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Airalo Eurolink (Europe) eSIM Review (Tested in 16 Countries)

In mid-January of 2022, I decided to do something crazy.

As I had not been on a trip since March 2021 because of COVID travel restrictions, I decided that I would catch up on the lost travel time and go on a trip.

But it would not be your standard trip.

Instead, I would be traveling to 12/13 European countries to (re-)test the SIM cards of the local mobile operators, the Nomad Europe eSIM, SimCorner travel SIM cards & the Airalo Eurolink Europe eSIM.

I would visit Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, (Vatican City), Malta, Greece, Belgium, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia & Slovenia, in that order, in March.

That way, I could assess if the local mobile operators had improved (significantly) from when I visited their countries (many) years ago and if travel eSIMs like Airalo are any good.

Yeah – that does sound like a boring holiday, does it not – just testing SIM cards and eSIMs?

Not for me though (I would not have a site dedicated to traveling with your phone if I found it boring 🤪), and I managed to gather A LOT of valuable data for you.

Not just for this Airalo Europe eSIM but also for the 41 local SIM cards I tested.

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As you can imagine, I am VERY behind on my reviews – let alone YouTube videos🥲.

But I can already tell you that I am pleasantly pleased with the Eurolink travel eSIM.

I have used Airalo's eSIM many times before, but mostly the country-specific ones (like the Mexico-bound or the Netherlands-bound ones, for example).

But since it is easy to cross borders in Europe, especially the European Union, and because I wanted to visit many countries within a month, it was a good time to test out a regional eSIM.

In this review, I will cover everything you need to know about the Airalo Eurolink Europe Travel eSIM.

From eSIM packages, prices, which phones can use Eurolink eSIM, eligible countries, my experience with the eSIM in the countries I visited & speed comparisons between Eurolink and the local mobile operator the eSIM was roaming on.

Yeah, I was not playing around on this trip – I want to give you a complete picture of what to expect with the Airalo Europe eSIM.

But I can tell you that you will not be disappointed with the performance!

By the way, many blogs and sites will first write a few paragraphs about the history of eSIMs and how to install an eSIM.

If you want to learn how eSIMs work, I have this article for you.

The installation process is straightforward, especially if you follow the instructions given by Airalo, so I will skip that part too.

That way, we can get to the meat of this review quicker 😎.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Review by Phone Travel Wiz

Original publication: 12th of May 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.


Table of Contents

Which Phones are Compatible with Airalo eSIMs?

Before discussing the Eurolink eSIM, you must know whether your phone can even support Airalo's eSIMs.

Sure, your phone may support eSIM, but the local mobile operator and travel eSIM provider, like Airalo, first needs to certify a phone before the users can use their products.

As of August 2023, the phones shown in the infographic below are compatible with Airalo eSIMs:

Airalo eSIM Compatible Devices List Infographic (August 2023 Edition) by Phone Travel Wiz

With that out of the way, let's talk more about the Airalo Eurolink eSIM!

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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How Much Does the Airalo Eurolink eSIM Cost?

You can get the Airalo Eurolink eSIM for as little as 5 USD for 1 GB of data (7 days) and up to 185 USD for 100 GB (180 days). The eSIM can be used in 39 European countries with six options: 1 GB/7 days, 3 GB/30 days, 5 GB/30 days, 10 GB/30 days, 50 GB/90 days & 100 GB/180 days.

Below is an overview of how much each Airalo Eurolink eSIM costs:

  1. Europe/Eurolink 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 5 USD
  2. Europe/Eurolink 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 13 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  3. Europe/Eurolink 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 20 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  4. Europe/Eurolink 10 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 37 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  5. Europe/Eurolink 50 GB eSIM for 90 days, costing 100 USD
  6. Europe/Eurolink 100 GB eSIM for 180 days, costing 185 USD

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 7th of September (2023 data only).

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

Airalo Europe Eurolink eSIM with Prices

Regardless of the currency used in your country, Airalo will always charge you in USD (US Dollar).

