Holafly eSIM Review: How It Worked on Our Trip to France

Is Holafly worth using in France? After testing it on our recent family trip, I would happily use it again.

Holafly was easy to set up, gave Liv and me unlimited data for the duration of our plans and meant we did not have to spend the holiday watching our normal roaming allowances disappear.

It worked well in towns and better-connected areas, although the signal became less reliable when we ventured into seriously rural France. That is worth knowing, but it did not put me off.

Most things struggle in rural France apart from mosquitoes. Their coverage is flawless!

AD – Holafly provided us with €50 credit to try its eSIM service during our trip. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. All opinions, fishing victories and comments about determined French mosquitoes are entirely my own.

Why We Wanted Extra Data in France

Liv and I both use giffgaff at home, which runs on the O2 network. Our plans include 5GB of roaming data to use in Europe, so we were not going to arrive in France completely cut off from civilisation.

I am normally quite conservative with mobile data. However, working in digital marketing means I nearly always need some kind of connection. Emails still arrive, websites still require checking and social media does not politely pause because I am sitting in France with a glass of wine.

Then there is travelling with a teenager.

Trying to explain that 5GB needs to last the entire trip is usually met with the sort of eye-roll only a teenager can truly perfect. Apparently, watching TikTok videos 24 hours a day is now considered a basic holiday requirement.

Having separate Holafly eSIMs meant we could both use our phones without constantly checking how much of our usual roaming data remained.

Why We Chose Holafly

I first became aware of Holafly after watching far too many of Harry Jaggard’s travel vlogs.

He is very easy to listen to in the background while I work, although there is always a danger that I will stop working altogether and start looking at flights instead.

Harry regularly uses Holafly while travelling around the world. Seeing it used by someone who relies heavily on staying connected made me curious to try it for myself.

My thinking was that if it was reliable enough for a full-time travel vlogger uploading lengthy videos from around the world, it should be more than capable of handling our family trip to France.

How Easy Was Holafly to Set Up?

Holafly gave me €50 credit, which I used towards separate eSIMs for Liv and me.

An eSIM is essentially a digital version of a physical SIM card. You install it directly on a compatible phone, allowing you to use a separate mobile-data plan without removing your usual SIM card or changing your normal phone number.

We installed one Holafly eSIM on my Samsung and another on Liv’s iPhone, so we were able to try the process on both Android and iOS.

The buying process was straightforward:

1. Choose your destination.
2. Select how many days you need data for.
3. Choose the number of eSIMs required.
4. Complete the payment.
5. Follow the installation instructions.
6. Activate the eSIM when you arrive.

I recommend downloading the Holafly app before travelling. It is also much easier to install your eSIM at home while connected to reliable Wi-Fi. You can leave the travel line switched off until you reach your destination, then select it as the mobile-data line once you arrive.

It sounds far more technical written down than it felt in practice. The app guided us through the setup and when I had a question, Holafly’s customer service was quick to respond.

How Holafly Worked During Our France Trip

For most of the trip, Holafly gave us exactly what we wanted: plenty of data without worrying about reaching a small roaming limit.

We could use maps, check travel information, send messages, work online and share updates without watching the data counter like it was the final ten seconds of a football match.

One particularly useful moment came when we went fishing at a lake near where we were staying.

I was able to keep friends at home updated on my progress, especially when I caught a 4lb carp.

Go Sim!

Liv was officially appointed as the net person. She was happy enough helping to bring the fish in but absolutely was not prepared to hold one.

Unlimited access to TikTok? Essential.

Picking up a fish? Apparently a step too far.

Being able to send pictures and updates from beside the lake was brilliant and exactly the sort of everyday travel moment when having extra data comes in handy.

Does Holafly Work in Rural France?

Holafly worked better for us in towns and populated areas than it did in the most rural parts of our trip.

An eSIM still relies on the mobile networks available in your location. It cannot magically create a phone mast in the middle of the French countryside.

Around the lake and in particularly remote areas, the connection could be temperamental. That was not ideal, but rural coverage can be patchy regardless of which mobile provider or type of SIM you use.

I would still download important addresses, booking confirmations and offline maps before heading somewhere very remote.

What We Liked and What You Should Know

The biggest benefit was how little we had to think about Holafly once everything was installed.

We could install the eSIMs before leaving home, the process worked on both Samsung and iPhone and Liv and I each had our own data plan. We kept our normal SIM cards and phone numbers, customer service was quick to respond and we could switch the travel lines off when we no longer needed them.

Before buying, check that your phone supports eSIM technology and is unlocked for use with another network.

It is also worth remembering that coverage will still depend on the mobile networks available at your destination. Remote areas may have a slower or less reliable signal, no matter how generous your data plan is.

Quick Holafly eSIM Questions

Does Holafly replace your normal SIM or phone number?

No. We kept our usual giffgaff SIM cards and phone numbers, then selected Holafly as the mobile-data connection.

WhatsApp continued to work with our existing numbers, contacts and conversations. You can also keep your usual SIM active for calls and texts, although you should check your settings carefully so it does not continue using roaming data in the background.

Is Holafly really unlimited and can you share the data?

Our plans included unlimited data for the number of days we selected and we did not encounter a data cap during the trip. You can check the latest Holafly plans for your destination and it is worth looking out for the email sign-up box too, as you can currently get 10% off by subscribing.

Some Holafly plans also allow hotspot sharing, although the amount available can vary. We preferred having an eSIM each so neither of us had to remain close to the other person’s phone or drain one battery by leaving a hotspot running.

Can you switch the eSIM off when your trip ends?

Yes. Once we no longer needed Holafly, we switched the eSIM off in our phone settings and returned our usual SIMs to being the main data connections.

There was no need to remove a physical SIM card or change our normal phone numbers, which was one of the things I liked most about using an eSIM.

Would We Use Holafly Again?

Yes, I would use Holafly again.

It gave Liv and me more freedom to use our phones without worrying about exhausting our usual 5GB roaming allowances. It also gave me the reassurance of knowing I could stay connected for work, directions, travel information and important fishing updates.

The signal was not perfect in the most rural parts of France, but that felt like a limitation of the local mobile coverage rather than the eSIM setup itself.

In towns and better-connected areas, it worked well and was very easy to manage.

For city breaks, road trips and longer family holidays, particularly when your normal mobile plan includes limited or expensive roaming data, Holafly is a convenient option.

It also avoids repeated conversations about conserving data with a teenager, which may be its greatest selling point of all.

You may also find my guide to the best ways to stay connected when travelling useful when preparing for your next trip.