Airalo Review: How the Airalo eSIM Performed in Mexico City and Beyond

Quick explanation – what is Airalo eSIM?

How eSIM works: an eSIM is a digital SIM profile you download to your phone to access a local cellular connection in countries your cell phone plan doesn’t include, without swapping a physical SIM. 

The brand Airalo offers eSIM packages for 200+ countries. To access, you’ll purchase a data package in the Airalo app, install the profile, and select it as your data line in your phone’s settings.

Airalo Performance in Mexico: Connection Speeds & Reliability

I tested the eSIM from Airalo during a week-long trip around Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico in March 2026. The goal was simple: see how well the Airalo eSIM handled real travel tasks and how it would compare to my international plan.

• Device & OS: iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 18.6.2.
• Home carrier / plan used for comparison: T-Mobile Magenta® 1.0 Amplified (legacy plan) with up to 5 GB data in Mexico
• Testing window: week-long trip in March 2026.
• What I checked: side-by-side signal screenshots across locations (below), routine travel tasks (Google Maps, rideshare requests, metro top-up), looking up unfamiliar menu items, and general browsing/uploading.

For details on Airalo’s Mexico plans see Airalo’s Mexico eSIM page, and for more information on how Airalo works, see their explainer page here.

Mexico City Coverage: Did the eSIM instantly connect upon landing at MEX? 

I was so excited to arrive in Mexico City for this weeklong bucket-list adventure, and the first thing I did after clearing customs was start to set up my eSIM.

Did it connect instantly? Yes, once I completed the brief eKYC (e-Know Your Customer) ID verification and selected the Airalo profile as my data line it connected immediately. 

I recommend installing and purchasing the eSIM before your flight so activation is seamless on arrival, but if you wait until landing, there may be an extra step when eKYC is required. 

With the eSIM active I could order rideshares, message my husband who I was meeting, and get to the hotel without hunting for Wi-Fi, and having data on hand made translation and navigation effortless throughout the trip.

Rural/Adventure Coverage: How did the connection hold up in more remote areas of Mexico (e.g. Teotihuacan)?

One of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip was riding hot air balloons over the pyramids at Teotihuacan at sunrise, so we set our alarms and met our guide at 4:30 am to head on the long drive to the rural archaeological site outside of Mexico City.

After the bucket list hot air balloon ride I was getting cranky from hunger and lack of sleep, so we headed to La Gruta –  the TikTok-famous cave restaurant serving pre-Hispanic–inspired dishes inside of a cave. I was able to look up unfamiliar ingredients on the menu, order confidently, and continue on our adventure without any frustrations.

This was such a lovely way to spend a morning before continuing on with our private guided tour of the pyramids where we learned a ton about Mexico’s prehispanic history! 

Another interesting part of Mexican history, Xochimilco is an area of canals around man-made floating islands, a remnant of what once covered the entire city, which sits in a filled-in lake bed. 

It’s a little more outside the city, so connection dipped in places, but because I had both Airalo and my home plan available I could toggle between them and rarely lost the ability to check-in online. I could make the most of the long car rides and get some work done, because entrepreneurs rarely get to take time off completely!

See this Reddit post comparing networks available in Mexico, including Moviestar which is what Airalo uses, and TelCel, which is what my phone was most often using.

Bottom line: Airalo provided genuinely useful connectivity on these adventure days not perfect everywhere, but reliable enough that I didn’t feel cut off.

Here’s a comparison of screenshots I took throughout my trip. The P is my personal plan, generally on bottom, and the T is the Airalo eSIM:

Use Case: How I used Airalo every day on my Mexico trip

Over the week I relied on Airalo for the kinds of tasks every traveler needs: navigation, rideshares, topping transit cards, translating menus, and checking in with family. In practice the eSIM handled these routine needs smoothly: 

Navigation (Google Maps & driving): I used Airalo to follow directions getting around Mexico City with the complex public transportation system and never got lost. The bus times were accurate and we were able to see so much of the city with ease.

Transit top-ups: When our metro card ran out, I easily topped it up from my phone so we didn’t have to go find a machine and miss the next train.

Rideshares: Anytime we were tired of walking, we could easily order a rideshare without worrying about finding WiFi.

Menu translations & local research: At any point during our trip I could look up restaurant suggestions, unfamiliar ingredients, or learn more about a museum piece labeled only in Spanish

Staying in touch with family: Airalo kept my family confidently able to check in, which made the trip less stressful for both of us.

Working on the go: I cleared email and edited short posts during long car rides so travel felt restful but productive.

There were slow spots, as with any mobile network, so loading social media might have been finicky, but between Airalo and my home plan I never lost the ability to do anything important.

What I liked and what you should know about Airalo

Using an Airalo eSIM removes the biggest travel hassle – worrying about connectivity – so you can focus on the trip instead of hunting Wi-Fi or rationing data. For me it meant predictable, affordable data without swapping SIMs, and steady coverage when my home plan briefly lapsed.

