Cheap eSIM for Japan
The cheapest thing that's actually of use to anyone is 2,90 € for 7 days with 1 GB. For the two-week trip, 4,90 € with 3 GB. Final price, no charges appearing when you land. The expensive part of Japan isn't the eSIM: it's your operator's roaming if you forget to switch it off.
Updated on
The bill that really hurts isn't the eSIM's. It's the one that arrives three weeks after you're back, when the suitcase is unpacked and the fridge magnets are up, and the amount doesn't look like anything you remember buying.
What each option costs
| Option for two weeks | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zas eSIM, 15 days · 3 GB | 4,90 € | Installed at home before you fly |
| Zas eSIM, 1 GB-a-day pass | 20,90 € | You never run out of data on any day |
| Rented pocket wifi | Depends on the provider | Needs picking up, charging and returning |
| Data SIM at the airport | Depends on the counter | Queue, passport and counter hours |
| Your Spanish operator's roaming | Their outside-the-EU rate | Check it on their website before you fly |
Japan isn't the European Union, so “roam like at home” doesn't apply there. If your operator never warned you, consider yourself warned now: look up their roaming rate for Japan before you board the plane, not after.
Four ways not to overpay
- Don't buy more gigabytes than you'll use. A normal two weeks in Japan comes to between 2 and 4 GB.
- Look at the 30-day plan even if you're travelling for fifteen: sometimes it gives more data for little more money.
- Install it before you fly. At the airport you buy worse, dearer and in a hurry.
- Turn off data roaming on your Spanish SIM when you land, or you'll pay twice for the same thing.
And a fifth, which is free: distrust any “unlimited” without a number. There is always a threshold. If they don't publish it, it's because it doesn't help them sell.
Is the price I see the price I pay?
Yes. There are no handling fees and no charges appearing at the last step of checkout.
Is a SIM bought in Japan cheaper?
Almost never, once you count what it costs you. Tourist data cards at Japanese airports sell at airport prices, you queue for one after a fourteen-hour flight, and you can only buy them while the counter is open.
What if I can't install it?
If the eSIM won't install, or gets no network and hasn't been used, you get your money back. It's the least that can be promised, which is why it's in writing.
Something off, or a price changed? Write to ayuda@zasesim.com and we'll fix it. Data when you land.