Simify e-SIM makes using your phone overseas a breeze — tested in Thailand and Vietnam

International roaming with some Australian telcos is costly, and for some, such as Vodafone and Optus, it is possible but will still cost you $5 a day, and over a long holiday, that cost can add up.  Luckily, there are travel e-SIMs available today so you can maintain connectivity anywhere in the world (within reason, of course).

I haven’t been with Vodafone for a year or so now, and had to use an e-SIM when I was in Europe in the middle of the year.  Unfortunately, while I had data at a decent speed throughout, the cost was high.

My relaxing holiday was in Thailand a couple of weeks ago, with a stopover in Singapore, and thus I was looking for an e-SIM to maintain Internet connectivity while over there.  I do not need phone or text connections because I told anyone who would call me that I was only available on WhatsApp.  

Suppose you still need to receive calls overseas? In that case, you can either buy a local SIM and distribute your new number to everyone, or look into the overseas connection options your carrier offers.

In what was great timing, Simify sent me an offer to review their e-SIM, so I jumped at the chance.  

What is Simify?

Simify is an Australian company whose sole focus these days is e-sims for travellers.  Nearly every phone on the market in 2025 will support an e-SIM, so the switch from physical SIM cards to an e-SIM makes sense for so many people, especially for short-term use, such as while holidaying.

A Simify e-SIM is purchased based on where you are travelling – not all e-SIMs work in all areas, and the e-SIM and its pricing are based on the local deals and contracts Simify has in place with carriers in that specific region.

For example, I was travelling to Thailand via Singapore, so a Thai e-SIM would not cut it for Singapore, so I needed an e-SIM that would work in both countries.  Luckily, Simify offers multi-country or regional e-SIMs as well as specific-country e-SIMs.  For those travelling to several areas, there is even a Global e-SIM option, but it costs more than a standard regional plan.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, there are several options.  If you opt for unlimited data, the e-SIM’s validity period depends on its cost.  Then, if you choose how much data you need, the pricing will depend not just on the validity period but also on the amount of data.

Because I’m a data hog and hate having to think twice about how much data I am using (plus I wasn’t paying for it), I went for the unlimited data option with a 21-day validity period.  

I chose 21 days because I wasn’t 100% sure when the e-SIM activation period started.  For reference, it begins when the e-SIM is activated upon arrival at your destination, so I really only needed the 15 days after all.

My data usage was only 11GB, but the disclaimer here is that I try not to use my phone much, if at all, on holidays.  I did stream a couple of NBA games and stream a couple shows on a rainy day but 11GB was it.  And that was with me having hotspot on so my wife could use the Internet connection (she needed her Aussie telco operational due to waiting on important phone calls).

If I were uploading a lot of photos, etc, I would have needed more, but to be honest, it shouldn’t matter.  The cost of the unlimited plan is all of $10 difference to the limited data plan.  Just fork out the $10 extra – it’s a pittance compared to flight and accommodation costs that you will likely have paid anyway.

In a nutshell, get unlimited, then you don’t have to worry about data, ever.  There is nothing to be gained getting the limited data plan aside from saving $10.

As for area, the Thailand-only eSIM would only work there, so I chose the “Unlimited South East Asia eSIM” which works in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

My experience

At first I thought I’d get ahead of everything and installed the eSIM a few days before travelling.  As soon as you turn that eSIM on though my phone kept asking me to set it up.  Simify say to install it just before heading to the airport (or at the airport), and I would agree with that – although if something goes wrong, doing it while at the airport may create extra unneeded stress.  Just do it the day you fly out.

Installing it was super simple – scan the barcode that Simify will email you, name it, and you are good to go.  There is no need to turn it on until you land overseas.  If the barcode does not work for you there are manual installation instructions which are also super simple. 

For those who want to be sure, you can even download an installation manual from within the Simify app.  For me, it was just the barcode and bang, it was good to go.  

Now, at the same time I was doing this my daughter was heading to Vietnam (via China on the way home) so she bought a Simify unlimited for those two areas (the same as the one I purchased in fact).  She installed it on her iPhone 15 as easily as I had installed mine – just make sure you do read the instructions carefully regarding activation etc.  ie. don’t stress if it doesn’t work straight away – it won’t activate until it lands in a compatible country.

So, we landed in Thailand and I turned the eSIM on in the settings of my Pixel 10 Pro, made sure I had roaming enabled, and turned my Belong sim off to avoid their charges.  The phone wasn’t connected within a couple of minutes, so I rebooted the phone, and once it booted up, I was online.  Simple.  My daughter had to reboot when she landed in Vietnam as well. I have read of others needing this reboot for the eSIM to begin working so keep that in mind before you panic. 

There was no need to select a provider or anything like that.  The eSim does all that for you.  Once that eSIM was activated, though, I didn’t have to worry about rebooting again when landing in a different country, such as Singapore.  It just worked.

Support

Simify support was not something I needed but for those concerned, it is an Australian company so you do get good support.  The support options include a live chat on their website, email, and a wealth of FAQs.  The app is also great, as it offers guides and troubleshooting help for any issues you may have.  

I didn’t need them, but it is good knowing that the support is there if needed.

Reception

Personally, I did not test the reception much on this holiday.  My wife and I stuck to Patong’s central location without venturing off the beaten path for sightseeing.  We just wandered the streets around there and at no times did I ever have any issues with reception.

My daughter also had very few issues with reception and she really tested it out going all over Vietnam, including the Ha Giang Loop all the way up to the Chinese border.  Apparently, there were a couple of times where her data was a bit sluggish, but she said she was connected at all times.

Specifically, the reception was best for her in Hanoi, but less so in Ho Chi Minh City.  It was still good enough for her to use the Internet though. 

There were a couple of times she video called me while on this bike tour in the middle of nowhere and there was perfect reception for both of us – me in Phuket and her on the Ha Giang Loop.  Even more impressive was when she was on a river tour that looked to be in the middle of nowhere, and once again, a perfect video call.  

Now I’m sure there are many jungle areas where there is zero reception but that is the same everywhere and in every country.

Is an e-SIM right for you?

If you are going overseas and need to use the Internet, and let’s face it, nearly all of us do, you will need some kind of SIM card that works internationally. The e-SIM is the perfect solution for all travellers, as it lets them tailor it to their usage patterns and the length of their holiday. Simify are not the cheapest option on the market, but it is one of the best because it offers such great reception in so many places.

Their unlimited data is also a big win if you don’t mind spending a few extra dollars. I will be using Simify for all my e-SIM needs when overseas in the future but you will need to see if their products are what you need. An e-SIM is ideal for the vast majority of travellers, and we recommend you look at all your options before settling on a provider. Simify is one we have tested and recommend.

For more information, head over to the Simify website.