Airalo Benefits: What Worked for Me

Airalo solved the basic travel problem I kept running into: how to have reliable data without stressing about rationing my limited data while abroad. Below are the concrete wins I noticed during the week:

• Easy pre-purchase and setup. Buying a plan in the app and installing the eSIM is fast and low-friction. If you install before you fly, activation on arrival is instant, and the plan time doesn’t begin until you connect. That convenience alone removed one travel nag from my list.
• Cost-effective compared with roaming overage. For travelers who would otherwise pay roaming fees or top up expensive daily plans, Airalo’s pay-as-you-go packages often come in cheaper. For me, it meant less rationing and more peace of mind.
• Keep your home number for calls and texts. You can leave your physical SIM active for calls and texts, while using Airalo for data. That was useful so family could still reach me on my usual number while I used the local data connection.
• Works when you can’t or don’t want a physical SIM. Not needing to hunt a kiosk for a physical SIM is a big win, and newer phone models don’t even have the ability for physical SIMs anymore.
• Flexible for short or multi-stop trips. Airalo’s country and regional plans let you pick what fits your itinerary. If you’re hopping between nearby countries or only need a few gigabytes, the choices are straightforward.
• One app for everything. After your Mexico trip, you can use Airalo for other destinations too! They have coverage for over 200 countries, so you don’t have to download different apps – you can just set it up for each country as you go seamlessly.

The Few Airalo Downsides (My Honest Experience)

Below are a few of the limits you might run into, with quick suggestions to potentially avoid these issues:

• Phone unlock required. Many phones must be carrier-unlocked to add an eSIM, so check unlock status with your carrier before you leave.
• First-time ID verification can delay activation. While eKYC (e-Know Your Customer) verification is standard in certain destinations, it can take a bit of time, so be sure to set up your Airalo account and purchase your eSIM before you travel so the app can notify you if this will be required and you can prevent any delays
• Plans often use a single local partner network. While my international plan was supposed to automatically choose the best network, I found times when the Airalo eSIM had 5G and my plan had no signal, because Airalo sticks with one partner network in each country. 
• Overlap with existing international plans. I wasn’t sure I needed an eSIM because I already have international data, but it turned out to help complement when I had no service, and I didn’t have to ration my limited international data, because you can top up the data right from the app for just a few dollars.
• Occasional speed hiccups. At times, the Airalo eSIM had poor signal and wouldn’t load maps or social media, but I was able to toggle to my international plan during those moments and had continued coverage

For the best experience: Install Airalo before you go, set it as your primary data line, and leave your home SIM active for calls/texts. That combo gave me near-complete coverage on the trip and removed the stress of rationing data.

How to Install Airalo and Fix Common Issues

I found the process from downloading Airalo to activating the eSIM to be super easy. Just follow the instructions in the app:

Easy setup process

1. Choose your location, such as Mexico, and select a package 
2. Once purchased, the app will prompt you to install the eSIM with easy to follow instructions
3. On your first use you will have to upload your passport to verify ID before you can activate
4. Upon landing, select the Airalo profile as your data line in phone settings to activate.

Key caveats and tips

• Your phone usually needs to be carrier-unlocked. Confirm this with your carrier before you leave.
• I recommend buying and installing the eSIM before travel. If you wait until arrival,  eKYC verification can take a few hours depending on time of day.
• There are data-only plans and data+call/text options. Toggle between the tabs to see the plan types in the app if you need voice or SMS.
• If something goes wrong, try these quick fixes: turn on airplane mode, restart your phone, check that the eSIM line has “Data Roaming” toggled on, or manually select the data line.
• Turn off automatic carrier switching to avoid roaming fees from your home plan

I was nervous when I saw the request to verify my passport, but upon Googling it saw that this is standard for all eSIMs. I know back when I studied abroad in Costa Rica, my host family had to provide an ID to even get a physical sim card for my burner phone, so this is just a typical phone connection practice.

How is the Customer Support?

I didn’t need customer support on this trip, but Airalo offers 24/7 in-app chat and a Help Center you can use for common issues.

If the chatbot can’t resolve your issue, you should be able to escalate to a human agent. Airalo is aware a few users have reported frustration getting past the bot on first contact and are working to make this process easier and adding more agents.

Quick fixes to try before you reach out:

• Toggle airplane mode and back on
• Restart your phone
• Check that the eSIM line has “data roaming” toggled on
• Manually select the data line

If those don’t work, Airalo’s troubleshooting articles walk through more steps.

If all else fails, Airalo has a simple refund service that just launched. So if you try all the troubleshooting tips and are still having issues, then you can quickly request a refund and purchase a new eSIM to install the new profile.

Is the Airalo eSIM Recommended for Your Mexico Trip?

Short answer: Yes — I give it a 4 / 5.

Airalo gave me near-complete coverage during lapses in my home plan and removed the constant worry about finding Wi-Fi or rationing data. It wasn’t perfect in every location in Mexico City, but for the most part it worked as needed, and is a great option, especially if you don’t have an international plan.

Who this is best for

• Travelers with no physical SIM option on their phone.
• People without an international plan or with limited roaming data.
• Multi-destination travelers who want one app and flexible country/regional plans.
• People who want reliable coverage to supplement their existing international plan.
• Short-term visitors to Mexico who don’t want to buy a local SIM for a single trip.

Have you used Airalo in Mexico? Join us over on Instagram and share your connection story (good or bad) in the reel:

Ready to try it? 🌍 Stop stressing about spotty Wi-Fi and data limits—grab your Airalo eSIM before your trip and stay connected from the moment you land with 15% off using code ADVENTURES.

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