Best Sim Card for Asia Travel: Airalo vs Jetpac
These days, eSIM providers are popping up, making it increasingly difficult to make a choice before your travels. Furthermore, you can choose between ‘individual countries’ or complete bundles for continents. For our long trip in Asia, we bought the Airalo SIM card (Southeast Asia data pack) to get rid of all the hassle in one go. Additionally, we were able to try out the bundle from Jetpac, an up-coming eSIM provider from Singapore. In this article, we provide an honest review of both SIM cards, covering everything from usage to coverage and the user-friendliness of the apps. Judge for yourself which SIM card (eSIM) is the best for you to travel in Asia!
Asia SIM Card: Airalo
We have been very satisfied with Airalo eSIMs for years. The price is often just slightly higher than a local SIM card, but somewhat lower compared to other eSIM providers. The Asia bundle works in various countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Japan. Before departure, you can easily install the bundle by following the step-by-step guide found in the app. Once you arrive at your destination, all you have to do is turn on the eSIM in your phone settings. It often takes a little while for the eSIM to connect to the local network. This varies greatly by destination, so don’t be surprised if it takes 15 minutes. We recently had some good experiences with Airalo’s customer service when our eSIM didn’t work in South Korea.
Tip: Check the Airalo app to see exactly which countries the eSIM works in. There are 18 in total!
Airalo ESIM Coverage
We used the Airalo eSIM in the following countries: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur Airport), Cambodia (Siem Reap), and Vietnam (the northern part only). Coverage was very good everywhere, and unlike coverage in South America, for example, 5G was often available.
SIM Card Asia: Airalo Bundles
Are you choosing an Airalo data bundle for your trip to Asia? Then the choice isn’t difficult, as Airalo offers only one complete bundle for this part of the world. There are options for 3 to 180 days and from 1GB to 100GB. Additionally, you can also choose unlimited internet for up to 30 days. That is where Airalo’s options end!
SIM Card Asia: Jetpac
Before our collaboration, we had never heard of Jetpac, but after reading their website, we were convinced to test one of their products. We chose the 40GB variant of the Southeast Asia bundle (data only). Jetpac offers a choice of various SIM card bundles for Asia, so take a good look at which one is most convenient for your trip. Just like Airalo, the installation process is very smooth if you follow the steps in the app. Here too, the connection speed (and therefore internet access) varies by destination. When purchasing an internet bundle from Jetpac, you also have the option of airport lounges. This extra is not included with an Airalo SIM card!
Tip: check the Jetpac app to see exactly which countries the eSIM works in. In the bundle we tested, it covers 7 countries.
Jetpac eSIM Coverage
We used the Jetpac eSIM in the following countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur Airport), Cambodia (Siem Reap), and Vietnam (northern part only). Coverage was fine everywhere, and even using a laptop hotspot was very pleasant! However, in Cambodia and Vietnam, we noticed that coverage did decrease outside the larger cities. This happens frequently, of course, but it was a clear difference between Airalo and Jetpac because Airalo kept working!
Asia SIM card: Jetpac Bundles
As mentioned above, Jetpac offers slightly more bundles for Asia, so you will need to look carefully to see which bundle is the most suitable for you. This certainly provides more choice! You can then select the number of GBs per bundle. There are options ranging from 1GB to 40GB, with a maximum duration of 30 days. Additionally, you can choose unlimited internet for up to 30 days. You can also add call minutes to the bundles, which can be handy if an accommodation doesn’t have WhatsApp and you urgently need to make contact. Is your bundle used up, but are there still days remaining? Then you can still use a number of apps, such as WhatsApp and Google Maps. As a final extra, Jetpac offers ‘smart delay’ in the event of any delays during the flight.
Conclusion Best SIM card Asia Travel: Airalo VS Jetpac
Which SIM card would we recommend for a trip to Asia? We list the pros and cons below so you can make the best choice for your trip. We are basing this on a comparison between Airalo’s Asia bundle (18 countries) and Jetpac’s Asia-Pacific bundle (17 countries).
- Price: Choose Airalo if Jetpac has no special offers. If we were to compare now (May 2026), Jetpac would still come out better because there are nice discounts on the highest data bundles. Even unlimited internet is worth considering with Jetpac, precisely because of the extras.
- Coverage: Airalo has slightly better coverage, especially in Cambodia and Vietnam. For the other countries mentioned in this article, coverage is comparable.
- Duration of data bundles: Airalo has more options for longer bundles. Jetpac limits itself to bundles of a maximum of 30 days.
- Extras: Jetpac has more options for extras such as airport lounges, call minutes, and use of various apps after your data runs out.
- App: The Jetpac app looks just a bit fresher, but honestly, that shouldn’t be the deciding factor. Both apps have options to get direct help via WhatsApp so that your connection problems are hopefully resolved as quickly as possible.
Whatever your choice, we have a nice discount for both Airalo and Jetpac for the first time you use one of the bundles. Airalo ($3 discount): MEIKE4854 and Jetpac ($5 discount): INF535J9.
