Nomad eSIM Promo Code LOCALS, a No-Card 1GB Trial and UK Full-Speed Data at US$49 a Month

Nomad, the travel eSIM shop once found at getnomad.app and now at nomadesim.com, sells cheap data in more than 200 destinations and lets new users try it free before paying a penny. Here is what the LOCALS promo code gets you, where the small print bites, and how it stacks up against Airalo and Holafly.

Offer detail	What you get
Promo Code	LOCALS
Welcome offer	Reader discount on eligible data plans, plus a free 1GB trial eSIM for new users
Who qualifies	Any Nomad user, one use per account; the free trial is for new users, in the app, with no credit card
Key terms	Not valid on plans under US$5, plans already on sale, add-on data, unlimited plans or the Thailand 50GB plan
How to claim	Pick an eligible plan and enter LOCALS in the “Add Promo Code” field at checkout, on the website or in the app

Get the Nomad offer

Nomad at a glance

• Coverage: 200+ destinations, with country, regional and global plans
• Plan types: fixed-data plans, daily-capped “unlimited” plans, a full-speed unlimited plan in the UK, UK plans with calls and texts, and the Europe Nomad Pass subscription
• Cheapest plan: Japan 1GB for 7 days, US$4 (£3.00 / €3.56)
• Unlimited from: US$11 (£8.25 / €9.80) for 3 days in the UK, USA or Japan
• Free plan or trial: yes, 1GB for new users through the app, no card needed
• Hotspot: supported on most eSIMs, though Nomad doesn’t guarantee stability on every device or network
• Phone number: data only, except UK voice plans and the Thailand eSIM
• Trustpilot: 4.3/5 from 46,588 reviews

Our verdict

Nomad is one of the cheapest names in the travel eSIM business, and in a few places, notably a month of full-speed UK data, it undercuts the big two by a margin that matters. The app is tidy, the free trial is a genuinely useful way to test a phone before departure, and the referral and points schemes reward repeat buyers.

The catches are the usual ones, only more of them. Most “unlimited” plans slow to a crawl after 2GB a day, codes don’t work on unlimited or sale plans, and unlimited plans can’t be refunded at all.

Pros

• Low prices on fixed-data plans, especially Europe and Japan
• UK Unlimited Full-Speed for 30 days at US$49, well below Airalo and Holafly
• Free 1GB trial with no credit card
• Hotspot allowed, plus PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay at checkout
• UK plans with a local number, minutes and texts

Cons

• Most unlimited plans throttle to 1 to 2 Mbps after 2GB a day
• Promo codes, referral credit and points don’t apply to unlimited plans
• Unlimited, UK voice and Nomad Pass plans are non-refundable
• Data only in almost every country, so no SMS for bank verification codes
• Support is mostly chat, and some reviewers struggle to reach a human

Nomad discount codes, referral credit and points: what actually works

The LOCALS promo code is the DailyStoke and Locals Insider reader discount. It takes a reader discount off an eligible plan, can be used once per account, and steers clear of anything under US$5, anything already on sale, add-on data, unlimited plans and the Thailand 50GB plan. Enter it in the “Add Promo Code” field at checkout on the website or in the app; once accepted it is saved to your profile under Promos.

Worked example with LOCALS: a UK 10GB plan for 30 days costs US$17.50 (£13.13 / €15.59) and is not on sale, so the code applies. Add LOCALS and the reduced total shows in the basket before you pay.

Nomad’s other official offer is its referral programme. A friend’s referral code takes US$5 off a new user’s first plan, and the friend gets US$5 off their next purchase of US$5 or more once yours goes through. Referral credit generally can’t be combined with other promo codes, so pick one or the other.

Worked example with a referral code: the same UK 10GB, 30-day plan falls from US$17.50 (£13.13 / €15.59) to US$12.50 (£9.38 / €11.13).

Order matters here. Nomad says anyone who redeems the free trial loses access to other first-time promotions, and referral codes specifically won’t work on a purchase after a trial. If you want the US$5 off, buy first and test later.

Finally, Nomad Points: 25 points for every US$5 spent, with 100 points worth US$1, so roughly 5 per cent back. They expire after six months, which suits frequent flyers rather than the annual fortnight in Crete. Codes circulating on coupon sites come and go; Nomad itself says it won’t apply a forgotten code retrospectively.

