Kiribati is probably not the most popular travel destination in Oceania, but it still has a lot to offer.
Especially when it is “an affordable” country for travel (for regional standards).
What you should not do, in many cases, is roam internationally in Kiribati.
International roaming can be expensive, which is why using local and travel eSIMs is recommended to save money.
And if you get a travel eSIM, you do not have to deal with the SIM card registration bureaucracy and skip the queues in Kiribati.
How much will a local or travel eSIM for Kiribati cost you?
You can get an eSIM for Kiribati for as little as 4.50 USD, with 1 GB of data for 7 days, up to 40 USD, with 20 GB of data for 30 days, from Airalo (Bokiko).
Those are some generous data allowances, right?
In this guide, I will go over the eSIM options offered by the Kiribati mobile operators & Airalo. Let's do this.
Original publication: 24th of November 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
eSIMs offered by the Kiribati Mobile Operators
To get the best service available, in terms of reception and speeds, you want to go with the local mobile operators directly instead of with a travel eSIM.
That is because you will have a higher priority on the network in case of network congestion.
However, that does not mean travel eSIMs will always be slow.
In fact, some mobile operators throttle (prepaid) on select plans or all plans for “optimization” reasons (read: we cannot be bothered to invest in our network).
You have one option for getting an eSIM for your trip to Kiribati: travel eSIMs from Airalo (with Bokiko).
You can set up these eSIMs before arriving in Kiribati and skip the queues.
While mobile data is already affordable in Kiribati, getting a travel eSIM will not break the bank – not at all.
Plus, I have plenty of experience with Airalo, and I can assure you they work well – and other Phone Travel Wiz readers also had pleasant experiences with them.
So let's see what these travel eSIM providers have to offer in Kiribati, right?
Airalo eSIMs for Kiribati (Bokiko)
If I could only get a travel eSIM during my trip because I do not have the time or opportunity to buy a local SIM card or eSIM, then I would always get an eSIM from Airalo.
Airalo has eSIMs for around 190 countries, offers eSIMs at the lowest prices (on average compared to the competition) & has good service.
Airalo usually partners with the local mobile operator with the best coverage, the fastest speeds, or both.
And if it needs to partner up with multiple mobile operators, it does so, allowing you to have the best reception at all times.
Anyway, you can get an Bokiko eSIM for as low as 4.50 USD, with 1 GB of data, up to 40 USD, with 20 GB of data.
Those prices and data allowances are not too bad, right?
Especially knowing that the Bokiko eSIM uses the Vodafone network.
The following six Kiribati Bokiko eSIM options are available:
- Kiribati/Bokiko 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 4.50 USD
- Kiribati/Bokiko 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 8 USD
- Kiribati/Bokiko 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 10.50 USD
- Kiribati/Bokiko 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 15 USD
- Kiribati/Bokiko 10 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 25 USD
- Kiribati/Bokiko 20 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 40 USD
Be aware: you will be restricted to 3G – not 4G/LTE with the Bokiko eSIM (unlike most Airalo eSIMs).
The Airalo links will automatically get you the available Phone Travel Wiz exclusive offers – a code is unnecessary.
- Check out my Airalo eSIM reviews
Overall, the Bokiko eSIM gives you fantastic value for your money.
Airalo Bokiko eSIM Pros
Are there any other reasons why you should get the Bokiko eSIM for your trip? For sure:
- You can activate your Bokiko eSIM as soon as you land in Kiribati
- Bokiko eSIMs are affordable (especially compared to roaming) and have generous data allowances
- Out of data? You can simply top up online on the Airalo website and not worry about language barriers when dealing with local agents
There are many other small pros, but these are the major ones.
It would be disingenuous not to mention some cons, so here we go.
Airalo Bokiko eSIM Cons
So, why should you not get the Bokiko eSIM?
- The Kiribati mobile operators, including Vodafone Kiribati itself, have much more generous data allowances
- While you get access to Vodafone Kiribati's network, your speeds will not be as fast as going with Vodafone Kiribati itself because you will be roaming on their networks (and not be a native customer)
- You will be restricted to 3G with the Bokiko eSIM. There is no 4G/LTE access with the Bokiko eSIM (yet)
- You cannot call or text with the Bokiko eSIM (nor can you receive them – you get no (local) phone number)
Airalo Bokiko eSIM Overall Thoughts
Honestly, the Bokiko eSIM is fantastic.
The plans offered with Bokiko eSIMs are generous and affordable.
You get fast speeds and access to Vodafone Kiribati network, without standing in queues.
And everything, purchasing and topping up, can be done online on the Airalo website or Airalo app (downloading the app is recommended).
Unfortunately, you cannot call or text with the Bokiko eSIM, as it is a data-only eSIM.
But if you do wish to make actual calls, so not through apps like Whatsapp, consider a Kiribati SIM card.
Overview of the Best eSIMs for Kiribati (Airalo)
In this guide, I went over Airalo's Bokiko as the only (reasonably priced) eSIM for Kiribati.
I recognize that there are other eSIM providers that do offer services for Kiribati.
But they are either crazy expensive or the quality of service is whack (based on my experience or the experiences of other Phone Travel Wiz readers).
But you are free to try them out and let me know if they were any good 😀.
Buying a SIM Card in Kiribati
Want to just use a SIM card but not your current one because roaming will be criminally expensive?
Consider getting a Kiribati SIM card instead – local SIM cards are the cheapest way to stay connected abroad.
