Ubigi vs Nomad: a real network against roughly half the price in Asia

At a glance

Price, and why the answer flips by region

Ubigi will bill an Australian in Australian dollars. Nomad’s store showed US dollars and Nomad publishes nothing about which currencies it supports, so we cannot put these in one column honestly. We are not going to convert Nomad’s prices and present the result as a price, because the rate moves daily and your card’s foreign transaction fee is your card’s business.

Here is each in what it actually charges, for ten gigabytes over thirty days.

The “too close to call” rows are exactly that. At the rates seen over the past year, those three land within a few dollars either way once a typical card fee is counted, so the honest answer is that you should check on the day rather than take our word for it.

The two ends of the table are not close, and neither is rate-sensitive.

Thailand and regional Asia go to Nomad. A regional Asia plan at US$21 against A$48 is a gap no exchange rate closes.

Europe goes to Ubigi. A$26 against US$23 sounds close until you convert, and Europe is where most Australians buy their first travel eSIM.

One structural advantage to Nomad. Its Global-EX range runs to 365 days of validity, with fifty gigabytes over a year. If you are away for months, that is a product shape Ubigi does not match, although Ubigi’s persistent profile serves the frequent traveller differently.

The throttle, where Ubigi is not just ahead but in a different category

Most travel eSIMs converge on a few gigabytes a day then 1 Mbps. Ubigi does something else, and publishes it on the product page 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. The fifteen day USA plan publishes 30GB and the thirty day plan publishes 60GB, both at 2 Mbps after.

Two things about that are genuinely better than the category norm.

The allowance is per plan, not per day. Twenty five gigabytes across a week is far more usable than three a day, because it lets you have one heavy day without paying for it all week.

Two megabits is a speed you can live on. Ubigi makes the point themselves and it is fair: “While most eSIM providers limit users to very low speeds … Ubigi delivers a far superior experience with throttled speeds of up to 1000 Kbps (2 Mbps).”

Nomad, by contrast, gives three different answers depending where you look.

• Nomad’s own country pages describe the throttle as 512 kbps after the daily high speed allocation.
• An independent plan database lists Nomad’s Japan unlimited as 2GB a day at full speed then 1 Mbps.
• Nomad’s terms and conditions do not mention throttling at all.

The likeliest explanation is that it varies by plan and the generic pages have not kept pace. The effect on you is the same: you cannot find out before paying what your unlimited plan slows to.

One caution on the Ubigi side, in fairness. Their explainer FAQ gives a wider range than their product pages do, 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. The product page is the one in front of you at checkout.

Our international daily high-speed eSIM guide explains how daily allowances and reduced speeds work across plans.

Refunds, where the comparison is uglier than either company would like

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

The 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.”

The 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. 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 that swallows the detail: “Once purchased, the Data Plan cannot be refunded.”

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

Nomad’s is narrow, but it is one document.

“Customers may request a refund or a change prior to the installation and activation of the E-sim or there is a known technical problem originating from NOMAD after activation of E-sim.”

There is no cooling off after activation unless the fault is Nomad’s, and it has to be a known technical problem originating from them. Third-party summaries add a thirty day window and say discount code purchases are non-refundable, but we could not verify either against Nomad’s own terms or help centre, so both are labelled unconfirmed rather than repeated as fact. Given how heavily Nomad markets with codes, ask before you check out with one.

Where each is better:

Nomad pays out faster. Three to five business days to your card, or points immediately, and points issued as a refund do not expire.

Ubigi does not push store credit at all. If a Ubigi refund is approved it goes back to your card in ten business days. There is no credit alternative offered. For some people that is worth more than speed.

Full write-ups: how a Ubigi refund works and how a Nomad refund works.

Practical rule for Ubigi buyers: if there is any chance you will cancel, do not scan the QR code. Buy, check compatibility from the plan description, and install only once you are committed.

Loyalty and extras, where Nomad wins

Nomad publishes the whole programme:

• 25 points per US$5 spent, redeemed at 100 points to US$1, which is a straight five per cent back.
• 200 bonus points, worth US$2, on any repeat purchase of 10GB or more, up to five times a calendar month.
• Points can be taken as bonus data, extra days or extended validity.
• Points expire after six months, except points issued as a refund.
• Referral pays US$5 each way, capped at five friends.
• A free starter eSIM for new users. Sources disagree on whether it is 1GB or 500MB, so treat the size as unconfirmed.

Ubigi runs a tiered UbiCoins scheme that does not match that at low spend, and has no free trial.

Nomad’s UK plans also include minutes and texts, which is genuinely unusual in this category.

Two honest notes on Nomad’s programme. Six month expiry is a use-it-or-lose-it mechanic. And refund-to-points converts a refund into retained credit, so take the card option if you want your money back rather than a balance.

The frequent traveller question, where Ubigi has a real edge

Ubigi operates a persistent, reusable profile:

“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.

