Galaxus launches 5 new Travel eSIM regional packages – but they’re not always the cheapest option
Galaxus has added five new regional packages to its Travel eSIM offering: The Balkans, Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. However, depending on your travel plans, country-specific packages might work out cheaper for you. Here’s how to figure out what’s most affordable.
Regional packages – i.e. Travel eSIMs that work in multiple destinations – have been going down a treat with our customers. In the four months that have passed since we launched our Travel eSIM, regional packages have accounted for about a quarter of all sales.
We’ve now expanded our Travel eSIM range with five new regional packages. If you buy and activate one of these eSIMs, your smartphone will automatically connect to a partner network in your destination country once you cross the border.
These new additions complement our existing range of regional packages: Europe (33 countries), Asia & The Pacific (14), the Middle East & North Africa (9), Central America & Mexico (7), North America (3) and Australia & New Zealand (2).
Which destinations do the five new packages cover?
The Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.
This new package will fill a gap in the market for our customers. While our Europe package covers 33 countries, it doesn’t include non-EU Balkan countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. However, these destinations are in high demand. In fact, Serbia ranks among our top ten most frequently purchased eSIMs, ahead of Turkey, Portugal and the USA. Although Moldova technically isn’t part of the Balkans, it’s still included.
Africa: Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mauritius, Nigeria, Réunion, Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda.
This is the most expensive of the five regions and the only one without a 20 GB package. It mostly includes countries in East and North Africa.
Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay.
Mexico and Costa Rica are also covered by our existing Central America & Mexico package. If your trip only includes one or both of these countries, your best bet is to compare both regional packages.
Southeast Asia: China, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
Admittedly, the name of this package isn’t entirely accurate, as China is part of East Asia. The thing is, that’s how our supplier eSIM Go has designed the package. We’re currently looking into alternative names.
The Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Caribbean Netherlands, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
This package is perfect for island hopping. Just bear in mind that if you’re on a cruise, your Travel eSIM won’t work on the high seas. This is because there won’t be a land-based network available on the ship. As an alternative, you’ll just have the ship’s onboard network or its Wi-Fi available.
Why are some countries still missing from these region packages?
Our partner eSIM Go has the final say over which countries are covered by these packages. The Balkans and The Caribbean eSIMs provide the most comprehensive coverage of their respective regions. When it comes to Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia are missing. As for Africa, the package still doesn’t include Namibia, Botswana or Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, our Latin America package doesn’t cover Bolivia, Panama, Paraguay or Venezuela. If you’re visiting any of these countries, you’ll need a country-specific eSIM.
Kosovo is the only country we don’t offer a Travel eSIM for. Thomas Peter, Head of Galaxus Mobile, Internet and TV, explains: «Kosovo is one of the few countries in the world where we don’t yet have network access through our partner.»
Is it worth buying a regional package? Two examples – with the maths done for you
An East African safari through Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda: With country-specific eSIMs, you’d need three packages (3 GB each), which would come to a total of CHF 64.20. For the Africa package, including 10 GB of data, you’d pay CHF 56.90. That’s 11 per cent less, with 1 GB more storage.
A Balkan getaway with pit stops in Croatia and Greece: A 10 GB eSIM for Croatia costs CHF 9.50. Similarly, a 10 GB package for Greece also costs CHF 9.50. That’s a total of CHF 19.– for 20 GB. With our Balkans package, you’d pay CHF 40 for 20 GB of data. So, going for two country-specific packages is the better option here.
The rule of thumb when considering regional Travel eSIM packages
Regional packages are a good deal if you’re visiting three or four countries and your trip lasts longer than a week. That’s because our low-cost, 1 GB country-specific packages are only valid for seven days. If you’re visiting fewer countries or taking a short trip, country-specific packages are usually the better option. So do the maths before you buy.
One last thing to bear in mind is that our regional packages only include mobile data – no calls, no text messages.
Which regional package would you like to see us add next? Are there any destinations missing from our current packages? We look forward to reading your ideas in the comments.
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