Is Ubigi worth it? They own the network, which shows. Support is the trade off

What Ubigi costs

Ubigi bills Australians in Australian dollars and settles in Australian dollars at the cart, which we confirmed.

Ten gigabytes over thirty days:

The 35-area plan does not include France. If Paris or anywhere else in France is on your itinerary, take Europe 30+ Areas instead: it covers 34 destinations including France and Turkey, and 10GB over 30 days is A$29.95. The 35-area list also leaves out Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia, Gibraltar and the Channel Islands.

Where they sit in the market: strong in Europe and competitive in the UK and USA, mid-pack to expensive across South East Asia. Our own Bali plan is A$17.95 against their A$28.00, our Japan plan is A$19.95 against their A$29.00, and our seven-country Southeast Asia plan is A$34.95 against their regional plan at A$48.00. The regional country lists differ, so check the route before the gap.

One thing worth knowing about their pricing. Ubigi’s Australian dollar figures run at roughly 1.70 to 1.76 times their US dollar ones. That is a rate card rather than a conversion, and companies are entitled to price differently per market. It is not a hidden fee. What it means practically is: compare their Australian dollar prices directly rather than converting their US ones, or you will get a number lower than what they will charge. More on how currency works in this category.

Full nine-provider table: travel eSIM prices in Australia.

What Ubigi genuinely gets right

1. The best fair use terms in the category, published next to the price.

“Your unlimited data plan includes 25GB of full speed data, then optimized to 2 Mbps, this Fair Use Policy ensures a stable and fair connection for all users on the network.”

That is the seven day Europe plan. Fifteen day USA plans publish 30GB and thirty day plans publish 60GB, both dropping to 2 Mbps.

Two things make this materially better than the norm. The allowance is per plan rather than per day, so one heavy day does not cost you the rest of the week. And 2 Mbps is roughly twice what most of this category throttles to, which is the difference between a video call that works and one that does not.

Ubigi make the point themselves and it is fair: “While most eSIM providers limit users to very low speeds, typically between 128 and 512 Kbps, Ubigi delivers a far superior experience with throttled speeds of up to 1000 Kbps (2 Mbps).”

We publish each plan’s high-speed allowance and reset basis, but not a numeric reduced-speed figure where the supplier has not provided one. Ubigi’s numeric reduced-speed commitment is still clearer on that specification. What “unlimited” actually means across all nine providers.

One caution: their explainer FAQ gives a wider range than the product pages, saying speeds drop after “around 15GB to 25GB” on seven day country plans depending on the country. Read the number on the plan you are buying, not the FAQ.

2. They own more of the stack than almost anyone here. Transatel is a licensed operator inside the NTT group. In Japan that is the actual story, because NTT is the group behind Docomo, which has the broadest rural and mountain footprint of the three Japanese networks. If you are heading into the mountains rather than staying in cities, that is the best reason anyone in this category can give you to pay a higher price.

Everywhere else it is a footnote. Ownership in one country does not tell you which local carrier you land on in another, and we are not going to pretend it does. Who owns the network behind your travel eSIM.

3. Five reinstalls, and a profile that persists.

“All Ubigi eSIM profiles can be re-installed up to 5 times max after being deleted (NB: other providers usually allow the installation only once and re-installation is not possible).”

The profile stays alive as long as you use a plan at least once every eighteen months. If you travel two or three times a year, you are topping up an account rather than buying a fresh disposable eSIM each trip. Airalo, by contrast, treats a deleted eSIM as unrecoverable.

4. You can check your balance and top up with no data and no wifi.

“you can top up your Ubigi account at any time, even without Wi-Fi or a valid Data plan”

Their terms confirm that when a plan runs out “You still have access to the Ubigi selfcare.”

This solves the circular problem that ruins this entire category, needing data to buy data, and almost nobody else has an answer to it, us included. It is the most under-rated feature anyone offers.

5. Card refunds only, with no store credit push. If a Ubigi refund is approved it goes back to your card within 10 business days. They do not offer store credit at all, which is unusual and in the customer’s favour.

The three things to check first

1. The QR code refund rule

Ubigi publishes two different refund tests simultaneously, on two live pages, producing opposite outcomes for the same customer.

Terms and Conditions:

“the refund of your preloaded eSIM profile is only possible if you have not scanned the QR code received by email after your purchase. If you have already scanned the received QR code, your refund request will be denied.”

Help Centre:

“The refund of your preloaded eSIM profile is only possible if you have not used any of the data plan(s) that you purchased. If you have already started using your data plan, your refund request will be denied.”

Under the first, installing your eSIM the night before you fly ends your refund rights before you board. Under the second, you keep them until you use data.

And Ubigi’s own pre-travel guidance tells you to install before you travel. So following their advice can forfeit your refund under their own terms.

There is a second contradiction of the same kind on carrier-locked handsets: the Terms say refunds “are not possible”; the Help Centre says a refund “may be possible”. And the Terms carry a blanket line: “Once purchased, the Data Plan cannot be refunded.”

The claim window is 14 business days from purchase and you must attach the payment receipt.

Practical rule: do not scan the QR code until you are committed to the trip. How a Ubigi refund works.

