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Airalo Nzcom eSIM in New Zealand Review (+Speedtests)

After being in Australia for more than half a year, I felt the need to visit New Zealand again.

Mostly because New Zealand is basically next door (as opposed to Europe, where getting to New Zealand will take at least 24 hours).

There is something magical about New Zealand that is hard to explain to someone who has never visited the country (and I could not understand what people were talking about when they tried explaining it to me).

But it is certainly worth visiting if you are nearby (aka in Australia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, or other Pacific islands).

When I went to New Zealand, I tested out four travel eSIMs, including Airalo's Nzcom eSIM, five New Zealand SIM cards & one travel SIM card to be used here.

So I spent about 500 NZD for my New Zealand SIM card and eSIM review series – yeah, I am crazy 🤪.

Spark, One-Vodafone, 2degrees, Skinny Mobile & Warehouse Mobile New Zealand SIM Cards Held by Adu from Phone Travel Wiz
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In many countries, getting a local SIM card will be the most cost-effective way to stay connected.

But in the same countries, getting a travel eSIM will be much more convenient because you do not have to deal with SIM card registration requirements (which can be stringent).

In a handful of countries, travel eSIMs are cheaper than local SIM cards… and New Zealand is one of them.

Yes, data-featured prepaid plans are (crazy) expensive – the fourth-most expensive in Oceania.

So, is the Airalo Nzcom eSIM a good option? Is it cheap? How is its reception? And is it fast?

I will answer all those questions in this review. Let's do this.

Airalo Nzcom New Zealand eSIM Review by Phone Travel Wiz (logos of Airalo and Nzcom)

Original publication: 20th of December 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.


Table of Contents

Which Phones are Compatible with Airalo eSIMs?

Before discussing the Nzcom eSIM to be used in New Zealand specifically, 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 New Zealand Nzcom eSIM!

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

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How Much Does the Airalo Nzcom eSIM Cost (for New Zealand)?

You can get the Nzcom eSIM to be used in New Zealand for as little as 7 USD for 1 GB (7 days) and up to 31.50 USD for 10 GB (30 days).

New Zealand Nzcom eSIM Airalo
© Airalo

Below is an overview of how much each Nzcom eSIM costs:

  1. New Zealand 1 GB eSIM for 7 days (Spark), costing 4 USD
  2. New Zealand 1 GB eSIM for 7 days (Truphone), costing 8 USD
  3. New Zealand 3 GB eSIM for 20 days (Spark), costing 8 USD
  4. New Zealand 3 GB eSIM for 30 days (Truphone), costing 13 USD
  5. New Zealand 5 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 12 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  6. New Zealand 5 GB eSIM for 30 days (Truphone), costing 15 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  7. New Zealand 10 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 19 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  8. New Zealand 15 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 25 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  9. New Zealand 20 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 34 USD
  10. New Zealand 30 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 60 USD
  11. New Zealand 40 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 75 USD
  12. New Zealand 50 GB eSIM for 30 days (Spark), costing 90 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 Nzcom eSIM now! <<<

Airalo New Zealand Nzcom eSIM with Prices
See the list above for up-to-date prices and allowances. The figures in this image may be outdated.

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 Nzcom 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 Nzcom eSIM (30 days, costing 21 USD) but realize you need more data.

You can top it up with the 3 GB top-up (30 days, costing 14 USD) or the 10 GB top-up (30 days, costing 31.50 USD).

New Zealand Nzcom 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 Nzcom eSIM now! <<<

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My Airalo Nzcom eSIM in New Zealand Experience (in Auckland, Lower Hutt City & Wellington)

Flag of New Zealand

I used my Airalo Nzcom eSIM in Auckland, Lower Hutt (Hutt City) & Wellington – all cities on North Island (worry not, I will visit South Island soon too – aka Christchurch and Queenstown).

Before we continue, I do want to let you know how travel eSIM providers like Airalo work.

It is impossible for Airalo, or any other mobile operator, to operate in every country (and do not trust any company saying otherwise), so they set up roaming agreements.

And do not get worried by the word roaming yet roaming can be expensive, but roaming with Airalo or many other travel eSIM providers, will not result in a 5000 USD roaming bill.

What Airalo does, and basically all (actual) mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.

In the case of New Zealand, the Airalo Nzcom eSIM uses the One NZ (formerly Vodafone) network.

