These days, staying connected while traveling internationally isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. Whether you’re pulling up Google Maps to navigate to your hotel, sharing your location with friends and family, or translating a menu in real time, having reliable mobile data makes all the difference.
That’s why I tried out Ubigi’s eSIM service on my recent solo trip through Mexico’s Quintana Roo and Yucatán regions. My partner also used Ubigi during his 10-day trip to Japan, exploring Tokyo, Kyoto, and beyond.
In this post, I’m sharing our honest Ubigi eSIM review—including what worked well, what to know before buying, and why I genuinely enjoyed using it more than a traditional SIM or international plan from my phone carrier.
Note: Some of the links below contain affiliate links. This doesn’t increase the cost of any item to you, but simply means that I’ll receive a small commission of any sales from those links. Thank you!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ubigi. I received complimentary eSIMs and compensation in exchange for sharing my honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
What Is an eSIM?
eSIMs have gained a lot of popularity for international travelers in recent years. They are a whole lot cheaper than the international plans your home country will offer you (some are around $10 a day) and save you time from hunting down physical SIM cards upon arrival.
Anyway, an eSIM connects your phone, tablet, or laptop to mobile data without needing a physical SIM card. It’s a fast, flexible way to stay online—especially when you’re traveling internationally and want to avoid expensive roaming charges or constantly searching for Wi-Fi.
One of my favorite features of eSIMs is that you can keep multiple ones active at once. On this trip, I left my U.S. T-Mobile eSIM on for texting and calls and used Ubigi for mobile data. I simply turned off roaming on my U.S. line and used Ubigi’s data as my primary network.
Since my T-Mobile plan includes limited international coverage, I was able to text from my U.S. number while still using Ubigi’s data for everything else.
Now, let’s dive into all the details of this Ubigi eSIM review.
What Is Ubigi?
Ubigi is a global eSIM provider that offers prepaid data plans for local, regional, and international travel. Their eSIMs are data-only, so you won’t get an international phone number or calling minutes—just mobile data. And for most travelers, that’s more than enough.
Plus, you’ll still be able to use FaceTime, iMessage, WhatsApp, and other apps linked to your phone number or email address. You can even keep your regular eSIM active (with roaming turned off to avoid unwanted charges) for emergency calls/texts.
Ubigi eSIM Review
After visiting two different countries with these eSIMs, here are our thoughts and what you need to know before buying an eSIM.
Where We Used Ubigi eSIMs:
- Me: Mexico (Tulum, Valladolid, Chichen Itza, and surrounding areas)
- My Partner: Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and more)
Setting Up the Ubigi eSIM for Travel
Ubigi’s setup was simple. I’ve used a few other eSIM services before, and this was the first one I used that included a dedicated app to manage data and track usage. I really enjoyed having access to an app!
Setup steps:
- Download the Ubigi app.
- Create an account.
- Activate your free eSIM within the app.
- Purchase or redeem your data plan.
For travelers buying a plan directly from the website, you’ll receive a QR code via email with setup instructions. You can then use the app to activate and manage your data from there.
I especially liked that you can browse and purchase prepaid plans within the app. For example, the 10 GB Mexico plan currently costs $24 and is fast and efficient to set-up.
Performance in Mexico
One feature I loved was that Ubigi’s eSIM automatically kicked in when I landed in Mexico. I didn’t need to manually activate the plan that day or worry about losing data coverage during my travel day. It just worked.
That wasn’t the case with other eSIMs I’ve tried—some start counting days from the moment you activate, meaning if you do it too early, you lose valuable time before even arriving.
As an example, I used a 14-day Europe eSIM for a 14-day trip. The eSIM provider reminded me not to activate the plan until I arrive, or else I could lose a day or so of data access. This was not the case with Ubigi. I could activate it beforehand and it wouldn’t start ticking down until I arrived in the covered areas.
As for the rest of my experience in Mexico, I used Ubigi across Tulum, Valladolid, and several cenotes (waterholes) and archaeological sites like Chichen Itza. Overall, coverage was solid. Speeds weren’t quite what I’m used to in the U.S. or Europe, but they were good enough for Google Maps, browsing, uploading Instagram stories, and even TikTok.
The only spot I lost service completely was a remote cenote near Ek Balam, and this is to be expected in some off-the-beaten-path parts of Mexico. However, I was able to use my Ubigi eSIM at Chichen Itza, which was really helpful for finding cool spots as I didn’t book a guide.
Overall Data Usage
As for my usage, I ended up using 5.5 GB on Ubigi during my week in Mexico. However, because my US plan includes 5 GB of data in Mexico, I tested both options. I ended up using about 4 GB of my T-Mobile plan as well. Honestly, both worked well as eSIMs for Mexico and were nearly identical in performance.
Performance in Japan
My partner had a similarly easy experience in Japan. He turned on his eSIM when he landed and it was smooth sailing from there.
Overall, coverage was excellent in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. The only time his connection dipped was briefly on the underground metro—pretty common, no matter what provider you’re using.
He especially appreciated how the Ubigi eSIM made it easy to navigate the public transportation system, look up restaurants on the go, and translate menus from Japanese to English.
We even FaceTimed while he was in the middle of Shibuya (one of the busiest neighborhoods in Tokyo), and the connection was very clear.
Overall Data Usage
Andrew ended up using 9.67 GB of his 25 GB during a 10-day Japan trip. He was also conscious about connecting to Wi-Fi when it was available at hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Most of his data usage went toward navigation when walking/taking public transportation and to find cultural spots and restaurants.
Pros of Using Ubigi eSIMs for Travel
- Seamless activation—data kicks in when you arrive
- No physical SIM card required
- Simple, easy-to-use app
- Competitive pricing
- Reliable customer support
- Works with most newer smartphones (iPhones from 2018 onward accept eSIMs)
- Even if you don’t have WiFi or data credits remaining, you can still top up via the app as long as your Ubigi eSIM is installed.
I also appreciated not having calls or texts with the data plan. For short international trips, having a random new phone number isn’t really helpful—and I liked not being distracted by texts from a random data provider.
Cons of Ubigi
- Requires an eSIM-compatible phone
- Data-only—no international calls or SMS (which isn’t an issue if your regular plan covers some texting like mine does OR if you iMessage, Whatsapp, Messenger for most of your communications)
- In rural Mexico, signal strength depended on the local network (not Ubigi’s fault, but worth noting)
Final Thoughts
Ubigi made it incredibly easy to stay connected in both Mexico and Japan. Whether you’re a solo traveler, digital nomad, or just looking for a simple way to avoid international roaming fees, I highly recommend it.
The setup is fast, the data plans are affordable, and the service just works—no SIM swapping, no stressful airport hunts for local cards, and no roaming surprises.
Ubigi is absolutely going to be my go-to for future trips. I’d confidently give it five stars! If you would like to get a Ubigi eSIM yourself, also know you can get 10% off on your first purchase with code SPIRITED10 and feel free to browse data plans here.
Thanks for reading this Ubigi eSIM review. Please feel free to comment down below any questions, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Happy travels!
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