Kosovo: Buy the Best eSIMs | 2024 Guide

Kosovo is probably not the most popular travel destination in Europe, but it still has a lot to offer.

Especially when it is a relatively affordable country for travel.

One way to keep your costs low is by using a travel eSIM because international roaming can be crazy 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 Kosovo.

So, how much do Kosovar (travel) eSIMs cost?

You can get an eSIM for Kosovo for as low as 6.50 USD and up to 89 USD from Airalo offering between 500 MB and 20 GB to be used locally, in Europe, or globally.

There are some mobile operators who will charge you 100 USD for only 100 MB of roaming data, so these travel eSIM offers are much better than most international roaming deals.

In this guide, I will go over the eSIM options offered by the Kosovar mobile operator (if available), Airalo. Let's get started.

Original publication: 31st of August 2022. Last updated: 19th of October 2023.

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Table of Contents

In a Hurry? A Quick Introduction

I will write about tow eSIM options in Kosovo (and explain why they are included).

But if you want to quickly check out what the best eSIMs are for Kosovo without my analysis and explanations, here is an overview of the eSIMs covered in this guide:

• Airalo Kosnet eSIM with four choices between 1 GB and 5 GB (best value for money)
• Airalo Discover Global eSIM with five choices between 1 GB and 20 GB (reasonable global coverage (84+ countries) at attractive prices) – read my ongoing Airalo Discover Global eSIM review too!

The eSIM providers are in alphabetical order per grouping (Kosovo-only, regional & global) – not in order of preference (you would have to read the complete guide to find out which eSIMs I love the most for Kosovo 😜).

Let's truly get started, shall we?

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eSIMs offered by the Kosovar Mobile Operators

In order to get the best performance out there, it is often recommended to go directly with the local mobile operators because you will get a higher priority on the network compared to roaming.

Unfortunately, none of the mobile operators offer eSIMs to prepaid customers in Kosovo (yet).

Note that the Kosovar mobile operators require your identification (ID for EU/EEA travelers and passport for anyone else) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards as part of Kosovo's SIM card registration requirements.

(Why does this matter? Because hackers can steal your (critical) personal data if the mobile operator does not secure your data properly, like what happened in Australia (10 million Optus customers were affected, where info, like passport numbers, were stolen (including mine – luckily not my passport number but my boyfriend was not as lucky) or Indonesia (1.3 billion SIM card-related data was hacked)).

And some travelers do not want to deal with any of that for privacy reasons.

Luckily, there is a way to avoid this registration scheme: by roaming (super expensive) or using a travel eSIM (affordable AND can be cheaper than local SIM cards in many countries).

Travel eSIM provider Airalo offers attractive eSIMs for Kosovo, allowing them to be set up before arriving in Kosovo and activating them as soon as you land.

Very convenient, right? And I have used eSIMs from Airalo before, and I can assure you they work well!

So let's check out all the options, shall we?

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Airalo eSIMs for Kosovo (Kosnet)

Airalo eSIMs are my favorite travel eSIMs out there because they are always good value for money compared to other travel eSIM providers (especially travel eSIMs not mentioned in this guide).

And the same can be said for the Kosnet eSIM – 5 GB of data is available for only 24 USD.

Wait… you have no idea who or what Airalo is? I have an in-depth review explaining how Airalo works and all its options, based on four years of using Airalo eSIMs – you can read it now or later (I will briefly introduce Airalo anyway in this guide).

Anyway, the Kosnet eSIM uses the IPKO network.

You have four Airalo Kosnet eSIM options:

1. Kosovo/Kosnet 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 6.50 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Kosovo/Kosnet 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 11.50 USD
3. Kosovo/Kosnet 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 16 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. Kosovo/Kosnet 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 24 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in October based on data up to the 11^th of October (2023 data only).

Honestly, the Airalo Kosnet eSIM is not bad at all, especially considering its options and prices.

Let me review some of its pros and cons before you get a Kosnet eSIM (or continue exploring your other options mentioned in this guide).

Airalo Kosnet eSIM Pros

What are the main perks of Airalo's Kosnet eSIMs?

• You can avoid expensive international roaming fees
• You can purchase and set up your Kosnet eSIM before arriving in Kosovo (and activate it upon landing)
  • The eSIM will start once you have it enabled and are in Kosovo – not earlier (so you can pre-purchase your eSIM months in advance in peace – I do this often)
• You can skip Ksosovo's SIM card registration requirements and any queues at the airport or in town
• You get full (up to 4G/LTE) access to the IPKO network
• The eSIMs are affordable and have generous data allowances
• You can manage your eSIM easily on the Airalo website or its apps (Android and iOS)
  • If you need more data, top-ups are available (at the same prices as listed earlier – not at a markup)

Airalo Kosnet eSIM Cons

What are the main cons of Airalo's Kosnet eSIMs?

