The leading eSIM for seafarers is the Thailand-based AIS SIM2Fly. With its Asian and Global support, it is truly unmatched in price for its speed and flexibility.
The SIM2Fly has support for 80+ countries and is an MNO (Mobile Network Operator) and not an MVNO (virtual network). This makes the connectivity it provides highly stable, fast, and reliable, making it a very convenient eSIM for seafarers.
Many seafarers have already made the SIM2Fly their travel SIM card of choice, and the eSIM2Fly will allow them to benefit from its features even more conveniently, as it can be delivered digitally to anyone, anywhere in the world by QR code sent via email. Ship crew would highly value the convenience of not needing to acquire a physical SIM, as they would be able to easily connect to local networks anywhere they travel to.
3 Things that makes the AIS SIM2Fly a popular eSIM for Seafarers
- Cheapest prices in Asia
- Yearly Plans
- Easy Plan Sign ups
Cheapest Price in Asia
The price for 4GB in 20+ countries in Asia for 8 days is just 299 Baht or about 10 USD. That comes out to 2.50 USD per GB! This is truly a unique price unmatched by anything else at the moment. By comparison, the global plan is 800 Baht ($26.50) for 4GB, coming in at 200 Baht (6.50 USD) per GB. Google Fi and many other sit at $10 per GB, rendering even the Global plan price rather competitive.
Yearly Plan
We have seen many seafarers obtain a SIM2Fly for use with the yearly plan. The cost of the yearly plan is 2,700 baht or about 90 USD. It provides a whole year of working validity and 15 GB to use in any of the 80+ countries with which AIS has established a partnership. This comes out to $6 per GB, much cheaper than any similar plan offered by the likes of Google Fi, Gigsky or Truphone. If you use up the 15GB before your plan ends, it is not a problem – you can still benefit from 365 days of validity, so no need to worry about whether or not your SIM is active when you wish to add funds.
Easy Plan Sign Ups
Data plans can be signed up for via the AIS app or Call Center, but these methods may use data or calling credits. The fastest way to obtain a new data plan is using USSD codes. These codes can be entered right into the phone keypad – upon sending them out, the plan is immediately activated without consuming any of your existing data. They get sent out through the cellular network, at which point the MNO automatically applies the data plan. If you have no data and you’d like to add some, you would be out of luck if you exclusively utilize app-only SIM management. USSD codes are a must-have for any eSIM user!
How is the eSIM2Fly the best eSIM for seafarers?
The eSIM2fly has all the benefits of the AIS physical SIM, but it can be delivered digitally, by a QR code via email. For now, only newer phones are supported, but soon enough eSIMs will be part of all mobile phones. Similarly to the physical version, the eSIM2Fly provides you with a phone number that grants you the ability to make and receive calls and SMS texts. At times when data networks are clogged, the ability to be reachable via ultra-reliable SMS is quite an important back up feature to have – and this is conveniently provided by the eSIM2Fly, a very beneficial eSIM for seafarers.