One New Zealand Logo
© One NZ (formerly Vodafone New Zealand)

Note: in some countries, Airalo uses multiple local networks (which often applies to regional or global eSIMs, like the Airalo Discover Global eSIM).

So, is this One NZ network any good? Yes… and no.

Just like how I tested the Nzcom eSIM on my New Zealand trip, I also tested all the local New Zealand SIM cards (Spark, One NZ, 2degrees, Skinny Mobile (Spark MVNO) & Warehouse Mobile (2degrees MVNO) and various other eSIMs (Airalo Discover Global eSIM, Holafly New Zealand eSIM & Nomad New Zealand eSIM) + the Orange Holiday World Travel SIM Card.

Spark, One-Vodafone, 2degrees, Skinny Mobile & Warehouse Mobile SIM Cards Held by Adu from Phone Travel Wiz

Yeah, I went all out 😏.

Because of this, I could also assess how One NZ performed compared to its competitors.

Adu from Phone Travel Wiz's collection of New Zealand SIM Cards (Spark, One-Vodafone, 2degrees, Skinny Mobile & Warehouse Mobile1)

And… One NZ was the worst performer among Spark and 2degrees (the other two mobile operators – MVNO, Mobile Virtual Network Operators, use the networks of the mobile operators).

But the competition was fierce, I have to say.

On paper, One NZ has the worst 4G/LTE availability (an availability score of 98.2%. Behind 2degrees (98.7%) and Spark (99.2%)).

But with a score of more than 98%, all New Zealand mobile operators have excellent availability anyway.

In terms of speed, One NZ has the second-best download speed, with a median download speed of 62.97 Mbps, ahead of Spark (59.51 Mbps) but behind 2degrees (63.81 Mbps).

As you can see, the margin between those numbers is minimal, so you cannot make a solid conclusion based on them.

But there is one more note… for some reason, the Airalo Nzcom eSIM would randomly disconnect from the network at times.

And I am talking about disconnecting while in Auckland and Wellington CBD – not in some remote area.

And I found this odd because it only happened with the Airalo eSIMs (even the Discover Global one) – not with the One NZ SIM card itself, the Holafly New Zealand eSIM, or the Orange Holiday World travel SIM card.

Luckily, turning on airplane mode and off again re-established the connection… but this should not have been needed anyway.

But I wanted you to be aware of this.

Okay, that is enough background information – let's compare the Airalo Nzcom eSIM to One NZ in Auckland, Lower Hutt & Wellington.

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

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Airalo Nzcom eSIM Speed Test Results in Auckland

Auckland City New Zealand Flag
© Auckland City

Auckland, or Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland's Māori name), is New Zealand's largest city.

It is often confused with being the nation's capital, but that would be Wellington (which I visited too on this trip).

The main gateway to New Zealand is through Auckland Airport, so there is a big chance you will visit the city – even if you do not plan on staying.

Anyway, as I am not a regular travel blog, I do not have must-sees for you for Auckland (that would be a blog on its own 🤪), but I am sure you will not be bored in this city.

Let's see how the Airalo Nzcom eSIM performed in Auckland:

Airalo Nzcom New Zealand eSIM Speed Test Results in Auckland (vs. One NZ, Airalo Discover Global, Holafly & Orange Holiday World)

Fast speeds with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM in Auckland!

Because almost all travel eSIMs I tested used the One NZ (formerly Vodafone) network, I showed the Auckland results of the other eSIMs too in the image above.

Moreover, One NZ offers 5G NR to prepaid customers (for free), so it is a bit difficult to compare its results with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM (but I showed the results anyway to see what you can expect with One NZ directly).

Airalo NZ Speed Test at Newmarket Westfield Mall in Auckland (157.68 Mbps)
Newmarket Westfield Mall Auckland

Anyway, I had an average download speed of 51.73 Mbps and a median download speed of 47.54 Mbps with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM: it passed the 4K video streaming test in Auckland (minimum of 25 Mbps).

Airalo NZ Speed Test at Newmarket Station in Auckland (7.99 Mbps)
Newmarket Station Auckland

The same cannot be said for the HD live streaming test in Auckland – the Airalo Nzcom eSIM had an average and median upload speed of 4.55 Mbps, making it fail the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).

Overall, the Orange Holiday World travel SIM card had the best overall download speed performance on the One NZ network in Auckland (67.63 Mbps), followed by the Airalo Nzcom eSIM (51.73 Mbps), Airalo Discover Global eSIM (42.92 Mbps) & finally the Holafly New Zealand eSIM (23.21 Mbps).