Can you get a Nomad eSIM free? The trial explained

Yes. New users can claim a Trial eSIM with 1GB of 4G or 5G data, billed as lasting three days, without entering a credit card. It is redeemed only through the Nomad app, and the trial landing page lists 76 eligible destinations, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Turkey and much of Europe.

You can install it up to 15 days before you fly. If you don’t activate it, it switches on by itself 15 days after redemption, so don’t claim it a month early. One gigabyte won’t stream a box set, but it is enough for maps, messages and an Uber from the airport, and it tells you whether your phone and Nomad get along before you spend anything.

Nomad eSIM prices for the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan

Prices below are taken from Nomad’s own plan pages and listed in US dollars, with sterling and euro equivalents.

Destination	Plan	Validity	Price
UK	1GB	7 days	US$4.50 (£3.38 / €4.01)
UK	10GB	30 days	US$17.50 (£13.13 / €15.59)
UK	Unlimited (2GB a day at high speed)	7 days	US$25 (£18.76 / €22.27)
UK	Unlimited Full-Speed	30 days	US$49 (£36.77 / €43.64)
UK	5GB + 100 minutes + 100 texts	30 days	US$13 (£9.76 / €11.58)
Europe (35 countries)	1GB	7 days	US$5.50 (£4.13 / €4.90)
Europe (35 countries)	10GB	30 days	US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48)
Europe (35 countries)	Unlimited	10 days	US$34 (£25.51 / €30.28)
USA	10GB	30 days	US$15 (£11.26 / €13.36)
USA	Unlimited	7 days	US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48)
Japan	10GB	30 days	US$16 (£12.01 / €14.25), on sale
Japan	Unlimited	7 days	US$25 (£18.76 / €22.27)

A week in Lisbon on the Europe 10GB plan costs US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) and leaves plenty in reserve for the following trip, since the data lasts 30 days. Several larger plans are on sale at the time of writing (Europe 20GB at US$27, USA 50GB at US$30), but sale plans are excluded from LOCALS.

The word “unlimited” deserves care. Nomad’s help centre says most of its unlimited plans give 2GB of high-speed data a day, after which speeds drop to around 1 or 2 Mbps until the 24-hour allowance resets. The UK 30-day plan is sold as Unlimited Full-Speed, but the plan page doesn’t set out its fair-use terms, so check the plan details in the app before buying.

Europe also has the Nomad Pass, a US$3 (£2.25 / €2.67) monthly subscription with 1GB every 30 days and 15 per cent off regular Europe data plans. It auto-renews and can’t be refunded.

Where Nomad works: countries, regions and global plans

Nomad covers more than 200 destinations with single-country plans, plus regional bundles for Europe, Asia and the Americas and a global plan spanning up to 112 countries. Plans name the local networks they use: EE, Vodafone and Three in the UK, Verizon and AT&T in the US, and KDDI au and SoftBank in Japan.

The Europe plan covers 35 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Vatican City.

That makes it a sensible single purchase for a London to Lisbon rail odyssey, or a summer that drifts from Valletta to Split. Turkey, the Balkans outside the EU and Morocco are not on the list, so check before you board.

Nomad reviews: what travellers say

On Trustpilot Nomad scores 4.3 out of 5 from 46,588 reviews, with 72 per cent at five stars and 8 per cent at one star. The iPhone app holds 4.8 stars on the App Store.

The praise is consistent: easy installation, a clean app, reasonable prices and dependable coverage across many countries. Lucy, from the UK, called it a “brilliant find for travellers looking for easy access to data without high roaming charges.”

The complaints cluster around patchy connections in particular places (the US, India and Nepal come up), data usage that reviewers believe is overcounted, referral credit not appearing, and support that leans heavily on automated replies. Milind B., also from the UK, had a frustrating time in Tunisia: “Only WhatsApp and iMessage worked for me as well as my wife. Maps, banking apps, email did not work.”