Better still, and almost nobody writes about this: you can check your balance and top up with no connection at all.

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

Their terms confirm that when your plan runs out “You still have access to the Ubigi selfcare.” That solves the circular problem that ruins the experience on most travel eSIMs, where you need data to buy data.

Two warnings from Ubigi’s own pages. They still tell you not to delete 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.” And deleting your Ubigi account is destructive in a way deleting the profile 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.”

Nomad publishes no equivalent reinstall allowance, and third-party reporting says single-use eSIMs are non-refundable once removed. On either, disable the line rather than deleting it while you troubleshoot. Our Ubigi sequence is here.

Support, where neither is strong

Ubigi publishes 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.” Ubigi publishes no support hours and no response commitment anywhere, and their own advice is to skip the chat for anything real: “we strongly recommend using the contact form for faster, personalized support.”

Nomad offers live chat in the app and on the web and claims 24/7 on its homepage. At least one independent reviewer describes it as business hours only. We could not resolve that from Nomad’s own material, so treat the hours as unconfirmed either way.

One thing worth knowing before relying on Ubigi’s documentation: a lot of it is old. Their core iPhone troubleshooting article is dated 2022, the APN article is dated 2022, and the profile validity rules are dated 2020. The content may still be correct. It has not been reviewed in a long time.

The Australian angle

Neither is Australian.

Ubigi is blunt: “You are subject to French laws and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Paris.” No Australian entity, no acknowledgement of Australian Consumer Law, though the clause does open with “Unless provided otherwise in applicable laws”, which is at least a hook.

Nomad has no Australian entity, office or support hours that we could find, and no reference to Australian Consumer Law anywhere in its terms. Its “no refund after activation” position sits awkwardly against Australian consumer guarantees, which apply to services supplied to Australian consumers regardless of what a contract says and which a term cannot exclude.

Neither clause removes your rights. Both make them impractical to exercise over a twenty dollar data plan, which is the point of them.

Ubigi’s one clear Australian advantage is simply that it prices in Australian dollars, so there is no conversion and no card fee in the middle.

Which one for an Australian traveller

Choose Nomad if you are going to Thailand, Japan or buying a multi-country Asia plan, price is the deciding factor, you buy more than one eSIM a year and want the rewards, you want a free trial, you need a plan valid for up to a year, or you want UK calls and texts.

Choose Ubigi if you are going to Europe, the UK or the USA, you want Australian dollar pricing with no conversion, you are a heavy data user who wants a real full speed allowance and a usable throttled speed, you travel often and want a profile you can reinstall and top up from anywhere, or you want card refunds with no store credit push.

Choose neither if you want Australian dollar pricing from an Australian company, one refund policy rather than two, and someone answering the email in your own time zone. That is what we do, and our destination pages show the current plans and prices.

Questions people actually ask

Is Nomad cheaper than Ubigi?

It depends where you are going. Nomad is clearly cheaper in Thailand, Japan and on regional Asia plans, where a regional plan is US$21 against Ubigi’s A$48. Ubigi is clearly cheaper on the UK, USA and Europe. Indonesia, Vietnam and New Zealand are too close to call without checking the exchange rate on the day.

Does Ubigi charge in Australian dollars?

Yes. Nomad’s store showed US dollars and Nomad publishes nothing about which currencies it offers, so expect a conversion and possibly a card fee on Nomad.

Is Ubigi a real network?

Ubigi is a brand of Transatel, part of NTT, and operates with its own network identity rather than purely reselling wholesale. Nomad is a reseller owned by LotusFlare.

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 a 15 day USA plan, 60GB on a 30 day plan. That is the most generous published fair use policy in this category.

Does scanning the QR code stop me getting a Ubigi refund?

Ubigi’s Terms and Conditions say yes. Ubigi’s Help Centre says only using data does. Both pages are live and they contradict each other. If there is any chance you will cancel, do not scan the code.

Which has better rewards?

Nomad, clearly. Five per cent back in points, a US$2 bonus on repeat purchases of 10GB or more up to five times a month, US$5 each way on referrals, and a free starter eSIM. Ubigi runs a tiered scheme that does not match that at low spend.

Can I reinstall a Ubigi eSIM?

Yes, up to five times, and the profile stays alive as long as you use a plan once every 18 months. You can also check your balance and top up with no data connection and no wifi, which is unusual.

Which pays refunds faster?

Nomad. Three to five business days to your card, or points immediately. Ubigi takes ten business days, but pays to your card only and does not push store credit as an alternative.

Sources

Ubigi pricing from their own Australian dollar store, and policy from their Terms and Conditions and Help Centre articles on refunds, fair use, reinstallation and account deletion. Nomad pricing from their own country pages in US dollars, and policy from their terms and conditions, Nomad Points help article and refunds help article. Items we could not confirm against a primary source are labelled as unconfirmed in the text. All retrieved 17 to 20 August 2026. We re-check every price in this article monthly.

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