Ubigi is the eSIM brand of Transatel, the Paris operator now owned by Japan’s NTT, and it behaves less like a reseller than a proper mobile network. New customers can take 10% off their first data plan; here is what that buys you, and where Ubigi sits against Airalo and Nomad.
Promo Code offer: 10% off your first Ubigi eSIM data plan
Promo Code: WELCOME10
Who qualifies: new Ubigi customers, on their first data plan purchase
Key terms: applies to every destination and plan in the catalogue except monthly (auto-renewing) plans; enter the code in the coupon field in the Ubigi app before choosing a payment method; limited-time offer with no published end date; cannot be combined with UbiCoins loyalty credit.
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | WELCOME10 |
| Welcome offer | 10% off your first Ubigi eSIM data plan |
| Who qualifies | New Ubigi customers, on their first data plan purchase |
| Key terms | Every destination and plan except monthly (auto-renewing) plans; limited-time offer with no published end date; cannot be combined with UbiCoins |
| How to claim | In the Ubigi app, enter the code in the coupon field before choosing a payment method |
Ubigi: key facts
- Official website: ubigi.com
- Owner: Transatel (NTT Group)
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- Founded: 2017 (Ubigi eSIM service)
- Support: Live chat: AI chat assistant first, human help via tickets (hours not stated)
- Ratings: App Store 4.5 (4.9k ratings, UK App Store)
- Headline offer: 10% off your first Ubigi eSIM data plan
- Promo Code: WELCOME10
- Price from: US$7 (£5.25 / €6.23), Europe 3GB for 30 days
- Free plan or trial: No standing free trial; occasional partner offers of 500MB free data
- Payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal (app only), JCB (app only), UnionPay, Diners Club, Discover
- Best features: Unlimited plans cheaper than Airalo's in the UK, USA and Europe; One eSIM profile reused trip after trip; Owned by a genuine operator, Transatel (NTT Group)
Key facts
- Coverage: 200+ destinations (the World plan lists 201)
- Plan types: country plans, regional bundles (Europe, Europe Extended and others), a World plan, monthly and annual subscriptions
- Cheapest plan: Europe 3GB for 30 days at US$7 (£5.25 / €6.23)
- Unlimited from: US$21 (£15.76 / €18.70) for seven days in the UK (25GB at full speed, then 2Mbps)
- Free plan or trial: no standing free trial; occasional partner offers of 500MB free data
- Hotspot: yes, data sharing is allowed on all plans we checked
- Phone number: no, data only
- App Store: 4.6/5 from 11,000 ratings
Verdict
Ubigi is the grown-up option among travel eSIMs. Its unlimited plans undercut Airalo in the UK, USA and Europe, the eSIM stays on your phone between trips, and the app keeps working even when your data has run dry. The trade-offs are a fair-use cap on “unlimited”, no phone number and customer service that leans heavily on an AI assistant.
Pros
- Unlimited plans are cheaper than Airalo’s in the UK, USA and Europe on like-for-like validity
- Validity starts when you land, not when you buy, and unactivated plans keep for six months
- One eSIM profile, reused trip after trip, topped up from the app
- Hotspot sharing allowed, so one plan can cover a laptop or a travelling companion
- Owned by a genuine operator (Transatel, part of NTT), not a middleman
Cons
- “Unlimited” means 25GB at full speed on seven-day plans and 60GB on 30-day plans, then 2Mbps
- Data only: no local number for calls or texts
- The welcome code is app-only and excludes monthly plans
- Monthly subscriptions lock you in for three months
- Support starts with an AI chat assistant, with human help via tickets
Ubigi discount codes and referral credit: what actually works
There is no Locals Insider or DailyStoke-exclusive code for Ubigi, so the offer that counts is Ubigi’s own: 10% off your first eSIM data plan. Ubigi publishes it in its help centre as WELCOME10, and the same 10% welcome discount is offered on its homepage to anyone who signs up for the newsletter. It works on every destination and every one-off or annual plan, but not on monthly subscriptions.
The code goes into the coupon field in the Ubigi app, and it has to be entered before you pick a payment method. Ubigi’s instructions are written for the app only, so if you buy on the website and the field refuses it, switch to the app.
Worked example: a month in London on the UK Unlimited 30-day plan costs US$44 (£33.02 / €39.19). With 10% off, you pay US$39.60 (£29.72 / €35.27), a saving of US$4.40 (£3.30 / €3.92).
The referral scheme is more generous. A friend who uses your referral code gets 20% off their first plan bought in the app, which on the same London plan brings the price down to US$35.20 (£26.41 / €31.35). Each time your code is used, you receive a coupon for 50% off your next data plan. You need to have made one top-up in the app before your own code appears.