If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.

Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).

I have saved literal THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.

Open a Wise account for FREE!

Wise Currency Exchange Banner
© Wise

Moreover, regardless of which Airalo Eurolink eSIM you choose, you can always top it up for the same amount of data and prices as listed above.

For example, suppose you buy the 5 GB Airalo Eurolink eSIM (30 days, costing 20 USD) but realize you need more data.

You can top it up with the 3 GB top-up (30 days, costing 13 USD) or the 100 GB top-up (180 days, costing 185 USD).

Eurolink eSIM Airalo Data Top-Ups

Many eSIM providers out there do not allow you to top up or extend the validity of your eSIM, so it is cool that Airalo allows you to do so.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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In Which Countries Can the Airalo Eurolink eSIM Be Used?

The Airalo Eurolink eSIM can be used in 39 European countries, including all nations in the European Union (EU) + Switzerland, Turkey & the United Kingdom. The eSIM can be used from Iceland to Ukraine and from Norway to Spain.

Between the time I tested the Airalo Eurolink eSIM and writing the first version of this review (May 2022), Andorra, Gibraltar & Switzerland were added.

Unfortunately, that was slightly too late because I visited Andorra in March 2022 (and tested Andorra Telecom), and the eSIM could not be used there back then 🥲.

Andorra Telecom Review by Phone Travel Wiz

It is fine – a reason to revisit lovely Andorra in the future 😎. When? I do not know, lol.

But when the aforementioned three countries were added, Belarus and North Macedonia were removed.

Anyway, below is a complete overview of countries where the Airalo Eurolink eSIM works in:

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Austria 2
  • Belgium 2
  • Bulgaria 2
  • Croatia 2
  • Cyprus 2
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark 2
  • Estonia 2
  • Finland
  • France 2
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar 1
  • Greece 2
  • Hungary
  • Iceland 2
  • Ireland 2
  • Italy 2
  • Latvia 2
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg 2
  • Malta 2
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland 2
  • Portugal
  • Romania 2
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain 2
  • Sweden 2
  • Switzerland 2
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom 2

1 on 3G only
2 (limited) 5G NR availability at no additional cost!

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Eligible Countries Map Infographic by Phone Travel Wiz (August 2023 Version)

Oh yeah, 5G NR was unavailable in any country when I tested the eSIM in March 2022.

I believe access was added in late 2022 or early 2023 (worry not, I tested the eSIM in the summer of 2023 and have some 5G NR results to share with you 😏).

With the Airalo Eurolink eSIM, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit.

So if you plan on visiting multiple European countries, getting the Airalo Eurolink eSIM will be convenient AND will save you a lot of money too.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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My Airalo Eurolink eSIM Experiences

In the first version of this review, I focused too much on the speed difference between the Airalo Eurolink eSIM and the mobile operator it used.

For example, the eSIM uses Vodafone in the Netherlands.

Vodafone Logo
© Vodafone

I would compare the average and median speed of the Airalo Eurolink eSIM to Vodafone Netherlands and tell you what the difference was in %.

Example of the old Eurolink Review
An example of how I previously did the analysis

While this info can be useful if you are deciding between going with Vodafone Netherlands and the eSIM, it is not relevant if you want to know how the eSIM performs.

So what if the difference is 20%… but the numbers were 10 Mbps for Vodafone Netherlands and 8 Mbps for the Airalo Eurolink eSIM?

Then Vodafone Netherlands sounds like a better… until you realize that 10 Mbps is slow as hell (especially when the global median is 43.20 Mbps in August 2023) and has expensive prepaid (which I did not acknowledge in this review).

So once I started with my Airalo Asialink review series, I changed the methodology for this review.

Here, I tell you which network(s) the Airalo Eurolink eSIM uses, how the mobile operator(s) perform by discussing their coverage and average/median speeds & the average/median download/upload speeds I got with the eSIM.

