Afghanistan: Best Tourist eSIMs Reviewed (2024)

Are you thinking of traveling to Afghanistan soon and looking for the best travel eSIM?

Many eSIM providers are available nowadays, but not all are equal or good.

Some offer unlimited data, while others include a phone number for local, regional, or global use.

Some have blazing-fast speeds, while others have extended validity.

Whatever you need, there will be an eSIM for your liking.

In the case of Afghanistan, I recommend one of these eSIM providers, which I have tested in numerous countries on multiple continents:

• Airalo
• Alosim

What do they offer?

eSIM	Packages	Prices	Data	Phone Number?	5G NR?	Discount Code(s)
Airalo	4	6.50 USD – 25.50 USD	1 GB for 7 days – 5 GB for 30 days	No	No	MAY10 (10%) & MAY15 (15%) 2
Alosim	4	9.50 USD – 39.50 USD	1 GB for 7 days – 5 GB for 30 days	Yes (CA/US number) 1	No	PTW (5%)

¹ Alosim allows you to pick a Canadian (CA) or American (US) phone number through its sister app Hushed, giving you credits worth 30 minutes (within Afghanistan or from Afghanistan to anywhere else) or 50 texts (same conditions as calling)
² if you have never purchased an Airalo eSIM, use code MAY15 for 15% off. You can still get 10% off using code MAY10 if you are an existing customer. Note each code has a redemption limit of 3000 (while the codes of Alosim and Holafly have no redemption limit)

What about eSIMs global eSIMs exist? Of course!

eSIM	Global eSIMs?	Countries	Phone Number?
Airalo	Yes (Discover(+))	120+	Yes (Discover+ only)
Alosim	No	N/A	N/A
Holafly	No	N/A	N/A
Nomad	Yes (Global 109/136)	109 & 136	No

The discount codes I highlighted earlier can also be redeemed for any regional or global eSIM.

Now that we have an overview of our options let's go through each and find out about their benefits.

But if you already have an eSIM provider in mind, just click on the links next to jump to the respective sections: Airalo and Alosim.

Original publication: 16^th of September 2022. Last updated: 1^st of May 2024.

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Table of Contents

Airalo Afghanistan eSIM

Airalo has only one eSIM that can be used in Afghanistan: Sohbat Mobile.

Below is a quick overview:

eSIM	Coverage	Packages	Prices	Data	5G NR in Afghanistan?
Sohbat Mobile	Afghanistan only	3 4 (new variants)	6.50 USD – 25.50 USD	1 GB for 7 days – 5 GB for 30 days	No

Remember to use code MAY15 for 15% off if you have never purchased an Airalo eSIM before OR code MAY10 for 10% off if you are an existing Airalo user (valid until the 31^st of March – only the first 3000 users can redeem either discount code).

Airalo was the first eSIM store launched in 2019.

It is also the largest eSIM provider, covering more than 200 countries and territories.

The first eSIM I ever tested was one from Airalo (in the Netherlands).

This is why I have tested Airalo eSIMs in more countries than other providers.

Airalo gives each country's eSIM a unique name that is often related to said nation.

Airalo Sohbat Mobile (Afghanistan) eSIM

Airalo's Afghanistan eSIM is called Sohbat Mobile.

As highlighted in the table earlier, there are four Afghanistan Sohbat Mobile eSIM variants:

1. Afghanistan/Sohbat Mobile 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 6.50 USD
2. Afghanistan/Sohbat Mobile 2 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 12 USD
3. Afghanistan/Sohbat Mobile 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 17.00 USD
4. Afghanistan/Sohbat Mobile 5 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 25.50 USD

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in December based on data up to the 30^th of December (2023 data only). The (promotional) prices were updated on the 1^st of May.

With the Airalo Sohbat Mobile eSIM, you can use the Afghan Wireless Mobile network.

In my Afghanistan SIM card buying guide, I tell you more about which Afghan mobile operator is/are the best in coverage or speed so you can manually select the network that would suit your needs.

