I have been traveling around the world for a 12 months and a half, and considered one of my favourite money-saving journey hacks is utilizing an eSIM.
Should you’re unfamiliar with the concept 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 knowledge overseas means I haven’t got to fret about costly roaming prices from my US cell supplier or shopping for a bodily SIM for an area community each time I enter a brand new nation.
After I realized that eSIM supplier GigSky was providing eligible Visa cardholders a complimentary 15-day worldwide knowledge plan, I used to be curious. I hadn’t seen this supply broadly mentioned within the bank card rewards sphere, nor had I heard of GigSky earlier than. Perhaps this could be a helpful, free profit that I might be including to my checklist of favorite credit card perks. Perhaps it might be a two-week catastrophe of no knowledge and tech troubles.
There was just one approach to discover out.
As soon as my earlier eSIM plan expired, I grabbed my trusty Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — the Visa Signature card that I might be utilizing to entry this supply — and headed to GigSky’s web site.
What to know in regards to the GigSky Visa supply
From now till Nov. 15, 2027, eligible Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cardholders can obtain a complimentary world cell knowledge plan via GigSky that grants entry to cell knowledge in additional than 175 countries.
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 will additionally get an ongoing low cost on all paid plans: 20% off for Visa Signature cardholders and 30% off for Visa Infinite cardholders. You possibly can redeem a complimentary plan as soon as per calendar 12 months.
To get the complimentary knowledge plan and the low cost, you will 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 supply, together with choose Visa playing cards issued in Canada and Latin America.
Standard Visa Signature playing cards embrace:
Standard Visa Infinite playing cards embrace:
My expertise claiming and utilizing my free GigSky eSIM
Claiming the supply
I began off by heading to the official offer page to learn via the main points. I additionally seen that GigSky was providing a free 100MB trial eSIM for everybody, no Visa card required. Should you do not qualify for the Visa supply, it is value checking this one out.
I learn via the terms and conditions for the Visa supply. The phrases had been clear, and I did not see any purple flags or hidden “gotchas.” Happy, I downloaded the GigSky app to say the supply.
On the app’s house web page, I instantly noticed a hyperlink to verify my eligibility for the Visa supply.
After clicking the hyperlink, I used to be prompted to enter my card quantity to verify my eligibility. I entered my Chase Sapphire Most popular card quantity and was instructed I used to be eligible for a 1GB/15-day complimentary knowledge plan and a 20% low cost on all paid plans. I appreciated how they laid out the main points 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 popular 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 supply 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 a variety of completely different eSIMs, however GigSky was by far the simplest to arrange.
I discovered my new eSIM beneath the “My Plans” tab on the GigSky app. It wasn’t activated but. In accordance with the terms, you’ve got as much as one 12 months after redeeming your complimentary knowledge plan earlier than it’s going to robotically activate.
I clicked on the “Set up eSIM” hyperlink, then clicked “sure” on the affirmation pop-up. It took a couple of 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 firms had required some additional setup steps, nevertheless 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 normally takes a couple of minutes for a newly put in eSIM to hook up with the community. My telephone restarted once more, then lastly managed to hook up with GigSky’s community. I checked that my main eSIM for cell knowledge entry was set to GigSky as a substitute of my US service supplier, turned on my knowledge, 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 couple of hiccups.
I used to be in Hanoi, Vietnam, once I downloaded the eSIM, and it labored completely the primary day.
Speeds had been largely 4G/LTE or 5G, and I might entry cell knowledge at any time when I wanted with out concern. Internet pages, Google Maps and even the occasional video loaded shortly.
I might verify how a lot time and knowledge remained on the plan via the GigSky app. There, I additionally noticed the choice to buy extra plans, with the 20% Visa Signature low cost mirrored within the costs.
However a couple of days later, my knowledge immediately stopped working. My telephone confirmed that I used to be linked to some “H” community — which I later realized is a kind of 3G community, about one step decrease on the web pace ladder than 4G/LTE. However although I used to be technically linked to knowledge, the online web page I used to be attempting to entry simply would not load. After returning to my lodge, I checked the GigSky app and confirmed that my plan was nonetheless lively and I had loads of knowledge left.
My knowledge connection was spotty for the following two days, typically working and typically 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 knowledge each time I attempted. I by no means found out what the precise downside was, however I’ve had different eSIMs randomly cease working too, so I do not suppose it is a problem unique to GigSky. Generally you simply have to simply accept that know-how is not good.
I traveled from Hanoi to Cat Ba, an island on the coast of Vietnam, through the second half of my 15-day plan. Since Cat Ba is a little more distant, I used to be anxious about my cell sign there. I used to be pleasantly shocked that all the things labored completely. I constantly had 4G/LTE or 5G knowledge and by no means had hassle connecting to the web once I wanted to.
Provide’s finish
I paid particular consideration when my complimentary plan expired, simply in case this was a kind of “free trial turning into auto-renewing subscription until you cancel” conditions. (The phrases and situations prompt nothing of this kind, however in a world of subscription creep, I’ve developed a wholesome vigilance.)
I am completely happy to report this was not the case. When my plan ended, that was it. I might not entry knowledge regardless of the eSIM remaining on my telephone, and at any time when I attempted, I obtained 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 might 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 knowledge sparingly, protecting my cell knowledge off by default and solely turning it on once I wanted it for navigation, net searches, or checking messages or e mail on the go. I used Wi-Fi at any time when I might and barely watched movies or scrolled social media utilizing cell knowledge. In case your habits are just like mine, the complimentary 1GB knowledge plan ought to be sufficient for brief holidays.
Would I like to recommend the GigSky eSim?
eSIMs are invaluable if you’re touring overseas, and I am glad Visa has partnered with GigSky to carry this profit to cardholders. Though it is in all probability not the most monetarily valuable perk from my Chase Sapphire Preferred — a 1GB worldwide knowledge plan just like the complimentary plan usually retails for $20 via GigSky — it is positively one of many extra sensible ones.
Should you journey internationally, the complimentary plan may also help you chop down on one additional price whereas letting you conveniently entry the web wherever you go. GigSky’s service is nearly as good as some other eSIM I’ve used, and I like what number of choices GigSky presents, together with knowledge plans in additional than 175 international locations and cruise packages.
However one draw back of GigSky is the fee. GigSky’s costs are on the upper finish of the eSIM market, and fairly a bit dearer than the eSIM supplier I might been utilizing beforehand (EscapeSIM). Due to that, I ended up not renewing my GigSky plan. I’d positively advocate the complimentary plan to any eligible Visa cardholders heading overseas for a brief trip, but when your knowledge wants or journey timeline name for getting a paid plan past the trial, I might advocate evaluating prices amongst a number of suppliers earlier than committing to anybody.