And in the country-specific analysis of the eSIM, I go much more in-depth about my experience with the eSIM in said country (like my experience with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Italy review).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Italy Review by Phone Travel Wiz

So… why do I not go in-depth in this review?

It is because I aim to test the eSIM in all 39 supported countries eventually.

Knowing how I am, this review could become incredibly long and could potentially load slowly on your end – even though you want a global overview of how the eSIM is, or focus on the countries you plan to visit.

So this review serves as an introduction to the performance of the Airalo Eurolink eSIM, while you can read much more in the dedicated country-specific reviews – saving you time 😜.

And if you are still undecided, you can read the in-depth reviews of Vodafone Netherlands, other Dutch mobile operators selling prepaid SIM cards & other (Europe-wide) travel eSIMs.

Because I never just test one eSIM (or SIM card) in countries I visit… unless there is literally only one option (like in Cuba – only one SIM card and travel eSIMs do not cover the country (yet)).

That way, I can tell that while eSIM A is good, eSIM B is better in country C or city D, while eSIM E may do better in city F.

I go all out for you 🥰.

That is enough background information for now, except for the following:

When I used the Airalo Eurolink eSIM, it was powered by FL1 Liechtenstein (formerly Mobilkom Liechtenstein).

FL1 Liechtenstein Telecom Logo
© FL1 Liechtenstein Telecom

Nowadays, the eSIM is powered by Orange France (although your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are using a Webbing eSIM instead of an Airalo one – that is correct).

Orange Logo
© Orange

Overall, the upgraded Airalo Eurolink eSIM (powered by Orange France) performs significantly better than the former.

So you are not missing out by being late 😜.

Anyway, this review will cover the 16 countries I have used the Airalo Eurolink eSIM so far.

You can read every section, which acts as summaries of the in-depth country-specific reviews, or just click on the links below to jump to the country/countries you plan to visit to save you reading time.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Austria

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Vienna, where I could access the Drei Austria network.

Three (3) Logo
© Three (3)

Nowadays, you can still access Drei Austria, but also A1 Austria (with 5G NR access).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Austria (A1 Austria & Drei (3))

Taking all eight speed tests I did in Austria into account, I had an average overall download speed of 39.55 Mbps and a median download speed of 15.34 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 3.93 Mbps and a median upload speed of 3.51 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Austria.

And that was… slow as hell. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Belgium

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Antwerp(en), where I could access the Proximus network.

Proximus Logo
© Proximus Belgium

Nowadays, you can still access Proximus (with 5G NR access), but also Orange Belgium and Base Belgium.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Belgium (Proximus, Orange & BASE)

Taking all six speed tests I did in Belgium into account, I had an average overall download speed of 38.48 Mbps and a median download speed of 30.91 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 26.53 Mbps and a median upload speed of 15.92 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Belgium.

And that was… good. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Croatia

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Zagreb, where I could access the A1 Croatia network.

A1 Logo
© A1

Nowadays, you can still access A1 Croatia (with 5G NR access), but also Telemach Croatia (5G).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Croatia (A1 & Telemach (formerly Tele2))

Taking all six speed tests I did in Croatia into account, I had an average overall download speed of 53.80 Mbps and a median download speed of 49.03 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did very well.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 8.27 Mbps and a median upload speed of 7.06 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Croatia.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of the Czech Republic

I used my (2023) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Prague, where I could access two of the three Czech mobile networks (O2 Czech Republic and Vodafone Czech Republic).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Czech Republic (O2 & Vodafone)

In my case, my phone defaulted to O2 Czech Republic.

O2 Logo
© O2

Taking all 15 speed tests I did in the Czech Republic into account, I had an average overall download speed of 65.01 Mbps and a median download speed of 46.69 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 27.38 Mbps and a median upload speed of 19.04 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in the Czech Republic.

And that was… good. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Germany

I used my (2023) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Berlin, where I could access two of the three German mobile networks (O2 Germany and Vodafone Germany).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Germany (O2 & Vodafone)

But I forgot to note down which network I used 💀.

