Bottom line: Saily suits travelers who take several trips a year and want to set up once. You install one eSIM, then add each new destination to it. If you change phones, you reinstall the same eSIM with your email. Every plan also comes with an ad blocker, web protection and a virtual location. The thing to know before you buy: once the eSIM is installed and a plan is active, a refund is no longer guaranteed.
Best for: frequent travelers, people who switch phones, and anyone who wants ad blocking on mobile data abroad.
Think twice if: you need a local phone number with calls in a specific country, or you aren’t sure the trip will happen.
We earn a commission if you buy through our link. We pick no winner between travel eSIMs. How we review.
Updated 29 October 2026. This Saily review rests on what Saily publishes and what we could check that day: its homepage, its security features page, and its help center articles on reinstalling and refunds. Saily comes from Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN, so you’ll see the same security ideas in it.
Saily review at a glance
| What we checked | What Saily publishes |
|---|---|
| How it works | One eSIM; you add destinations and top up |
| Plans | From 1 GB to unlimited, local, regional and global |
| Activation | When you reach your destination, or 180 days after purchase |
| Reinstall | Yes, even on a different device, with the same email |
| Security | Virtual location (115+ locations), ad blocker, web protection, on every plan |
| Calls and texts | Optional US phone number, monthly subscription |
| Refunds | Full refund within 30 days if the eSIM wasn’t installed or the plan wasn’t activated |
What Saily does well
You install it once
Most travel eSIMs work like a new SIM card for each trip: buy, install, use, delete. Saily works differently. Its homepage puts it simply: “Add new destinations to your existing Saily eSIM — no need to install new eSIMs every time.”
In practice, that saves the most annoying step of every trip. You set up Saily at home, once. Before the next trip, you buy a plan in the app and the same eSIM picks it up. The plan switches on when you land, or 180 days after you bought it, whichever comes first.
A new phone doesn’t cost you the eSIM
Removing an eSIM by mistake is the classic travel-eSIM disaster. It turns out that with Saily, it isn’t one. Its help center says you can reinstall your eSIM “and even use it on a different device as long as you are using the same email address” to log in to the app. If you’ve upgraded your phone between trips, log in on the new one and reinstall.
Security comes on every plan
Saily’s security page says: “Every plan includes a virtual location, ad blocker, and web protection — at no extra cost.” That’s three tools, switched on in the app:
- Virtual location routes your traffic through a remote server, with 115+ locations to choose from. Handy when an app at home only works from your country.
- Ad blocker stops ads before they load. Saily cites a West Coast Labs test in which it saved users 28.6% of their data on average. That figure comes from Saily’s own page, so read it as Saily’s claim.
- Web protection checks the sites you visit against a database of known threats.
Honestly, the ad blocker is the one most travelers will feel. Less data spent on ads means a small plan lasts longer.
A number for calls, if you need one
Saily is data first. If you also want to call and text, you can add a US phone number through the app with a monthly subscription. That number works over your data, wherever you are.
Where Saily falls short
The refund window closes at activation
Saily’s refund rule is clear, and it’s the one to read before you buy. You can get a full refund within 30 days of purchase if the eSIM wasn’t installed or the plan wasn’t activated. Once it’s installed and active, Saily treats it as used, so a full refund isn’t guaranteed. It may still consider a partial or full refund case by case.
The practical fix: don’t buy a plan for a trip you’re unsure about. Installing early is fine. Most people who lose money here activated a plan for a trip that then moved.
Calls and texts cost extra
The US number is a separate monthly subscription. If you want a local number in the country you’re visiting, with local calls, Saily isn’t built for that.
Unlimited means fair use
Saily sells unlimited plans, and like every unlimited eSIM they come with a fair-use policy. When you plan heavy video calls or hotspot use, read it first. Don’t skip that page.
Three real travel situations, and how Saily handles them
A two-country trip. Say you fly to Lisbon, then take a train to Madrid. With a single-country eSIM you’d juggle two installs. With Saily you either buy a regional plan that spans both, or add a second destination to the eSIM you already have. Nothing new to scan, no second QR code.
Your phone breaks mid-trip. A cracked screen in a market, a replacement handset from a shop near the hotel. This is where Saily’s reinstall rule earns its keep: log in to the app on the new phone with the same email and reinstall. Without that rule, a lost phone usually means a lost eSIM and a new purchase.