• You cannot call or text with the Kosnet eSIM – it is a data-only eSIM (so you do not get a (Kosovar) phone number either)
• While you get access to IPKO network, your speeds will not be as fast as going with IPKO itself because you will be roaming on their networks (and not be a native customer)
• The Kosovar mobile operators have much more generous data allowances (while Kosnet's is capped at 5 GB, but top-ups are available)
• There are no unlimited data plans
• There is no 5G NR access with the Kosnet eSIM

Airalo Kosnet eSIM Overall Thoughts

I am a big fan of Airalo and its eSIMs in general, as mentioned in my Airalo review, including the Kosnet eSIM.

It offers reasonable data plans for low prices – even for Kosovar standards.

You get fast (up to 4G/LTE) speeds and access in Kosovo without standing in queues or dealing with SIM card registration bureaucracy.

But if making actual phone calls and sending real text messages are important to you (so not through an app like WhatsApp), you may want to buy a Kosovar SIM card instead (an in-depth guide).

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Best eSIMs for Europe & the World (including Kosovo)

So what if you plan to visit a neighboring European country?

Unfortunately, you cannot use your Airalo eSIMs in any country than Kosovo.

Luckily, some of the eSIM providers mentioned so far do have eSIMs that can be used throughout most or all of Europe (+extras).

And there are also some global eSIMs with attractive prices that can be useful if you visit Europe and another continent or region.

I highly recommend these Europe or global eSIMs if you plan to visit multiple European countries to save money!

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Airalo Discover(+) eSIM (formerly Discover Global)

Airalo was probably the first eSIM provider to introduce a global eSIM – it was called Discover Global.

I have had decent to good experiences with that eSIM, but I felt it could improve.

Such as extending the validity of most plans (maximum used to be 180 days) and having 5G NR access in popular destinations (like many regional Airalo eSIMs do nowadays, even country-specific ones).

In August 2023, Airalo made a radical change to its global eSIM.

Until then, the eSIM could be used in about 85 countries – always up to 4G/LTE (with some networks on 3G only).

This eSIM was powered by FL1 Telecom Liechtenstein (network name can be Mobilkom (Liechtenstein) at times).

This mobile operator worked well in Europe and some Asian countries, but it was often one of the slowest performing (Airalo eSIMs).

Now, Airalo's global eSIM is called Discover(+).

It is powered by eSIM Go (which is basically Drei Austria).

The difference between the Airalo Discover and Airalo Discover+ eSIMs is that the latter has calling and texting functionalities (with an Austrian +43 phone number).

Because of this, Discover+ eSIMs can be up to 20 USD more expensive than regular Discover eSIMs.

For the previous Airalo Discover Global eSIMs, you paid the same prices as the Discover+ eSIMs for worse availability (85+ countries instead of 130+) and no calling or texting at all.

So… it is an upgrade 😎.

Not only that, but you (finally) get 5G NR access in quite some countries (55+)¹ as well.

¹ click here, press select the variant you want & click on network to see which network(s) allow for 5G NR access. You often have access to multiple local networks, but not all have 5G NR access (and some do not even give you 4G/LTE access)

Moreover, the most expensive option is now valid for a whole year (365 days) instead of 180 days.

The Airalo Discover(+) eSIM can be used in the following 130+ countries:

You have these 12 Airalo Discover Global eSIMs:

1. Discover 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 9 USD
2. Discover+ 1 GB (with 10 minutes and 10 SMS) eSIM for 7 days, costing 15 USD
3. Discover 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 17 USD
4. Discover+ 2 GB (with 20 minutes and 20 SMS) eSIM for 15 days, costing 27 USD
5. Discover 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 24 USD
6. Discover+ 3 GB (with 30 minutes and 30 SMS) eSIM for 30 days, costing 36 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
7. Discover 5 GB eSIM for 60 days, costing 35 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
8. Discover+ 5 GB (with 50 minutes and 50 SMS) eSIM for 60 days, costing 50 USD
9. Discover 10 GB eSIM for 180 days, costing 59 USD
10. Discover+ 10 GB (with 100 minutes and 100 SMS) eSIM for 180 days, costing 79 USD
11. Discover 20 GB eSIM for 365 days, costing 69 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
12. Discover+ 20 GB (with 200 minutes and 200 SMS) eSIM for 365 days, costing 89 USD

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in October based on data up to the 11^th of October (2023 data only).

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Overview of the Best eSIMs for Kosovo

So, we reviewed some eSIMs that can be used in Kosovo.

I will give you a quick recap and link to their product pages in case you need more info or want to purchase an eSIM already:

• Airalo Kosnet eSIM (best value for money)
• Airalo Discover Global eSIM (reasonable global coverage (84+ countries) at attractive prices)

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Buying a SIM Card in Kosovo

Want to just use a SIM card but not your current one because roaming will be criminally expensive?

Consider getting a Kosovar SIM card instead – local SIM cards are the cheapest way to stay connected abroad.