Everything that is 'Swiss made' has a rock-solid reputation. Now it turns out that Yesim, a new eSIM provider, is also Swiss Made. So we immediately started testing this eSIM service to see what it is like. Here are our experiences and review after using Yesim eSIMs.
Yesim is an eSIM provider from Switzerland. They offer eSIM for travelers and business purposes. They offer coverage in over 200 destinations. Yesim has a wide range of data plans.
Table of Contents
Y Coins
Y Coins are Yesim's own coins and reward system. 100 Y Coins are worth €1 Euro. Once you have signed up to Yesim you can start inviting friends and family to Yesim. If they accept the invitation you get rewarded with Y Coins. You can also earn Y Coins as rewards on purchases.
For every purchase you do you get a certain percentage of Y Coins in your Yesim wallet. If you're a frequent user this amount can add up quickly and makes you save money on mobile internet as you can use the Y Coins to purchase data plans.
Data plans
The Yesim website offers a clear overview of the data plans that you can purchase. You can opt for local plans, where you purchase a data plan for a specific country. You can also opt for region plans, where you, for example, purchase a data plan for the whole of Europe. They also offer global data plans if you visit multiple countries around the world in a certain period of time.
They also have data plans for cities on their website. Something that we have not yet seen with other eSIM providers. But if you're going on a city trip for a few days, this can be quite useful.
Standard and unlimited plans
If you search for data plans on the Yesim website, you will quickly see that they offer two types of plans per destination. Standard speaks for itself and you get a set amount of data for a set amount of days.
With the unlimited plans you get unlimited data for the amount of days that you purchase. However...
Always be careful with unlimited data plans, they are NOT truly unlimited and Traveltomtom is not a fan of these kind of plans, definitely not if the eSIM provider does not enclose what is the so called Fair Use Policy (FUP).
This means that after you used a certain amount of GB's on a day your internet speed will be reduced to a bare minimum and your eSIM becomes useless for the rest of the day.
It was a bit of a search but I found the following on the Yesim website:
To meet the high demands of our users, we at Yesim have developed unlimited plans to meet their needs. However, due to the Fair Usage Policy (FUP), after reaching a certain amount of provided data some speed reduction might be applied.
We provide thе following types of Unlimited Plans:
- Unlimited data plan for 7 days
- Unlimited data plan for 15 days
- Unlimited data plan for 30 days
After using the allocated amount of high-speed wireless data, users still have access to unlimited data. Fair Usage Policy allows users to use the internet for web browsing and emailing, providing uninterrupted access to online services at a lower speed.
This is as unclear as it can be, sorry Yesim but unless everything is clearly defined your unlimited data plans do not get my recommendation!
You can pay with money but also with their own Y Coins. You can easily switch between Euro, USD, GBP, etc.
What we like about purchasing process on the Yesim website is that you immediately have insight into what an eSIM exactly costs. In fact, you can even see what a particular data plan will cost you per day if you buy for a longer period.
If we look at their eSIM plans for Europe, the cheapest standard eSIM is $15.4 USD. For this you get 5 GB data for 30 days. 20 GB data is only $28.6 USD.
When we compare Yesim to Airalo we see that Yesim has much cheaper eSIM plans for Europe.
Click here to find more info or to order an eSIM from Yesim.
For some destinations Yesim is definitely much cheaper than other eSIM providers, yet Yesim is not the cheapest eSIM provider out there. But that does not mean that we immediately write them off based on price. What is cheap is not necessarily good or better.
Traveltomtom for example ranked Yesim high in our Albania eSIM comparison.
What we love is that Yesim shows which operators they are using in each country, which in some countries is an essential thing to know before choosing your eSIM. Yesim also discloses per country if the eSIMs are 5G ready.
When it comes to the unlimited plans Yesim will have to be much more specific and come with essential details before Traveltomtom starts recommended these plans.
Purchase data plans
Purchasing eSIM data plans from Yesim is quite simple, but it is necessary to create an account with Yesim. You only provide your e-mail address for this. You will then receive a verification code by email with which you can log in. If you want to log in again next time, enter your specified e-mail address again and you will receive a code to log in again. So you don't have to come up with and remember a new password for this.
Unfortunately you can not continue and buy an eSIM as a guest. It is mandatory to log in / sign up when buying a Yesim eSIM.
Choose your desired data plan and click 'buy now'. You will then arrive at the checkout, where you will immediately see how many Y Coins you will receive back in your account as cashback.
You can activate the Yesim data plans immediately, but you can also purchase them in advance and activate them later. For example, if you want to be well prepared for your trip. You will be given this option at checkout. Make sure you decide whether to activate the eSIM immediately or later.
If you have carefully checked your purchase and possibly checked the activate option later, you can proceed with payment. Yesim offers various payment options.
If the purchase was successful, you will receive a confirmation by email.
