What Airalo asks for
- An Airalo account: buying on the website or in the app starts with signing up or logging in.
- The app: Airalo's help says you can buy without it, but installing, activating and using the eSIM happen in the app.
- The QR code and manual-install details sit inside the app, under Install or share.
How Inbox eSIM works instead
- No account and no app. You pay on the country page and the QR plus a one-tap Add eSIM link arrive by email.
- Your ticket page shows the install steps, live status and the top-up option, opened from the mail.
- Unused and not installed: cancel from the ticket within 30 days for a full refund to the card.
Prices side by side
Our prices against Airalo's for the same packs, with the date we read theirs, are on Inbox eSIM vs Airalo.
Airalo has plans and countries we do not, and an app some people like. The comparison page lists where it may suit you better.
Sources
- Airalo Help: how do I purchase an eSIM (read 6 October 2026)
- Airalo Help: download the Airalo app (read 6 October 2026)
- Airalo: how to activate an Airalo eSIM (read 6 October 2026)
Prices on Inbox eSIM are live. Other figures are as published by the sources on the dates shown.