Taking all 29 speed tests I did in Germany into account, I had an average overall download speed of 60.22 Mbps and a median download speed of 48.23 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 12.92 Mbps and a median upload speed of 6.58 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Germany.

And that was… decent. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Greece

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Athens, where I could access the Vodafone Greece network.

Vodafone Logo
© Vodafone

Nowadays, you can still access Vodafone Greece, but also Nova Greece (formerly WIND – with 5G NR access).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Greece (Vodafone & Nova (formerly WIND))

Taking all 12 speed tests I did in Greece into account, I had an average overall download speed of 54.23 Mbps and a median download speed of 25.82 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did extremely well.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 7.39 Mbps and a median upload speed of 7.08 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Greece.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Hungary

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Budapest, where I could access the Magyar Telekom network.

Telekom Logo
© Telekom

Nowadays, you cannot use that network anymore. Instead, you can select Yettel Hungary (formerly Telenor) and Vodafone Hungary.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Hungary (Yettel (formerly Telenor) & Vodafone)

Taking all 13 speed tests I did in Hungary into account, I had an average overall download speed of 8.42 Mbps and a median download speed of 5.79 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did poorly.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

Although this is not the case anymore, the eSIM was probably being throttled heavily in Hungary for some reason.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 8.87 Mbps and a median upload speed of 7.31 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Hungary.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Italy

I used my Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Rome (2022) and Milan (2023).

With the FL1 Liechtenstein-powered Eurolink eSIM, I was on the TIM Italy network.

TIM Logo
© TIM

With the current version, powered by Orange France/Webbing, you can still use TIM Italy (with 5G NR access), but also Wind Tre and Vodafone Italy.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Italy (Wind Tre, TIM & Vodafone)

In my case, my phone defaulted to Vodafone Italy.

Vodafone Logo
© Vodafone

If I recall correctly, TIM Italy did not offer 5G NR access back in July 2023 – else I would have selected it (because we love 5G speeds at Phone Travel Wiz 😏).

When looking at the 15 results I did in Rome (2022), I had:

  • an average overall download speed of 45.17 Mbps
  • a median download speed of 33.54 Mbps (the global median was 29.96 Mbps in March 2022)
  • an average upload speed of 10.27 Mbps; and
  • a median upload speed of 10.56 Mbps (the global median was 8.70 Mbps in March 2022)
Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

Will you get better speeds with the Orange France/Wedding-powered Airalo Eurolink eSIM (on Vodafone Italy's 4G/LTE network)?

Taking all 24 speed tests I did in Milan into account, I had an average overall download speed of 78.69 Mbps and a median download speed of 60.73 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 20.84 Mbps and a median upload speed of 19.48 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Milan.

And that was… great. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Malta

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM throughout Malta, where I could access the Epic Malta (formerly Vodafone) network.

Epic Logo
© Epic

Nowadays, you can still (only) access Epic Malta, and you will have 5G NR access.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Malta (Epic)

Taking all seven speed tests I did in Malta into account, I had an average overall download speed of 33.31 Mbps and a median download speed of 14.64 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 8.20 Mbps and a median upload speed of 8.68 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Malta.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of the Netherlands

I used my (2023) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Amsterdam (area) and Breda, where I could access two of the three Dutch mobile networks (KPN and Vodafone Netherlands).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in the Netherlands (KPN & Vodafone)

But I forgot to note down which network I used 💀.

Taking all 28 speed tests I did in the Netherlands into account, I had an average overall download speed of 56.93 Mbps and a median download speed of 54.90 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 25.64 Mbps and a median upload speed of 25.29 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in the Netherlands.

And that was… impressive. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Portugal

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Porto, where I could access the Vodafone Portugal network.

Vodafone Logo
© Vodafone

Nowadays, you can still access Vodafone Portugal, but also NOS Portugal.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Portugal (NOS & Vodafone)

Taking all 12 speed tests I did in Portugal into account, I had an average overall download speed of 58.94 Mbps and a median download speed of 35.47 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did very well.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 12.32 Mbps and a median upload speed of 10.05 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Portugal.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Slovakia

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Bratislava where I could access the Orange Slovakia network.

