I’ve used, and I like what number of choices GigSky provides, together with information plans in additional than 175 nations and cruise packages.
However one draw back of GigSky is the associated fee. GigSky’s costs are on the upper finish of the eSIM market, and fairly a bit dearer than the eSIM supplier I would been utilizing beforehand (EscapeSIM). Due to that, I ended up not renewing my GigSky plan. I might positively suggest the complimentary plan to any eligible Visa cardholders heading overseas for a brief trip, but when your information wants or journey timeline name for getting a paid plan past the trial, I would suggest evaluating prices amongst a number of suppliers earlier than committing to anyone.
