Lebara is no longer just a UK mobile network – it has also launched a travel eSIM, giving you a dedicated option for trips abroad.
This is a potentially cheaper option for using data abroad than roaming with your main network, whether that main network is Lebara itself or something else, so it’s worth considering for your next trip.
Below, we’ve looked at exactly how Lebara’s travel eSIM works, and how it compares to the competition.
How Lebara’s travel eSIM works
The key thing to note with Lebara’s travel eSIM – and indeed most travel eSIMs – is that you’re only getting data with it, not minutes and texts.
That means ideally you’ll use it alongside your standard SIM card, with both being active during trips — data on the travel eSIM, and everything else on the main one.
Also, being an eSIM your phone of course needs to support eSIMs to get this, though most modern handsets do. And the upside of an eSIM is you don’t need to wait for a SIM card to be delivered, you can simply sign up online and have the plan activated in minutes.
To do this, you select the country or region you’re visiting, choose a data allowance and duration, and sign up. Then download the Lebara travel eSIM app (available on both iOS and Android) to load the eSIM onto your phone.
That app then also makes it easy to monitor your data use and top up if needed.
What plans are available with Lebara’s travel eSIM?
Lebara sells travel eSIMs for over 190 countries, and you can either pick an individual country or a whole region, like Europe or South East Asia.
Plans are available in 3-day, 8-day, 15-day, and 30-day durations, and come with up to 65GB of data at the time of writing, though the exact available allowances will vary depending on the country or region you want the eSIM for.
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How it compares to standard Lebara plans
Even standard Lebara plans have a somewhat international focus, though that mostly takes the form of international minutes, which let you call dozens of destinations from the UK.
As far as roaming goes, you can use these plans in the EU and India, up to a fair use limit of 30GB per month. In the UK, data allowances top out at unlimited, and you also get unlimited UK minutes and texts on most standard Lebara plans.
These plans can be either 30-day rolling ones or you can sign up for 12 months and get a lower monthly price.
In any case, you’re not likely to be choosing between a standard Lebara plan and a Lebara travel eSIM as they’re a fundamentally different prospect. The former is primarily designed for use in the UK, and is intended as a long-term option. The latter is for short-term travel.
That said, if you’re only planning to roam in the EU or India and are fine with a 30GB fair use limit, then Lebara’s standard plans will suit your travel needs too.
Other standard UK networks also aren’t really a rival for Lebara’s travel eSIMs — you’d in most cases have both a standard plan for use in the UK, and a travel eSIM for use abroad, rather than choosing one or the other.
But, in so much as any of them are rivals, you might want to consider Lyca Mobile, which also gives you international minutes, along with roaming in the EU and in some cases India and China.
You could also take a look at Three and O2, which on their most premium plans include roaming in 163 destinations and 123 destinations respectively, though these plans are of course quite expensive.
How it compares to other travel eSIMs
The real competition that Lebara’s travel eSIM service has is from other travel eSIM providers, of which there are quite a large number.
On this front, Lebara is competitive for the number of covered countries, but not so much for data allowances, with many rivals such as Airalo, Ubigi, Nomad, Breeze, and more, offering unlimited data for at least some destinations.
Some providers also offer a wider selection of plan durations, with Airalo being a real highlight here, by offering 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 30, 60, 180, and 365-day plans. Ubigi and Nomad also offer plans of up to a year – though not as many options, while KnowRoaming and GigSky offer a similar number of duration options, but top out at less than a year. All of these though have the edge over Lebara.
For pricing, Lebara is again broadly competitive with most big-name rivals. In some cases it undercuts them, in others it’s beaten. So if price is a concern, it’s worth shopping around and checking multiple providers for the specific destination, data allowance, and duration that you want.
Verdict
Lebara’s travel eSIM is a solid, competitive offering from a respected brand name. Its pricing and covered countries are broadly in line with rivals, but data limits and durations are more limited than some alternatives.
If it has the right combination of destination, data allowance, and duration for you, then you’re unlikely to go wrong, but its slightly limited selection means it won’t be the perfect fit for every user or trip.
