Buying an eSIM: where, for how much and what to check first

Step 1. Check a plan for your country exists at all

Advertised coverage and having a plan are different things. eSIM.World advertises 180 countries and has plans for five in the catalogue; eSIM365 advertises 150 and has plans for two; Yesim advertises 200 and has plans for 62.

Part of that reflects the state of our data — four vendors were captured by hand from their storefronts. Either way, check the specific destination. In the catalogue's country list each entry carries a mark like «3 of 6» — how many services actually price it. It is visible before you choose, which is why a thin destination does not look like a broken site.

Only Turkey and Thailand have a plan at all six. The UAE, Egypt and Georgia have five.

Step 2. How to pay

Unisim has a distinctive feature: it is the only one that names its own markup over the exchange rate — 12.1 %, billing at 89.51 ₽ per dollar. Minimum top-up is 15 $, and there is a volume bonus: 5 % from 40 $ and 10 % from 100 $.

eSIM Tayyor publishes prices in roubles itself and rounds them to …9 — all 1 111 plans. That means you pay the number you see, with no conversion on our side.

Step 3. Read the refund terms

• Yesim — refunds only for an unactivated product, 30 days. Activation counts from the first connection to a network, so you cannot check whether it works and then return it. Internal Ycoins are lost entirely on blocking.
• Unisim — 14 days and only for technical incompatibility with the device. After a successful installation there is no refund.
• eSIM.World — the offer refers refunds to an unnamed telecom operator. Unused traffic is forfeited.
• Just eSIM — the storefront and the agreement contradict each other on refunds; the agreement prevails.
• eSIM Tayyor and eSIM365 — refund terms undisclosed in the catalogue.

The general conclusion is simple: an eSIM is a product that is nearly impossible to return once installed. So check your phone's compatibility before buying, not after.

Step 4. See who is answerable to you

The Unisim discrepancy is not nitpicking. The type of counterparty in the agreement does not match the name on the shopfront: you contract with a sole trader while the footer and the App Store listing name a company. The same document's clause 2.5 states that information on the site is not an offer — meaning published prices are not legally binding.

Just eSIM adds jurisdiction: Hong Kong courts exclusively, regardless of where you live, and in a recovery action you pay their lawyers' fees. Its privacy policy has not been updated since 25 July 2022.

eSIM.World excludes liability entirely, with no ceiling at all.

Step 5. Check the technical constraints

• Installation at all six is by QR code. It needs working internet, so do it at home.
• eSIM.World — the QR lives 89 days before activation. Buying early is fine; installing on the plane is not.
• eSIM365 — a profile must not be deleted before its term expires; reinstallation is impossible.
• Yesim — requires its own app, and its storefront for Turkey and the UAE warns the app may not open in-country.
• eSIM.World — no app required.
• Tethering is declared at eSIM.World, Unisim, eSIM365 and Just eSIM; undisclosed at eSIM Tayyor and Yesim.
• When the clock starts — eSIM365's own FAQ is ambiguous: on some plans the term may begin right after installation rather than on arrival.

What vendors almost never disclose

Three fields are blank at nearly everyone, and it is worth knowing in advance:

• The full-speed threshold on «unlimited» plans. Only eSIM Tayyor names both numbers — the threshold and the speed beyond it. Yesim names no threshold on any plan.
• Permanent-roaming duration — after how many days a partner operator may disconnect the profile. Undisclosed at all six.
• The partner network. Three name it: eSIM.World, Unisim and eSIM365. The rest do not.