Confirmed from each provider's own site โ see the trust card on each provider page for the verification date.
Airalo
KnowRoaming
ID verification
Airalo:
Required for some countries (passport/ID)
KnowRoaming:
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 โ 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).
KnowRoaming:
Full refund if the eSIM was never installed or the plan never connected; after that a full or partial refund is discretionary (under 2% of data used, or a fault on their side). Ask within 90 days of purchase and before validity ends; reviewed within 4 working days, paid within 15 calendar 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 โ check 'Additional Information > Activation Policy' on the plan page before buying to see which applies.
KnowRoaming:
The plan starts when you first connect in a supported country, not at purchase; validity days count from that first connection and run continuously. It must be started within the 'Activate before' window shown at checkout. Unused data expires with the validity period, no rollover.
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.
KnowRoaming:
Unlimited country plans: 5 GB at full speed every 24 hours, then reduced speed until the allowance resets (24h counted from first connection); the Global unlimited plan gets 2 GB a day, then up to 256 kbps. Hotspot use counts against the allowance. Fixed plans stop when the data is used.
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 โ a non-rechargeable eSIM or one that changed carriers requires buying a new eSIM instead.
KnowRoaming:
Top up from My plans in the app or on knowroaming.com: select the plan, tap Top up, choose extra data or days; no new eSIM, nothing to scan, the connection doesn't drop. Optional auto top-up (off by default) charges the saved card when the plan runs low.
Support
Airalo:
Live chat ยท Help center ยท 24/7
KnowRoaming:
Live chat ยท Email ยท Help center ยท WhatsApp ยท 24/7
Comparison by eSIMKart