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


Airalo Nzcom eSIM Speed Test Results in Lower Hutt (Hutt City)

Hutt City Council Lower Hutt Flag
© Hutt City Council

Lower Hutt, or Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai (Lower Hutt's Māori name), is one of the four cities part of the Wellington metropolitan area (or Greater Wellington).

The reason why I separated Lower Hutt, administrated by Hutt City, from the Wellington results is (1) I did quite some tests in Lower Hutt and (2) most mobile operators, excluding One NZ (formerly Vodafone), do not have 5G NR access in Lower Hutt (yet), while Wellington does have 5G NR.

Should you visit Lower Hutt? You could – the nature is stunning there.

And being in Hutt Valley, also referred to as The Hutt, is remarkable too (if you can go on one of the hiking trails, you should!).

But if all of that sounds too boring to you, you can go to Queensgate Shopping Center, which may be the largest shopping mall in greater Wellington.

Let's see how the Airalo Nzcom eSIM performed in Lower Hutt:

Airalo Nzcom New Zealand eSIM Speed Test Results in Lower Hutt City (vs. One NZ, Airalo Discover Global, Holafly & Orange Holiday World)

Decent speeds with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM in Lower Hutt!

Because almost all travel eSIM I tested used the One NZ (formerly Vodafone) network, I showed the Lower Hutt results of the other eSIMs too in the image above.

Moreover, One NZ offers 5G NR to prepaid customers (for free), so it is a bit difficult to compare its results with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM (but I showed the results anyway to see what you can expect with One NZ directly).

Airalo NZ Speed Test at Hutt Central Hutt Recreation Ground in Hutt City (79.63 Mbps)
Hutt Central Hutt Recreation Ground Hutt City

Anyway, I had an average download speed of 30.91 Mbps and a median download speed of 19.89 Mbps with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM: it passed the 4K video streaming test in Lower Hutt (minimum of 25 Mbps).

Airalo NZ Speed Test at Lower Hutt Accommodation in Hutt City (5.98 Mbps)
Lower Hutt Accommodation Hutt City

The same cannot be said for the HD live streaming test in Lower Hutt – the Airalo Nzcom eSIM had an average upload speed of 3.84 Mbps and a median upload speed of 3.82 Mbps, making it fail the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).

Overall, the Orange Holiday World travel SIM card had the best overall download speed performance on the One NZ network in Lower Hutt (39.51 Mbps), followed by the Airalo Discover Global eSIM (25.64 Mbps), Airalo Nzcom eSIM (30.91 Mbps) & finally the Holafly New Zealand eSIM (17.48 Mbps).

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


Airalo Nzcom eSIM Speed Test Results in Wellington

Wellington City New Zealand Flag
© Wellington City

Wellington, or Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington's Māori name), is New Zealand's capital.

It is the third-largest city in the country (behind Auckland and Christchurch).

While I believe Wellington is more exciting than Australia‘s capital, Canberra (yes, not Melbourne or Sydney), it is certainly not New Zealand's most exciting city.

It does remind me a little bit of Melbourne, Australia… but significantly smaller (and with way fewer trains 🗿).

Let's see how the Airalo Nzcom eSIM performed in Wellington:

Airalo Nzcom New Zealand eSIM Speed Test Results in Wellington (vs. One NZ, Airalo Discover Global, Holafly & Orange Holiday World)

Decent speeds with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM in Wellington!

Because almost all travel eSIM I tested used the One NZ (formerly Vodafone) network, I showed the Wellington results of the other eSIMs too in the image above.

Moreover, One NZ offers 5G NR to prepaid customers (for free), so it is a bit difficult to compare its results with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM (but I showed the results anyway to see what you can expect with One NZ directly).

Airalo NZ Speed Test at Rongotai Wellington Airport Domestic Terminal in Wellington (89.57 Mbps)
Rongotai Wellington Airport Domestic Terminal Wellington

Anyway, I had an average download speed of 38.34 Mbps and a median download speed of 27.39 Mbps with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM: it passed the 4K video streaming test in Wellington (minimum of 25 Mbps).