How to set up Nomad, and when your plan starts

1. Download the Nomad app from the App Store or Google Play, or buy on nomadesim.com.
2. Create an account and, if you are new, decide whether to use a referral code or the free trial first (you can’t have both).
3. Choose your country, region or global plan and enter LOCALS in the “Add Promo Code” field if the plan is eligible.
4. Pay by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal.
5. Install the eSIM from the app or by scanning the QR code, ideally on home wifi before you leave.
6. On arrival, switch the Nomad line on for mobile data and turn on data roaming.

Validity starts when the eSIM activates on a local network, not when you install it, and plans must be activated within 60 days of purchase. Hotspot is permitted, so a family of four in Tokyo can run everyone’s phones off one parent’s 20GB plan, though Nomad notes that tethering stability varies by device and network, and on a daily-capped unlimited plan four teenagers will hit 2GB before lunch.

Most Nomad eSIMs are data only, with no phone number and no SMS. The exceptions are the Thailand eSIM and the UK voice plans, which add a local number, minutes and texts from US$13 (£9.76 / €11.58). Keep your home SIM active alongside for bank codes.

Nomad vs Airalo vs Holafly: which is cheaper for the UK?

UK plan	Nomad	Airalo	Holafly
Unlimited, 7 days	US$25 (£18.76 / €22.27)	US$27 (£20.26 / €24.05)	US$27.50 (£20.64 / €24.49)
Unlimited, 30 days	US$49 (£36.77 / €43.64)	US$69 (£51.78 / €61.45)	US$76.50 (£57.41 / €68.13)

On list prices Nomad wins both, and by a distance on a month: US$20 less than Airalo and US$27.50 less than Holafly. Codes shift the picture slightly. Nomad excludes unlimited plans from codes, whereas Airalo’s NEWTOAIRALO15 takes 15 per cent off a new customer’s first eSIM, bringing its 7-day UK plan to US$22.95 (£17.22 / €20.44) and its 30-day plan to US$58.65 (£44.01 / €52.23). Holafly’s LOCALS code takes 5 per cent off any plan. Each brand applies its own fair-use rules to unlimited data, so read the plan card before you buy.

For a week of heavy use, a first-time Airalo customer with the code edges it. For a month in Britain, Nomad’s full-speed plan is the cheapest of the three by some way. Holafly suits travellers who want one unlimited plan with minimal thought and don’t mind paying for it. On fixed data, Nomad’s Europe 10GB for 30 days at US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) beats Airalo’s equivalent at US$31 (£23.26 / €27.61).

Nomad eSIM FAQs

Is Nomad eSIM legit?
Yes. Nomad is run by LotusFlare, Inc., has traded since 2020 and holds 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 46,000 reviews. Like every eSIM brand, it draws complaints about coverage in specific places and slow support replies.

Does Nomad have a free trial?
New users can claim a free 1GB Trial eSIM in the Nomad app, with no credit card required. Redeeming it rules out other first-time promotions, including referral codes, afterwards.

Is there a Nomad eSIM promo code that works on unlimited plans?
No. Nomad’s terms exclude unlimited plans from promo codes, referral credit and points, and LOCALS follows the same rule. Codes do work on most fixed-data plans of US$5 or more that aren’t on sale.

Is Nomad’s unlimited data really unlimited?
Mostly not at full speed. Nomad’s help centre says most unlimited plans give 2GB of high-speed data a day, then slow to about 1 or 2 Mbps until the allowance resets 24 hours after activation.

Can I use a Nomad eSIM as a hotspot?
Yes, tethering works on most Nomad eSIMs. Nomad says stability can vary with your device and the local network, and it doesn’t guarantee hotspot performance in every case.

Does a Nomad eSIM give me a phone number?
Usually not. Nomad’s eSIMs are data only, apart from the Thailand eSIM and the UK voice plans, which include a local number. WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work over data on any plan.

Can I get a refund from Nomad?
Requests must be made within 30 days of purchase. An eSIM that hasn’t been installed or activated may be fully refundable, but unlimited plans, UK voice plans and the Nomad Pass are non-refundable.

Is Nomad cheaper than Airalo?
Often, yes, on list prices: Nomad’s UK 30-day unlimited is US$49 against Airalo’s US$69, and its Europe 10GB for 30 days is US$23 against US$31. A new Airalo customer using a 15 per cent first-order code can close the gap on shorter unlimited plans.

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