Orange Logo
© Orange

Nowadays, you can still access Orange Slovakia, but also O2 Slovakia.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Slovakia (Orange & O2)

Taking all 15 speed tests I did in Slovakia into account, I had an average overall download speed of 13.47 Mbps and a median download speed of 6.69 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did poorly.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

Just like in Hungary and Slovenia, the eSIM was throttled severely in Slovakia (hopefully not anymore).

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 7.14 Mbps and a median upload speed of 76.05 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Slovakia.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Slovenia

I used my (old 2022 FL1 Liechtenstein powered) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Ljubljana, where I could access the A1 Slovenia network.

Telekom Logo
© Telekom

Nowadays, you can still access A1 Slovenia, but also Telekom Slovenije.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Slovenia (Telekom slovenije & A1)

Taking all 17 speed tests I did in Slovenia into account, I had an average overall download speed of 10.41 Mbps and a median download speed of 53.17 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in March 2022 (29.96 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did poorly.

Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

Just like in Hungary, the Airalo Eurolink eSIM was throttled severely in Slovenia for some reason…

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 6.41 Mbps and a median upload speed of 4.96 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Slovenia.

And that was… decent. The global median was 8.70 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Spain

I used my Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Madrid (2022) and Málaha (2023).

With the FL1 Liechtenstein-powered Eurolink eSIM, I was on the Vodafone Spain network.

Vodafone Logo
© Vodafone

With the current version, powered by Orange France/Webbing, you can still use Vodafone Spain, but also the other three Spanish mobile networks (Movistar Spain, Orange Spain (with 5G NR access) & Yoigo).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Spain (Movistar, Orange, Vodafone & Yoigo)

But I forgot to note down which network I used in Málaga 💀.

But probably not Orange Spain because I did not have 5G NR access at all during my stay in Málaga (even though 5G NR reception is quite good in the city).

When looking at the ten results (removed one because I lost one test result) I did in Madrid (2022), I had:

  • an average overall download speed of 68.28 Mbps
  • a median download speed of 57.57 Mbps (the global median was 29.96 Mbps in March 2022)
  • an average upload speed of 10.85 Mbps; and
  • a median upload speed of 9.20 Mbps (the global median was 8.70 Mbps in March 2022)
Speedtest Global Index Median Download and Upload Speed March 2022

Will you get better speeds with the Orange France/Wedding-powered Airalo Eurolink eSIM (on an unknown network?

Taking all 16 speed tests I did in Málaga into account, I had an average overall download speed of 36.29 Mbps and a median download speed of 33.32 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did alright.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 15.16 Mbps and a median upload speed of 12.57 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Málaga.

And that was… great. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

But you can see that I had far better results on Vodafone Spain in 2022 than whatever network I used in 2023.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of Switzerland

I used my (2023) Airalo Eurolink eSIM mostly in Zürich, where I could access one of the three Swiss mobile networks (Salt Mobile Switzerland – with 5G NR access).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Switzerland (Salt Mobile)

Taking all 25 speed tests I did in Switzerland into account, I had an average overall download speed of 78.85 Mbps and a median download speed of 68.33 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did incredibly well.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 24.69 Mbps and a median upload speed of 17.52 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in Switzerland.

And that was… great. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

Flag of Liechtenstein

I briefly used the eSIM in Liechtenstein too (two test locations), where it did not do as well as expected (mostly because I was too close to the Swiss border).

Here, I was on the FL1 Liechtenstein network (which, by the way, does not even sell prepaid SIM cards anymore), but you can also select Salt Mobile.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in Liechtenstein (FL1 Liechtenstein & Salt Mobile)

There, I got a download speed of 1.44 Mbps in Aussichtsturm Gaflei and an upload speed of 0.47 Mbps.

