Airalo vs BNESIM

At a glance

Whole-catalog figures — every active plan each provider sells today.

Price check in popular destinations

The cheapest plan each provider sells for two realistic trip sizes, in the destinations both cover that travelers check most. Every price is a live plan you can buy.

Plan types on offer

AiraloBNESIM

Unlimited data ✓ Yes ✓ Yes

Regional bundles No ✓ Yes

Global bundles (50+ countries) No ✓ Yes

Cruise / at-sea plans No No

Pay as you go No No

Comparison by eSIMKart

Policies compared

Confirmed from each provider's own site — see the trust card on each provider page for the verification date.

Airalo BNESIM

ID verification

Airalo: Required for some countries (passport/ID)

BNESIM: Not confirmed yet

Refund policy

Airalo: Self-service refund request from your account (My eSIMs > Package History > Request Refund) for wrong purchase, changed plans, installation issues, or a non-working eSIM — expired or fully-used eSIMs aren't eligible. Wrong-purchase/changed-plans refunds go to Airmoney (their in-app credit) only; installation-issue/not-working refunds can go to Airmoney or your original payment method, taking 7-10 business days (up to 30 depending on your bank).

BNESIM: Refund requests must be made within 14 days of purchase and are denied once over 10% of the plan's data has been used; approved refunds go to BNE Wallet credit (24h) or the original payment method (up to 3 business days).

Validity starts

Airalo: Validity starts either when the eSIM connects to the destination network or at the moment of installation, depending on the specific plan — check 'Additional Information > Activation Policy' on the plan page before buying to see which applies.

BNESIM: Data validity starts counting down as soon as a plan is purchased by default; BNESIM also lets you schedule activation for a specific future day instead. Once installed, the eSIM begins working within about a minute of connecting to a local network.

Fair-use limit

Airalo: Unlimited plans default to a 3GB-per-day full-speed allowance before throttling to 1 Mbps for the rest of that 24-hour period (counted from activation, not purchase); a different daily threshold is stated on the specific plan's page when it applies instead of the 3GB default.

BNESIM: Unlimited-data plans may be suspended if daily usage reaches 5GB or monthly usage reaches 100GB; BNESIM reserves the right to limit speed for very high network use.

Top-ups & rollover

Airalo: Only plans marked 'rechargeable' (checkable under Additional Information before buying) can be topped up, via the My eSIMs > Top Up option in the app — a non-rechargeable eSIM or one that changed carriers requires buying a new eSIM instead.

BNESIM: Top up via the BNESIM eSIM app: open My eSIMs, pick the eSIM to recharge, then choose a country and data plan; no reinstall needed.

Lost device / reinstalling

Airalo: Most Airalo eSIMs can't be reinstalled once deleted -- the app checks each plan under My eSIMs > 'Deleted your eSIM?' and walks you through reinstall if allowed, otherwise you'll need a new eSIM or Support.

BNESIM: A BNESIM eSIM can be reinstalled on the same device as needed, but it can't be moved to a new device -- switching devices requires requesting a paid replacement (1 EUR) via BNESIM support.

Billing currency

Airalo: Airalo lets you check out in 16 real currencies (USD, AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, JPY, PLN, SGD, NOK, DKK, SEK, CHF, NZD, MXN, ZAR, THB) — not just a USD default; if your currency isn't listed, your bank handles the conversion at checkout.

BNESIM: Not confirmed yet

Support

Airalo: Live chat · Help center · 24/7

BNESIM: Live chat · WhatsApp · Email · Help center · 24/7

Payment

Airalo: Card · PayPal · Apple Pay · Google Pay · Alipay

BNESIM: Card · Apple Pay · Google Pay

Headquarters

Airalo: Singapore

BNESIM: Kowloon, Hong Kong

Legal entity

Airalo: AirGSM Pte Ltd

BNESIM: BNESIM Limited

Founded

Airalo: 2019

BNESIM: Not confirmed yet

Comparison by eSIMKart

Discount codes

Airalo No live code

BNESIM -15% ESIMKART1015

Airalo vs BNESIM — common questions

Figures on this page come from both providers' live catalogs and are re-checked automatically every day.

Compare Airalo and BNESIM by destination

Head-to-head prices for the destinations travelers check most.