Airalo NZ Speed Test at Te Aro McDonald's Taranaki Street in Wellington (7.05 Mbps)
Te Aro McDonald's Taranaki Street Wellington

The same cannot be said for the HD live streaming test in Wellington – the Airalo Nzcom eSIM had an average upload speed of 4.68 Mbps and a median upload speed of 4.39 Mbps, making it fail the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).

Overall, the Orange Holiday World travel SIM card had the best overall download speed performance on the One NZ network in Wellington (78.90 Mbps), followed by the Airalo Nzcom eSIM (38.34 Mbps), Airalo Discover Global eSIM (35.76 Mbps) & finally the Holafly New Zealand eSIM (27.95 Mbps).

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


My Overall Experience with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM – Is It Any Good?

I would recommend the Airalo Nzcom eSIM, and it would be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy a New Zealand travel eSIM.

Phone Travel Wiz Approved Seal

Getting the Airalo Nzcom eSIM, and any other Airalo eSIM for that matter, is easy and straightforward (even though I did not spend any time on how to install Airalo eSIMs – you will manage… promise!).

Airalo's Nzcom eSIM is also the most affordable eSIM I tested on my trip while having various options (1 GB, 3 GB, 5 GB & 10 GB).

The Airalo Nzcom eSIM uses the One NZ (formerly Vodafone) network, which has, on paper, the worst 4G/LTE availability.

But the score is still 98.2%, so you can expect 4G/LTE reception basically anywhere if you are on the One NZ network.

Even then, the random network disconnects while in the CBD of the city (Auckland and Wellington) were highly suspicious.

Especially when the One NZ SIM card itself, the Holafly New Zealand eSIM & Orange Holiday World travel SIM card were also on the One NZ network and did not experience this issue.

Yes, even the Airalo Discover Global eSIM had the same problem in New Zealand.

Fortunately, turning on airplane mode and off again re-established the connection… but this should not have been needed anyway.

And as I said earlier, I did not have to deal with random disconnects with the same Discover Global eSIM in Australia, so it was very odd.

Anyway, while your speeds will often be fast enough for general data browsing and video streaming, you should not expect too much.

Taking all 37 speed tests into account, I had an average overall download speed of 40.68 Mbps and a median download speed of 31.23 Mbps with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM.

When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 4.41 Mbps and a median upload speed of 4.37 Mbps with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM.

Aitalo Nzcom New Zealand Overall Speed Test Results in Auckland, Lower Hutt City & Wellington

So if you are an avid live streamer, be aware that your stream quality will be low, or you will be better off not doing so at all.

As One NZ offered 5G NR access for free to prepaid customers already, I did not expect the Airalo Nzcom eSIM to perform (significantly) better than One NZ itself.

But that is not always true.

In some countries, like Austria (Europe, not New Zealand's brother Australia), actively and effectively throttle the speeds of prepaid customers (to as low as 20 Mbps download).

Fortunately, this is not something you have to worry about in New Zealand… except for upload speeds with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM – they were significantly slower than One NZ's (19.17 Mbps average and 9.47 Mbps median).

By using an extensive 4G/LTE network, offering affordable data plans & offering reasonable download speeds, you should have a smooth browsing experience with the Airalo Nzcom eSIM.

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

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Other New Zealand eSIM Reviews (Airalo, Holafly & Nomad)

As mentioned earlier, I also tried out the Airalo Discover Global eSIM, Holafly eSIM & Nomad eSIM + Orange Holiday World SIM card when I was in New Zealand.

You should read those reviews too.

>>> Airalo Discover Global eSIM Review | Holafly New Zealand eSIM Review | Nomad New Zealand eSIM Review | Orange Holiday World Travel SIM Card in New Zealand Review <<<

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I also tried out various local New Zealand SIM cards: One NZ (formerly Vodafone), 2degrees, Skinny Mobile (Spark MVNO) & Warehouse Mobile (2degrees MVNO).

Spark, One-Vodafone, 2degrees, Skinny Mobile & Warehouse Mobile SIM Cards Held by Adu from Phone Travel Wiz

If your phone does not support eSIM (but felt like reading this Airalo review in full anyway – awesome) or want to have the best network experience possible, you want to go directly with the local mobile operators instead of roaming on their networks (as you do with travel eSIMs).

So I encourage you to read the New Zealand SIM card reviews too.

>>> Spark Review | One NZ (formerly Vodafone) Review | 2degrees Review | Skinny Mobile Review | Warehouse Mobile Review <<<

Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Oceanian SIM cards.