How to get a refund from Airalo, and why timing decides everything

The self-service route

“Go to ‘My eSIMs’, select your package, and look for the ‘Request Refund’ button in your ‘Package History’. You can also find it in Order Details via Profile > Orders. Please note that the button will only appear for eligible orders, as expired or fully used eSIMs are not eligible.”

The four reasons you can pick:

• Wrong purchase
• Plans changed
• Installation issues
• eSIM not working

The reason you choose changes the money

This is the most important sentence in the article and it comes straight from Airalo:

“Note that for ‘Wrong purchase’ and ‘Plans changed’, the Airmoney option (our in-app currency) is the only available refund method. For the other two [‘Installation issues’, ‘eSIM not working’], choose between Airmoney or a credit back to your original payment method.”

So if you want your money rather than shop credit, the reason has to accurately be one of the two fault reasons. We are not suggesting you misdescribe anything. We are saying that if your eSIM genuinely did not work, do not select “Plans changed” because it seems simpler, because that choice removes the cash option.

Worth knowing that Airalo’s Terms of Use describe the choice as unconditional:

“you will have the option of receiving it in the form of Airmoney… or credit back via your original payment method”

while the help centre restricts it by reason. The two documents do not perfectly agree. If you are locked into Airmoney by the self-service tool and you think that is wrong, go to a human agent through chat or support@airalo.com.

The windows

Change of mind, from the Terms of Use, last updated July 2026:

“If you are purchasing the Services as a consumer, you have the legal right to unilaterally withdraw from your purchase within 14 days. This right to withdraw from your purchase expires on the earlier of 14 days after making the purchase, or the date on which the eSIM is activated. Please note that you will not be able to exercise your right of withdrawal for an eSIM that you have already started to use.”

Fault, which is the route that matters if it did not work:

“If you have activated the Services but are unable to use them due to an error or omission on the part of Airalo… we will either provide a replacement Service or refund an amount equal to the price of the Service you have purchased in full, at your option.”

Subject to all of these:

“You must have submitted a refund request within 30 days of the issue giving rise to your claim arising.”

“Airalo was not able to restore your ability to access and use the purchased Services within 10 days of receipt of your refund request.”

“Where you have partially consumed the credit for the Services that you are requesting a refund for, we will only ever refund an amount equal to the unused portion of the Services.”

Read that middle condition carefully. Airalo gets ten days to fix it before a refund is due. On a seven day trip, that is longer than your holiday.

And the catch-all:

“You will have no right to a refund or replacement of the Services in any other situation.”

Timing of the money

“While Airmoney is instant, refunds to the original payment method typically take 7-10 business days (or up to 30 days, depending on your bank).”

Their Terms are less optimistic: “it can take a credit to your original payment method up to 30 business days to arrive with you.”

Thirty business days is roughly six weeks. Airmoney is instant. That gap is a design choice and it is worth being aware of when the tool offers you both.

Before you request

Airalo’s own advice, and it is good:

“To help us review your case quickly, please contact us before attempting to install or use the eSIM.”

Also worth knowing: “If you’ve recently had multiple automated refunds, your request might be sent to our Support Team for manual review.” And support “may ask you to provide further information to support your refund request, such as screenshots of the Device settings.”

The alternative nobody mentions

If you bought the wrong plan and have not installed it, you do not have to refund it at all:

“If you haven’t installed your eSIM yet, you can share it with someone else… As long as it hasn’t been installed, it’s transferable to any compatible device.”

App path: My eSIMs, Install or Share, Share and More, Share eSIM. If a friend is going to the same country, that is often better than a refund in credit.

One clean gap

Airalo publishes nothing about refunds on purchases made with a discount or promo code. We looked through their General Terms, Terms of Use, Acceptable Use Policy, Fair Use Policy and help centre and found no clause either way. Some competitors do exclude discounted purchases from refunds. Airalo simply does not address it.

What their policy does not control

Airalo contracts through a Singapore entity under the law of England and Wales:

“We provide our Platform and Services under the entity AirGSM Pte Ltd, a company registered in Singapore”

“these Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them… shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, and the Courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction.”

They also cap total liability at US$100.

Airalo has no Australian entity and publishes nothing acknowledging Australian Consumer Law. That does not mean it does not apply. If you bought as an Australian consumer, your consumer guarantees are not limited by a 14 day window, by activation, or by a foreign law clause. What Australian Consumer Law says about a travel eSIM that doesn’t work covers what that gets you and what it realistically does not.

Questions people actually ask

How long do I have to get an Airalo refund?

For change of mind, 14 days or until you activate the eSIM, whichever comes first. For a fault, 30 days from the issue arising.

Why can I only get Airmoney?

Because of the reason you selected. “Wrong purchase” and “Plans changed” only pay in Airmoney. “Installation issues” and “eSIM not working” let you choose your card.

How long does a card refund take?

Airalo’s help centre says 7 to 10 business days, up to 30 depending on your bank. Their Terms say up to 30 business days.

I activated it and then it failed. Am I out of luck?

No. The fault route applies after activation. But Airalo gets 10 days to fix the problem first, and any data you used is deducted.

Can I refund an expired or fully used eSIM?

No. The refund button does not appear for those orders.

I bought the wrong country. Any options besides a refund?

Yes, if you have not installed it. Airalo lets you transfer an uninstalled eSIM to someone else.

Does it matter that they are in Singapore under English law?

For their internal process, yes. For your Australian consumer guarantees, no. Those are not displaced by a foreign law clause.

Sources

All Airalo wording retrieved 17 August 2026 from their Terms of Use (last updated July 2026) and their help centre articles on requesting a refund, refund methods and sharing an eSIM.

Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.