Installation
The easiest way to activate your purchased eSIM is via the Yesim app. We will discuss this in detail later, but the Yesim app is not available everywhere. In our case, installation via the app was not possible so we did it manually. The email you receive has clear instructions to install the eSIM manually. You can also easily activate and install the eSIM via the QR code in the email.
After scanning the QR code, the phone will automatically install the eSIM from Yesim. This may take several seconds. Once this is done, the Yesim eSIM will be in your SIM management on your phone. If you want to use this immediately, you must of course enable it and also indicate that your device must use the Yesim eSIM for data.
Installation couldn't be easier, scan the QR code and you're done! You don't need an extra app for this.
If the installation is successful, you will be online immediately. You don't have to do any extra steps for this. On the Yesim website you can now see an overview of your active eSIMs under 'my eSIMs'. Here you can see whether the eSIM is active, and also which plan you have for which countries.
You will also find the installation manuals for iOS and Android here, if you need them. But believe us, it will happen automatically if you scan the QR code from the email.
Virtual numbers
Nowadays there is a lot to do about online security. Properly securing your accounts is becoming increasingly important. Things like VPN and Two Factor Authentication should be standard equipment for anyone active online.
Now there is something new, namely Virtual Numbers. You can purchase and use virtual numbers if you want to purchase something online or do not want to enter your own telephone number anywhere. Such a number is very useful, because it means that you as a user cannot be traced. With a virtual number you remain anonymous online. We think it's a good thing that Yesim also provides these virtual numbers.
You can buy these virtual numbers for specific countries, but also for certain services where providing a telephone number is mandatory.
Purchasing and installing a virtual number is just as easy as with an eSIM.
Virtual numbers have quite a few advantages. The most important thing, of course, is that you remain anonymous online. Where you do not want to enter your own number, you can use a virtual number. Or where, for example, SMS verification is required, you can also use virtual numbers.
Virtual numbers are not connected to a SIM card and therefor can never be tied to a specific location, which can be very useful. What is super handy with the Yesim virtual numbers is that you can choose your own number. So choose a number that is logical or easy to remember.
Click here to learn more about Virtual Numbers from Yesim.
VPN service
According to their website and social media channels the Yesim eSIM plans come with a complimentary VPN. Within our Traveltomtom team we have multiple members with multiple devices. For writing this review a Samsung Galaxy S23 device was used. We had difficulties finding the complimentary VPN, so we contacted Yesim for some help. It turns out their free VPN with eSIM plans is only for iOS users. As an Android user the free VPN service is not available (yet).
That is of course a pity and, as far as we are concerned, also a missed opportunity. The free VPN service is communicated on their website and social media, not mentioning anything about iOS users only. Only after a long search and contact with customer service we discovered that this is not available to all users. Mentioning this in advance makes the service more customer-friendly and helps manage expectations. It would really be a great step if Yesim would offer this free VPN to all their users, not only iOS users.
Yesim App
Yesim has an app, but unfortunately it is not available in all countries. We tried to download this app on both Android and iOS in the Netherlands, UAE as well as in Switzerland but it appears to be unavailable. We have contacted Yesim about this and they indicate that there is already another existing app with the same name and that the Yesim app is therefore not allowed.
Their website offers the same functionalities as the app and so as a user you will have to use the website if the app is not available in your country.
Support
Yesim has an extensive support page with FAQ and manuals for problems you may encounter. You can also chat. Our experience is that this is a chatbot and we did not receive an immediate answer. We always received answers at a later stage by email from an employee. That said, the questions we asked about the app and the VPN were answered fairly quickly and clearly.
Pros and Cons
Here is our take on the pros and cons about Yesim.
Pros |
Cons |
Virtual numbers |
VPN only available for iOS users |
Easy installation & activation |
App not available worldwide |
Y Coins cashback system |
On unlimited data plans FUP is not clear |
Clear and extensive overview of |
|
Instant connected, great coverage |
|
Our overall thoughts
As you know, as Traveltomtom team we have already used and tested quite a few eSIM providers. We can therefore make a good comparison between the various providers. With Yesim we have some great experiences but there are definitely some things Yesim can improve on.
Once we were up and running with our eSIM, the connectivity was really great! We were directly connected and had a worry-free network anytime, anywhere. Absolutely nothing to complain about that.
There are certain issues we have encountered when using Yesim, that we have to mention.
Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to use the app, so we are bound to the website. The Yesim website has very long pages with an overload of information. We had some difficulty finding the correct information and have contacted customer service several times to get answers.
As we are Android users unfortunately the complimentary VPN doesn't count for us, as it is for iOS users only.
I think that is a missed opportunity and its not entirely fair.
On the other we quite like the Y Coins idea of Yesim. It is a kind of reward system and customer loyalty in one. It can be an important factor for customers to choose Yesim. If you get a percentage back in Y Coins for every purchase, it can add up quickly and is a fun way to save for free data plans.
Let us know your thoughts about Yesim in the comments below.
Interested in an eSIM from Yesim then click here to get more info or directly order your eSIM for your next trip abroad.