Sim card for Dubai

[Countdown]

There are 5 of us traveling to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in a couple of weeks and the kids are likely to want to be doing their "own thing" and wandering off so I want to make sure they can get in touch with us and vice versa.

the last time we went my wife and I got free "Du" sims at the airport but they only lasted a day and then needed topping up. What's the best option for us all; is it still getting a local Sim card and topping up or will e-sims work? bearing in mind we will be using whatsapp to communicate most of the time

There look like some good deals here

https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/sim_only_d...

[The G Kid]

I go to Dubai several times a year for work. I used to pick up a local SIM from the stands just outside of customs on the left. Then progressed to the free DU sim you get from passport control, but you only get this if you don't use the e-gates (which means you have to queue). Now I just use an Airalo e-sim, and these work perfectly fine.

[Countdown]

Thanks

Just reading up on E-sims - it looks like it's "data only" so i wont be able to use normal voice calling or normal texts. That wont be a problem as we should be able to use whatsapp but is that correct?

[abzmike]

Countdown said:

Thanks

Just reading up on E-sims - it looks like it's "data only" so i wont be able to use normal voice calling or normal texts. That wont be a problem as we should be able to use whatsapp but is that correct?

Yes, WhatsApp and iMessage, FaceTime calls work fine,
I’ve started using Revolut eSims… few weeks ago in Bali, this week in the US… a doddle to install from the Revolut app. £8 for 3Gb maybe not the cheapest but very easy.

[RizzoTheRat]

You can get some e-sims that include calls and texts, but they're mainly data. I used an Airalo one in South Africa at the recommendation of another thread on her and it worked fine, using Whatsapp for voice calls if needed.

Check thier phones can definitely take an e-sim though, some older ones can't, and if you do go that route get a referral code from someone on here as you'll both get a discount.

[Countdown]

abzmike said:

Yes, WhatsApp and iMessage, FaceTime calls work fine,
I’ve started using Revolut eSims… few weeks ago in Bali, this week in the US… a doddle to install from the Revolut app. £8 for 3Gb maybe not the cheapest but very easy.

Thanks

Sorry for another Noob question - do all e-sims work everywhere or are e-sims restricted (like normal sims) to particular countries or regions ? In other words I assume i need an e-sim that works in Dubai rather than just any random e-sim?

[RizzoTheRat]

Yes and no. If you take Airalo as an example, you install thier app, and then buy a package for the country you're in, eg 10GB of data valid for 30 days. I would assume other big providers work in a similar way.

[Countdown]

RizzoTheRat said:

Yes and no. If you take Airalo as an example, you install thier app, and then buy a package for the country you're in, eg 10GB of data valid for 30 days. I would assume other big providers work in a similar way.

[ecs]

You might find that using your UK SIM and paying the roaming charges is one of the most cost effective options. Vodafone charges about £5 a day for my UK SIM out there and I'm paying about 210 AED for a post-paid Du SIM. Pre-paid would be cheaper but getting a tourist SIM from Du/Etisalat will involve spending a lot of time in the shop while they take all your personal information in excuciating detail. You'll be able to get WiFi in almost every shop and hotel you visit too.

The specific roaming eSIM providers that another poster mentioned could also be a good option, something I need to look into at some point.

[FamousPheasant]

I've taken to using Saily for my business travel data e-sims. Really easy to use and seem pretty price competitive. All done via the app as with other providers.

[The G Kid]

Countdown said:

Thanks

Sorry for another Noob question - do all e-sims work everywhere or are e-sims restricted (like normal sims) to particular countries or regions ? In other words I assume i need an e-sim that works in Dubai rather than just any random e-sim?

Yes, you need a Dubai/UAE one. And you need to make sure your phones can handle e-sims.

[CraigyMc]

The G Kid said:

Countdown said:

Thanks

Sorry for another Noob question - do all e-sims work everywhere or are e-sims restricted (like normal sims) to particular countries or regions ? In other words I assume i need an e-sim that works in Dubai rather than just any random e-sim?

Yes, you need a Dubai/UAE one. And you need to make sure your phones can handle e-sims.

No, that's not quite right. You could easily use a global one from airalo. I've done it.

Airalo do a global eSim (135 countries), a regional eSim (14 countries) and a country-specific eSim just for UAE. Predictably, the global eSim covers UAE, as does the middle-east-regional one.

airalo global (called "discover") is for example 15 days/2GB @ £13.50
airalo regional (called "menalink" for the middle east) is 15 days/2GB @£22
airalo local (called "Burj Mobile" for UAE) is 15 days/2GB @£5.50

If you're wondering what the point of a middle-east specific eSim that's more expensive than a global one with evidently similar coverage, it's because of coverage in places like Iraq on the MEA one that isn't on the global one.