At Kathedrale St. Florin (Veduz), I got a download speed of 49.87 Mbps and an upload speed of 20.71 Mbps.

>>> Get your Airalo Eurolink eSIM now! <<<

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Flag of the United Kingdom

I used my (2023) Airalo Eurolink eSIM in London, where I could access three of the four British mobile networks (EE UK – 5G, Vodafone UK & Three (3) UK) ).

Airalo Eurolink eSIM Supported Networks in the United Kingdom (EE, Vodafone & Three (3))

In my case, my phone defaulted to Vodafone UK.

Vodafone Logo
© Vodafone

If I recall correctly, EE UK did not offer 5G NR access back in July 2023 – else I would have selected it (because we love 5G speeds at Phone Travel Wiz 😏).

Taking all 20 speed tests I did in the United Kingdom into account, I had an average overall download speed of 25.78 Mbps and a median download speed of 14.48 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

Compared to the global median in August 2023 (43.20 Mbps), the Eurolink eSIM did well.

However, the overall performance with the British mobile operators was disappointing in London overall (which affected the eSIMs) – I expected better (3 UK did alright because it had 5G NR access for prepaid customers).

Anyway…

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 9.04 Mbps and a median upload speed of 5.09 Mbps with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM in the United Kingdom.

And that was… okay. The global median was 10.23 Mbps.

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My Overall Experience with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM

Overall, I was happy with how the Airalo Eurolink eSIM worked, even though it was on average 21.6% slower than its roaming partners.

But this percentage includes roaming partners with insane 5G NR download speeds and those who throttle prepaid speeds heavily.

But on average, you will have slower speeds with the Airalo Eurolink Europe eSIM than its roaming partners – and that is normal.

Installing the eSIM was a breeze.

The activation process is straightforward and quick.

There was almost always reception with the Airalo Europe eSIM as with the roaming partner.

The speeds were good and sometimes even (significantly) faster than the roaming partner.

In short, I do recommend the Airalo Eurolink eSIM.

But you should not care about the the fact that your speed with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM is often slower than the SIM card of the roaming partner.

Wait… I say this after spending 11 chapters analyzing speed test results?

Yes, but let me explain.

First, I care about mobile data speeds much more than the regular user.

Mostly because it is an easy way to assess the performance of mobile operators as a person.

Sure, I could say that I had coverage in the 3451 of the 3494 streets I walked through during my trip, but that would be a hassle to keep track of… and it would tell you nothing because there is a small change you would follow my exact footsteps.

But speed test results are also helpful for seeing how coverage is with SIM cards.

A mobile operator could claim it covers a whole country for data usage.

But if you only get a 1 Mbps download speed throughout the whole country, making it basically useless for regular data browsing, would you go with this mobile operator or another one that actually has reception where people live and go to and have an average download speed of 50 Mbps?

Plus, there should be no practical difference for a regular user if the Airalo Eurolink eSIM managed to get a download speed of 50 Mbps while the roaming partner has a speed test result of 625 Mbps.

Because you can still watch YouTube videos at 1080p or 4k, browse social media & even have live streams on Facebook at 50 Mbps without complications.

Now, the 625 Mbps download speed would be useful if you download a large file… like a 5 GB movie.

But you should not do that on 4G/LTE or 5G NR anyway unless you have an unlimited data plan.

Perhaps Airalo will introduce such SIM cards? *nudge*, *nudge* – I know you are reading this, Airalo 😏.

But the average and median speed test results of the Airalo Europe eSIM are relevant.

If the speeds were to hover around 5 Mbps, you would not have a smooth browsing experience at all, and I would point that out.

This was the issue with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM, and Nomad Europe eSIM for that matter, in Slovakia, which were restricted to 3G for some reason.

This could have been a temporary fault, as it affected two different eSIMs which used different roaming partners.

So besides Slovakia, the Airalo Eurolink eSIM worked well and was almost always on 4G/LTE.

Airalo Eurolink eSIM can be a cost-effective way to stay connected in the European Union and Europe as a whole.

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