Then there is UbiClub, the loyalty scheme. Every purchase in the app earns UbiCoins worth up to 8% of what you paid, valid for 365 days and spendable as an instant discount on the next one-off or annual plan. The catch: UbiCoins and promo codes cannot be used together, and website purchases earn nothing. Codes circulating on coupon sites and publisher partnerships come and go; treat any figure you find there with suspicion until you see it applied at checkout.
Is there a Ubigi free trial or free eSIM?
Not as a standing offer. Unlike Nomad, which gives new users a free 1GB, three-day trial, Ubigi does not have a permanent free plan on its main site.
It has, however, run partner promotions on its own website for readers of certain tech publications, giving 500MB of free data across 200+ destinations on sign-up. These are tied to specific partner pages, have no published end date and are not open to everyone, so do not plan a trip around one. If you simply want to test the network before committing, the cheapest Europe plan at US$7 (£5.25 / €6.23) is a sensible trial run.
Ubigi prices: what a week or a month really costs
Ubigi lists prices in US dollars by default, with euro, sterling and other currencies available at checkout. The figures below were taken from Ubigi’s plan pages on 20 October 2026.
| Destination | Plan | Validity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 10GB | 30 days | US$11 (£8.25 / €9.80) |
| UK | Unlimited (25GB full speed) | 7 days | US$21 (£15.76 / €18.70) |
| UK | Unlimited (60GB full speed) | 30 days | US$44 (£33.02 / €39.19) |
| Europe (38 countries) | 3GB | 30 days | US$7 (£5.25 / €6.23) |
| Europe (38 countries) | 10GB | 7 days | US$12 (£9.00 / €10.69) |
| Europe (38 countries) | 10GB | 30 days | US$15 (£11.26 / €13.36) |
| Europe (38 countries) | Unlimited (25GB full speed) | 7 days | US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) |
| USA | 10GB | 7 days | US$12 (£9.00 / €10.69) |
| USA | Unlimited (25GB full speed) | 7 days | US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) |
| USA | Unlimited (60GB full speed) | 30 days | US$62 (£46.52 / €55.22) |
| Japan | 10GB | 30 days | US$16.50 (£12.38 / €14.69) |
| Japan | Unlimited (25GB full speed) | 7 days | US$25 (£18.76 / €22.26) |
A week in Lisbon on the 10GB Europe plan is generous for maps, messaging and the odd film on the train, and at US$12 it costs less than a decent lunch. The unlimited plans make more sense for remote workers: 25GB at full speed over seven days is roughly 3.5GB a day before the 2Mbps slowdown, which is still enough for email and maps but not for a video call in high definition.
Ubigi also sells monthly plans, such as UK Unlimited at US$26 (£19.51 / €23.16) a month or World 5GB at US$17 (£12.76 / €15.14) a month. These renew automatically and can only be cancelled after three months, so they suit expats and frequent commuters rather than holidaymakers.
Where Ubigi works: countries, regions and coverage
Ubigi covers more than 200 destinations, with its World plan listing 201. Transatel has agreements with more than 200 mobile operators, and in many countries you get a choice of networks: EE and Three in the UK, T-Mobile in the USA, and KDDI, NTT Docomo and SoftBank in Japan.
The Europe bundle covers 38 countries: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the UK. Including the UK and Switzerland is handy for anyone combining London with the Alps.
A wider Europe Extended bundle sits above it, starting at US$35 (£26.26 / €31.17) for 10GB over 30 days, and the World plan covers the long-haul itinerary. Two small print points: USA plans include Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands but not Alaska, and residents of Canada and the UAE cannot use the World plan at home.
What travellers say about Ubigi
On the App Store, the Ubigi app holds 4.6 out of 5 from around 11,000 ratings, which is a strong showing for a category where people tend to leave reviews only when something has gone wrong.
The praise is consistent: wide coverage, a strong signal in rural areas and the convenience of keeping one eSIM for years. “Ubigi worked great on a recent month-long trip to Italy,” wrote D Tubales on the App Store. The complaints tend to concern customer service. One App Store reviewer, jayemarie222, called it “the worst customer service experience imaginable.”
That split is fairly typical of the sector. The network side of Ubigi works well; the sticking point comes when something goes wrong and you need a human being quickly.
How to set up Ubigi and use it abroad
- Check your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to a single network. Ubigi works on iPhones, most recent Android flagships, tablets and some Windows laptops; iPhones sold in mainland China are excluded.
- Download the Ubigi app from the App Store or Google Play and create an account.
- Install the Ubigi eSIM profile while you are still on Wi-Fi at home.
- Choose your plan, enter the welcome code in the coupon field and pay. Ubigi takes Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay and Google Pay; PayPal and JCB work in the app only.