Airalo eSIMs for Afghanistan Summarized

To summarize, these are the characteristics of each Airalo eSIM covered in this section:

• Sohbat Mobile:
  • can be used in Afghanistan only
  • is priced between 6.50 USD and 25.50 USD
  • has four variants (1 GB for 7 days – 5 GB for 30 days)
  • has no 5G NR access
  • has no phone number

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Alosim Afghanistan eSIM

Alosim has only one eSIM that can be used in Afghanistan: Afghanistan.

Below is a quick overview:

eSIM	Coverage	Packages	Prices	5G NR in Afghanistan?	Phone Number?
Afghanistan	Afghanistan only	4	9.50 USD (price increased) – 39.50 USD (price increased)	No	Yes

Remember that you can use code PTW for 5% off any Alosim purchase (as many times as you wish for as many eSIMs as you want).

Alosim is backed by AffinityClick, which is known for the Hushed app.

That app with the tagline “Temporary & Second Phone Number App for Wifi, Data Calling & Texting” has over 8 million downloads.

It took a while, but AffinityClick finally bundled its product, which is a big deal.

Why? With any Alosim eSIM purchase, you will get a Hushed redemption code, giving you up to 30 international minutes or 50 international SMS.

You get a free +1 (American or Canadian) phone number from one of the more than 300 supported area codes.

While it would be fantastic to get an Afghan phone number instead, it is impossible to get one for the time being due to local regulations.

Either way, Alosim is the only eSIM provider that gives you a phone number for each eSIM purchase.

And it has eSIMs for over 170 countries, including Afghanistan.

Alosim Afghanistan eSIM

For Afghanistan, you have the following four choices:

1. Afghanistan 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 9.50 USD
2. Afghanistan 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 18 USD
3. Afghanistan 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 25 USD
4. Afghanistan 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 39.50 USD

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in December based on data up to the 30^th of December (2023 data only). The (promotional) prices were updated on the 1^st of May.

Alosim's Afghanistan eSIM gives you access to the Afghan Wireless (4G) network.

For more information on how Afghan mobile operator perform, check out my Afghanistan SIM card buying guide, where I discuss the performance of each SIM card (in terms of coverage and speed).

Alosim eSIMs for Afghanistan Summarized

To summarize, these are the characteristics of each Alosim eSIM covered in this section:

• Afghanistan:
  • is priced between 9.50 USD and 39.50 USD
  • has four variants (1 GB for 7 days – 5 GB for 30 days)
  • has no 5G NR access
  • includes a free +1 (American or Canadian) phone number through Hushed
    • allows for up to 30 international calls and/or 30 international SMS (within Afghanistan or from Afghanistan to any other country)

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Overview of the Best eSIMs for Afghanistan

That was a lot of info we went over, so let's try to summarize everything.

Afghanistan-only eSIMs:

• Cheapest 3 GB Afghanistan eSIM: Airalo (17 USD)
• Cheapest 5 GB Afghanistan eSIM: Airalo (25.50 USD)
• Cheapest 10 GB Afghanistan eSIM: N/A
• Provider with unlimited data plans for Afghanistan: N/A
• Afghanistan eSIM with the longest validity: Airalo & Alosim (30 days)
• Afghanistan eSIM with 5G NR: N/A
• Afghanistan eSIM with phone numbers: Alosim (American/Canadian)

Asia/APAC eSIMs covering Afghanistan:

• Cheapest 3 GB Asia/APAC eSIM: N/A
• Cheapest 5 GB Asia/APAC eSIM: N/A
• Cheapest 10 GB Asia/APAC eSIM: N/A
• Provider with unlimited data plans for Afghanistan and Asia: N/A
• Asia/APAC eSIM with the longest validity: N/A
• Asia/APAC eSIM with 5G NR in Afghanistan: N/A
• Asia/APAC eSIM with phone numbers: N/A

Do not forget to use one of these discount codes for extra savings:

• Airalo: MAY15 for 15% off if you have never purchased an Airalo eSIM. If you have, use MAY10 for 10% off (each code can be used 3000 times among all Airalo customers, so better redeem it quickly!
• Alosim: PTW for 5% off (the code can be used by anyone, including existing customers, as many times as you wish – no redemption limit)

Enjoy Afghanistan (and neighboring countries)!

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