The global one would work for daytrips to qatar/saudi if you were doing stuff like that, where the UAE-specific one would not.

I mention the global one because airalo do a 365 day eSim with 20GB on it for £54 total, which is pretty cool if you hop around a lot.

[Countdown]

CraigyMc said:

I mention the global one because airalo do a 365 day eSim with 20GB on it for £54 total, which is pretty cool if you hop around a lot.

Interesting stuff - I don't travel much outside of holidays but my wife does so that would be perfect for her. (That being said hers is a work mobile so I'm sure theyve got something sorted out)

[The G Kid]

CraigyMc said:

No, that's not quite right. You could easily use a global one from airalo. I've done it.

Airalo do a global eSim (135 countries), a regional eSim (14 countries) and a country-specific eSim just for UAE. Predictably, the global eSim covers UAE, as does the middle-east-regional one.

airalo global (called "discover") is for example 15 days/2GB @ £13.50
airalo regional (called "menalink" for the middle east) is 15 days/2GB @£22
airalo local (called "Burj Mobile" for UAE) is 15 days/2GB @£5.50

If you're wondering what the point of a middle-east specific eSim that's more expensive than a global one with evidently similar coverage, it's because of coverage in places like Iraq on the MEA one that isn't on the global one.

The global one would work for daytrips to qatar/saudi if you were doing stuff like that, where the UAE-specific one would not.

I mention the global one because airalo do a 365 day eSim with 20GB on it for £54 total, which is pretty cool if you hop around a lot.

Sorry, I clumsily worded my response. I meant you needed one that covered Dubai/UAE (as opposed to a European one, for example).

[CraigyMc]

The G Kid said:

CraigyMc said:

No, that's not quite right. You could easily use a global one from airalo. I've done it.

Airalo do a global eSim (135 countries), a regional eSim (14 countries) and a country-specific eSim just for UAE. Predictably, the global eSim covers UAE, as does the middle-east-regional one.

airalo global (called "discover") is for example 15 days/2GB @ £13.50
airalo regional (called "menalink" for the middle east) is 15 days/2GB @£22
airalo local (called "Burj Mobile" for UAE) is 15 days/2GB @£5.50

If you're wondering what the point of a middle-east specific eSim that's more expensive than a global one with evidently similar coverage, it's because of coverage in places like Iraq on the MEA one that isn't on the global one.

The global one would work for daytrips to qatar/saudi if you were doing stuff like that, where the UAE-specific one would not.

I mention the global one because airalo do a 365 day eSim with 20GB on it for £54 total, which is pretty cool if you hop around a lot.

Sorry, I clumsily worded my response. I meant you needed one that covered Dubai/UAE (as opposed to a European one, for example).

[Countdown]

One of my kids tells me that the local Telecoms providers aren’t big fans of E-sims and get them blocked and there are a few Reddit posts suggesting the same thing.

Any truth to this?

https://reddit.com/r/dubai/comments/1dnfogt/airalo...

[The G Kid]

Countdown said:

One of my kids tells me that the local Telecoms providers aren’t big fans of E-sims and get them blocked and there are a few Reddit posts suggesting the same thing.

Any truth to this?

https://reddit.com/r/dubai/comments/1dnfogt/airalo...

I can only comment on my experiences, and I have never had an issue. I have had issues trying to top up local sims and the one they give you at the airport though!

ETA; I haven't been since June, and a lot of those comments appear to be from post June,. I always use a VPN anyway, and when I next go in Nov I will purchase before I leave the UK.

Edited by The G Kid on Monday 7th October 21:35

[shirt]

I’d go with the free Du sim and top it up. 1Gb is 5 dirhams (£1.04). Every mall, hotel, cafe, bar or restaurant has free WiFi.

You will need a VPN for WhatsApp voice calls but even then it’s clunky. VPN’s won’t work at all when on the mobile network. The local version of Skype is called Botim, works perfectly on mobile and WiFi, and is free to call any other phone with it installed.

Edited by shirt on Tuesday 8th October 02:29

[abzmike]

Countdown said:

Thanks

Sorry for another Noob question - do all e-sims work everywhere or are e-sims restricted (like normal sims) to particular countries or regions ? In other words I assume i need an e-sim that works in Dubai rather than just any random e-sim?

The Revolut setup asks what country you need. UAE is included for £7 for 3Gb of data over 30 days.

[SP_]

WhatsApp calls officially don't work in the UAE, it's a bit iffy but wouldn't rely on it. Messages are fine.