How to get a refund from Nomad, and what a discount code changes

The two routes

Route 1: before installation and activation. Straightforward. If you have not installed it, you are asking for a change, and their terms permit it.

Route 2: a known technical problem originating from Nomad after activation. Note the wording carefully. It is not “the eSIM did not work”. It is a problem originating from Nomad. A local network outage, a device incompatibility or a carrier lock are arguably not that.

The points option, which is genuinely different

Nomad’s help centre offers a choice, and the terms of each differ in a way worth understanding:

• Nomad Points, credited immediately
• Original payment method, in 3 to 5 business days

Ordinary Nomad Points expire after six months. Points issued as a refund do not expire. That is a deliberate design and it makes the points option less bad than it first looks.

Three to five business days for a card refund is also fast for this category. Airalo quotes up to 30 business days.

Nomad also gives itself a window to resolve things before paying out, reported as 10 business days to resolve, with the refund following within a further 10 business days if unresolved.

The discount code question

This is the part to check yourself before relying on anything.

It is widely reported by third-party refund guides that Nomad excludes purchases made with a discount code from refunds. If true, that would matter a lot, because Nomad markets heavily through discount codes: their own homepage has carried STORY30 for 30% off two or more eSIMs and USA40 for 40% off US plans, and codes like ESIMDB3, ESIMSIO and MYBESTSIM20 circulate widely.

We could not confirm that exclusion in Nomad’s own terms and conditions or their own refund help article. It may be published somewhere we did not reach, it may be applied in practice without being published, or the third-party guides may be wrong.

What to do about it: if you are buying with a code and the refundability matters to you, ask Nomad support in writing before you buy and keep the answer. That takes two minutes and removes the uncertainty entirely.

We would rather tell you we could not verify something than repeat it as fact.

The 30 day window, also unverified

Third-party sources commonly quote a 30 day refund window for unactivated Nomad plans. That figure does not appear in Nomad’s own terms and conditions or their refund help article. Treat it as unconfirmed.

How to request it

Live chat in the app or on the web. Have your eSIM profile number, purchase details and any evidence of the problem ready.

What to know before you buy, not after

Because Nomad’s post-activation route is narrow, the practical protection is front-loaded:

Check your phone is compatible and unlocked before purchase. On iPhone: Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock. If it says SIM Locked, a travel eSIM will not work at all and the refund conversation is much harder after the fact.

Do not install until you are confident. Installing and activating closes the simpler route.

Screenshot the product page if a coverage, network or speed claim is part of why you bought it.

Where Nomad does better than us

Their rewards programme is genuinely better than ours. 5% back plus a bonus on every purchase of 10GB or more, up to five times a month, is more generous than our 5% credit. And refunds paid in points arrive immediately and never expire, which is a thoughtful piece of design.

They also offer a free trial eSIM to new customers, which we do not.

What their policy does not control

Nomad is a business line of LotusFlare, a US company headquartered in Santa Clara, with offices listed in Singapore, London and China. Their terms make no reference to Australian Consumer Law.

If you bought as an Australian consumer, your consumer guarantees apply regardless, and a clause saying there is no cooling-off after activation cannot exclude them. A term that tries to is void. The practical difficulty of enforcing that against a US company with no Australian entity is real, and we say so honestly in what Australian Consumer Law says about a travel eSIM that doesn’t work.

Because Nomad’s own written route after activation is narrow, this is one of the cases where knowing your statutory position actually matters more than knowing their policy.

Questions people actually ask

Can I get a refund after activating a Nomad eSIM?

Only where there is a known technical problem originating from Nomad. Their terms provide no change-of-mind route after activation.

Will I get money or points?

Your choice. Points arrive immediately and, unusually, refund points do not expire. Card refunds take 3 to 5 business days.

Are discount code purchases refundable?

Widely reported as excluded, but we could not confirm it in Nomad’s own terms or help centre. If it matters to you, ask support in writing before buying.

Is there a 30 day window?

Commonly quoted by third parties, not found in Nomad’s own documents. Treat it as unconfirmed.

How long does Nomad take?

Reported as up to 10 business days to attempt a resolution, then a further 10 business days for the refund if unresolved. Card payouts are 3 to 5 business days once approved.

How do I ask?

Live chat in the app or on the web, with your eSIM profile number and purchase details.

Does Australian Consumer Law apply?

Yes, to a business selling directly to Australian consumers, regardless of where it is based and regardless of what its terms say. Enforcement against a US entity with no Australian presence is the harder part.

Sources

Nomad wording retrieved 17 August 2026 from their terms and conditions, their refunds help article and their Nomad Points article. Claims marked unconfirmed were not found in any Nomad-published document.

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