I live in Portugal and travel frequently, so using an eSIM provider seemed like the logical choice. Among the many options available, I chose Airalo for its competitive packages. Initially, the service worked as advertised for about a month, but since then, I’ve faced nothing but persistent and infuriating issues.
It appears that national networks have blocked Airalo from connecting, rendering the service practically useless. Unfortunately, Airalo’s support has been utterly unhelpful. Despite countless support tickets, messages, and screenshots, there has been no resolution.
What’s worse, Airalo refuses to provide a refund, instead forcing customers to accept Airalo credit. This so-called “credit” is completely worthless to me since their service does not work.
This has been a massive waste of time and productivity, especially since I rely heavily on mobile data for my work. The lack of accountability and support from Airalo is both frustrating and unacceptable.
I strongly advise anyone considering Airalo to avoid them at all costs and look for more reliable alternatives. Do not waste your money or your time.
Fast 5G speeds in Madeira, Portugal (and the airport in Lisbon). Only downside is you can't check data usage — though with 30GBs for our seven-day trip we didn't really need to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Airalo offer unlimited data eSIM for Portugal?
Airalo’s eSIM plans marketed with the word “Unlimited” for Portugal actually apply a daily cap of 3 GB and throttle speeds to 1000 kbps after the limit is reached, so they do not provide truly unlimited high‑speed data.
Instead, Airalo offers fixed‑data options that may better suit heavy users, such as the 50‑GB plan valid for 30 days at $49.00 USD and the 100‑GB plan valid for 180 days at $185.00 USD. These plans give larger data allowances without daily caps, although their cost effectiveness depends on the user’s data consumption.
Does Airalo offer Portugal eSIM with phone number and SMS?
Airalo does not provide an eSIM for Portugal that includes a phone number or SMS capability. Travelers can only purchase data‑only plans, which allow internet access but do not support traditional voice calls or SMS. To make voice or text calls, users can rely on the data connection through popular VoIP applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and iMessage. These services work fully over the data line and are suitable for communication while traveling.
How many data plans does Airalo offer for Portugal?
Airalo offers 18 single‑country data plans for Portugal, ranging from small daily data caps to larger fixed‑data packages. It also provides 50 multi‑country eSIM packages that include Portugal among other destinations. Prices for Portugal‑only plans begin at about $4.00 for a few gigabytes and rise to roughly $185.00 for the largest 100 GB options, with validity periods spanning from three days to one year. The single‑country lineup contains both fixed‑data and daily‑data‑cap plans, giving travelers the choice of a set amount of data for the entire validity or a daily limit that resets each day.
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