2. No published support hours and no response commitment

Ubigi’s contact routes are a contact form, an AI chat assistant, and a WhatsApp line that connects to the same AI. Their own description of that channel sets expectations correctly: the assistant “can access information from our website, but cannot access your customer account or personal data.”

They publish no support hours anywhere and no response time commitment. The strongest language on the site is “We’ll get back to you shortly.”

Their own advice is to skip the chat for anything real: “we strongly recommend using the contact form for faster, personalized support.”

None of that is a claim about how good their support is, which we have no way to measure. It is what they publish, and what they publish is less than most of the category.

3. Deleting your account destroys everything

Deleting the profile is recoverable, up to five times. Deleting the account is not:

“In case you have active data plans on your Ubigi account, they will all be deleted. Data plans refund, retrieval, replacement, or transfer to other Ubigi account(s) are not possible after an account deletion. All requests of this kind after an account deletion will be systematically declined.”

They also tell you not to delete the profile when troubleshooting: “In case you encounter any issue with your eSIM profile, do not delete it and just contact our Customer Service for more help.” Ubigi eSIM not working.

Two smaller things

A lot of their documentation is old. Their core iPhone troubleshooting article is dated 2022, their APN article is dated 2022, and their profile validity rules are dated 2020. The content may still be correct. It has not been reviewed in a long time.

Their governing law is French. “Unless provided otherwise in applicable laws, You are subject to French laws and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Paris.” Australian consumer guarantees apply to services supplied to Australian consumers regardless, and cannot be excluded by a term, but a dispute over a thirty dollar plan under exclusive Paris jurisdiction realistically does not run anywhere.

So, is it worth it?

Yes if: you are a heavy data user and want a real full speed allowance with a 2 Mbps floor rather than a number nobody will publish. Or you are going to Europe, the UK or the USA, where they are competitive or cheapest. Or you are going into rural Japan and the NTT connection matters. Or you travel often and want a profile you can reinstall and top up from anywhere with no connection.

Check first if: there is any chance you will cancel, because of the QR code rule. Or you expect to need support at a specific hour, because none are published.

No if: price is the priority for Bali, Japan’s cities or Thailand, or if our seven-country Southeast Asia route fits your trip. Against Ubigi we were A$10.05 lower for Bali, A$9.05 lower for Japan, A$4.05 lower for Thailand and A$13.05 lower on that regional row. Check the regional country list first.

We have listed the alternatives destination by destination in Ubigi alternatives, and compared them directly, with our conflict declared, in Ubigi vs The SIM Shop.

Questions people actually ask

Is Ubigi a real mobile network?

Ubigi is a brand of Transatel, which is part of NTT, and holds its own network identity rather than being purely a reseller. That is unusual in this category, where most brands are storefronts on shared wholesale.

Is Ubigi expensive?

Strong in Europe at A$26.00 for 10GB over 30 days, above our 35-area plan at A$24.95 but below Europe 30+ Areas with France at A$29.95 and our 41-destination plan at A$49.95, and competitive in the UK and USA. Mid-pack to expensive across South East Asia: their Bali plan is A$28.00 against our A$17.95, their Japan plan is A$29.00 against our A$19.95, and their regional plan is A$48.00 against our seven-country Southeast Asia plan at A$34.95. The regional coverage is not identical.

Does scanning the QR code void a Ubigi refund?

Their Terms and Conditions say yes. Their Help Centre says only using data does. Both pages are live and contradict each other, and their own pre-travel guidance tells you to install before you fly. If cancellation is possible, do not scan the code.

What speed does Ubigi throttle to?

2 Mbps, after a per-plan allowance published on each product page: 25GB on a 7 day Europe plan, 30GB on 15 days and 60GB on 30 days. That is the most generous published fair use policy in this category.

Can I reinstall a Ubigi eSIM?

Yes, up to five times, and the profile stays alive as long as you use a plan at least once every 18 months. Deleting your account, as opposed to the profile, destroys any active plans and forfeits refunds.

Does Ubigi have good customer support?

We cannot tell you that, and we would not claim to. What we can tell you is what they publish: a contact form, an AI chat assistant, a WhatsApp line that connects to the same AI, no support hours and no response time commitment anywhere.

Can I top up Ubigi without data?

Yes, and it is one of their best features. Their own material states you can top up “even without Wi-Fi or a valid Data plan”, and their terms confirm the self-care account stays reachable when a plan runs out.

Is Ubigi good for Japan?

Their NTT connection is the strongest network argument anyone makes on that destination, which matters if you are going into the mountains or off the main rail lines. On price they are A$29.00 against our A$19.95, so it depends on whether reliability outside cities is what you are paying for.

Sources

Ubigi pricing from their own Australian dollar store, confirmed to settle in Australian dollars at the cart, 17 August 2026. Our compared prices were rechecked against the live catalogue on 25 August 2026. Policy quotes from their Terms and Conditions and Help Centre articles on refunds, fair use, reinstallation, account deletion, balance checking and contact channels, together with the fair use wording published on their product pages. Ubigi’s corporate ownership from Transatel’s own published company information. Comparison prices maintained in travel eSIM prices in Australia.

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