## Is Airalo Worth It? An Honest Take After 2 Years of Use
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I’ve probably recommended Airalo to 40-50 travellers in person — at hostels, co-working spaces, airport queues. The feedback has been almost universally positive. But I’ve also experienced the frustrating moments: the Cambodia activation failure, the slow support responses, the occasional speed throttling.
So: is Airalo genuinely worth it? Here’s my honest answer.
### When Airalo Is Absolutely Worth It
**Multi-country Southeast Asia trips:**
This is Airalo’s undisputed sweet spot. One Asia Regional plan covering Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore — for $17. The alternative is buying separate SIMs in each country, queuing at each airport, switching SIM cards, and probably spending $35-50 total. No contest.
**Pre-departure setup:**
Buying your eSIM from home, having data the instant you land — this is worth real money in terms of stress avoided. The first hour in a new country should be exciting, not spent queuing at a SIM counter with jet lag.
**Budget travellers:**
At $17 for 10GB, Airalo is one of the cheapest quality connectivity options available for Southeast Asia. There are technically cheaper options (local SIMs) but none combine value with convenience as well.
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### When Airalo Falls Short
**When you need urgent support:**
If something goes wrong and you need help immediately, Airalo’s 12-36 hour support response time is genuinely insufficient. In an airport emergency, that’s a long time to wait.
**For very heavy data users:**
Airalo’s largest regional plan is 20GB. If you’re consistently using 20GB+ per month (heavy video content creators, people on constant video calls), Holafly unlimited is a better fit despite the higher cost.
**Extended single-country stays:**
For a month+ in Thailand or Vietnam, local SIMs are usually cheaper and sometimes faster. Airalo’s value proposition weakens when you don’t need the multi-country flexibility.
### The Numbers After 2 Years
Estimated Airalo spending over 2 years:
– Average 1 plan per month at ~$17
– 24 months = ~$408 total
– Credits earned from referrals = ~$30
– **Net spend: ~$378 for 2 years of reliable connectivity across 10+ countries**
For comparison: a single month of UK roaming on EE in Southeast Asia would cost £50+ (roaming charges). Airalo paid for itself in the first month.
### My Final Verdict
**Is Airalo worth it? Yes, for most travellers.** It’s the best combination of price, coverage, and convenience available for Southeast Asia travel.
The support weakness is real but manageable with preparation. The coverage isn’t flawless but it’s excellent for the price.
My one caveat: **set it up before you need it.** Airalo is best when you’ve installed your plan at home, tested it, and arrive in Bangkok already connected. It’s worst when you’re scrambling in an airport with weak WiFi trying to troubleshoot.
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