- On arrival, switch mobile data to the Ubigi line and turn on data roaming for it. Keep your home SIM active for calls and texts if you want them.
- Top up from the app when you run low. It stays reachable even with no data left, so you are not hunting for café Wi-Fi.
When validity starts: Ubigi uses what it calls Smartstart, so the clock starts when the plan activates on arrival at your destination, not at purchase. A plan that is never activated expires six months after you buy it.
Hotspot: data sharing is allowed, and the help centre has tethering instructions for iPhone and Android. A family of four sharing one phone’s hotspot in Tokyo will get through a 25GB unlimited week faster than they think, so a 10GB plan each is often the cheaper route.
Phone number: none. Ubigi is data only; use WhatsApp, iMessage or FaceTime for calls, or keep your home line for SMS.
Refunds: only for plans you have not used at all. Requests go through an online form within 14 business days of purchase, and successful refunds are paid back to the original payment method within ten business days.
Ubigi vs Airalo vs Nomad: which is cheaper?
Prices for the same destination and validity, taken from each provider’s official site. Unlimited plans carry fair-use limits that differ between brands.
| Plan | Ubigi | Airalo | Nomad |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK unlimited, 7 days | US$21 (£15.76 / €18.70) | US$27 (£20.26 / €24.05) | US$25 (£18.76 / €22.26) |
| UK unlimited, 30 days | US$44 (£33.02 / €39.19) | US$69 (£51.78 / €61.45) | US$49 (£36.77 / €43.64) |
| Europe 10GB, 30 days | US$15 (£11.26 / €13.36) | US$31 (£23.26 / €27.61) | US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) |
| USA unlimited, 7 days | US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) | US$25 (£18.76 / €22.26) | US$23 (£17.26 / €20.48) |
| USA unlimited, 30 days | US$62 (£46.52 / €55.22) | US$68 (£51.03 / €60.56) | Not listed |
On these numbers Ubigi beats Airalo on every like-for-like plan, and by a wide margin on the month-long UK and Europe options. Airalo’s Europe 3GB seven-day plan at US$11 (£8.25 / €9.80) is the one place it looks competitive, until you notice Ubigi sells 10GB for seven days at US$12 (£9.00 / €10.69). Airalo’s advantages lie elsewhere: a large catalogue of small country plans and a 15% first-order code (NEWTOAIRALO15) that narrows the gap.
Nomad’s draw is its free 1GB, three-day trial for new users and a Locals Insider reader discount with the code LOCALS, although that code does not apply to unlimited plans. Pick Ubigi if you travel several times a year, want unlimited data without paying a premium and like the idea of one eSIM that simply stays on your phone. Pick Airalo for a single short trip to somewhere unusual, and Nomad if you want to try before you buy.
Ubigi FAQs
Is Ubigi legit?
Yes. Ubigi is run by Transatel, a Paris-based mobile operator that is part of NTT Group, and it has been selling eSIM data since 2017. It operates its own core network rather than reselling another company’s service.
Does Ubigi have a promo code for new customers?
Yes. Ubigi’s own welcome code gives 10% off your first eSIM data plan on any destination, excluding monthly plans. Enter it in the coupon field in the app before choosing how to pay.
Is Ubigi unlimited data really unlimited?
Not quite. Seven-day unlimited plans give 25GB at full speed and 30-day plans give 60GB, after which speed drops to 2Mbps for the rest of the plan. That is enough for messaging, maps and email, but not for streaming in HD.
Does Ubigi give you a phone number?
No. Ubigi is a data-only service, so there is no local number for calls or SMS. You can make calls over WhatsApp or FaceTime, or keep your home SIM active alongside it.
Can I use Ubigi as a hotspot?
Yes. Ubigi’s plan pages state that data sharing is allowed, and its help centre explains how to set up tethering on iPhone, Android and Windows. Hotspot use counts towards your plan’s data and fair-use allowance.
When does a Ubigi plan start?
When you arrive. Ubigi’s Smartstart system activates the plan once you connect in a covered destination, so you can buy before you fly. Unactivated plans expire six months after purchase.
Can I get a refund from Ubigi?
Only if you have not used any of the plan. Requests go through Ubigi’s online form within 14 business days of purchase, and approved refunds reach your original payment method within ten business days.
Is Ubigi cheaper than Airalo?
For unlimited data in the UK, USA and Europe, yes: Ubigi’s UK unlimited 30-day plan costs US$44 (£33.02 / €39.19) against Airalo’s US$69 (£51.78 / €61.45). Airalo can still work out cheaper for short trips to destinations where Ubigi’s smallest plan is larger than you need.
More on DailyStoke
Travel eSIMs, ranked · GigSky review · Maya Mobile review · The best VPNs for travellers