Working from a café on your laptop. Hotspotting a laptop eats data fast, especially with video calls. Here the ad blocker helps a little, and an unlimited plan helps a lot, but read the fair-use terms first, because heavy tethering is exactly what those terms are written for.
One gap worth knowing: the Saily pages we read don’t name the local network it uses in each country. If a specific carrier matters to you, for coverage in a remote area, check the destination page in the app before buying.
Saily or Airalo?
Saily and Airalo are the two eSIMs we cover, and we don’t pick a winner, because the right one depends on your trip. Saily is the stronger fit when you travel often, change phones, or want ad blocking built in. Airalo is the stronger fit when you want 200+ locations in one store, a plan that includes calls and texts in some countries, or support on WhatsApp. The full side-by-side is on Saily vs Airalo.
Who Saily suits
- You travel several times a year. One eSIM, many trips, no reinstalling.
- You switch phones often. Reinstall with the same email on the new device.
- You want to save mobile data. The ad blocker cuts the data spent on ads.
- You use apps that only work from home. The virtual location covers 115+ locations.
Who should look elsewhere
- You need a local number in your destination. Saily’s number is a US number.
- Your trip might not happen. Hold off on activating a plan until it’s booked.
- You want everything in one store with the most destinations listed. That’s Airalo’s pitch, at 200+ locations.
Before your first trip: a setup checklist
- Check your phone supports eSIM. Most new phones do, but carrier-locked phones may not.
- Install the eSIM at home, on Wi-Fi. You need a connection to download it.
- Buy the plan close to departure. It activates when you arrive, or 180 days after purchase.
- Turn on the ad blocker and web protection in the eSIM settings before you leave.
- Keep your login email handy. It’s how you reinstall the eSIM if you remove it or change phones.
When you land, switch your data line to Saily and turn on data roaming for that eSIM. Most people who think the eSIM is broken skip that last step.
How we checked Saily
We don’t claim tests we didn’t run. For this review we read Saily’s homepage, its security features page and its help center articles on reinstalling and refunds on 29 October 2026, and we quote them where it matters. Our five YouTube desks have published dozens of videos on travel eSIMs, built from Saily’s and Airalo’s own documentation; you’ll find them on the eSIM section and the videos page.
FAQ: Saily questions
Is Saily a good eSIM?
Yes, for frequent travelers. Its one-eSIM model and free reinstall on a new device remove the usual setup hassle, and every plan includes an ad blocker and web protection.
Can I reinstall my Saily eSIM?
Yes. Saily says you can reinstall it, even on a different device, as long as you log in to the app with the same email address.
Does Saily give refunds?
A full refund is available within 30 days of purchase if the eSIM wasn’t installed or the plan wasn’t activated. After that, a refund isn’t guaranteed.
Does Saily include a phone number?
Not by default. You can add a US phone number with a monthly subscription in the app.
Who makes Saily?
Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN.
When does a Saily plan start?
When you reach your destination, or 180 days after purchase if you haven’t arrived by then. So you can buy a few weeks ahead without losing days, but don’t buy half a year early.
Can I call on WhatsApp with Saily?
Yes. WhatsApp, FaceTime and other internet calling apps run over mobile data, so they work on any Saily data plan. You only need the US number add-on for ordinary phone calls and texts.
Should I delete Saily after my trip?
No need. Leave the eSIM installed and switch the data line back to your home SIM. Next trip, buy a plan and switch back. If you do delete it, you can reinstall it with your email.
The verdict
Saily is the travel eSIM to pick when you want to set up once and forget about it. One eSIM for every trip, a reinstall that survives a new phone, and security on every plan make it the easier choice for people who travel often. Know the refund rule, activate plans only for booked trips, and Saily is easy to recommend for that traveler.
Guides on eSIM & Travel
- How to Check eSIM Data Usage on iPhone, Android and in the AppYour eSIM provider's app shows how much data you have left; your phone's settings show how much you've used. Where to find both on iPhone and Android, and how to budget a 10-day trip.
- How to Move an eSIM to a New iPhone (and Travel eSIMs Too)Your carrier eSIM moves with Apple's eSIM Quick Transfer in a few taps, and the old iPhone's line switches off when the new one activates. Travel eSIMs follow their provider's rules instead: Saily can move, Airalo can't.
- Travel eSIM Explained: What It Is and How to Use OneA travel eSIM is a digital SIM you download before a trip, usually data only, that sits alongside your home SIM. What it is, which plan type to buy, how big a plan you need, and the order to set it up.