Is Kolet eSIM worth it? Hong Kong phones, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand prices, and how to get US$3 off: 10 things to know before you buy

Kolet is eSIM only, so your phone must have eSIM and be unlocked, and an iPad has to be the Wi-Fi + Cellular model; Kolet's terms say it's up to you to check before you order, and it isn't responsible if your device isn't compatible. The easiest trap for Hongkongers is the locally sold iPhone: Apple's support article of 17 September 2026 says the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e, Air, 16e, 13 mini, 12 mini, SE (2nd and 3rd generation) and XS bought in Hong Kong or Macao have eSIM; but the whole iPhone 16, 15 and 14 ranges, the 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, the whole 11 range, the XS Max and the XR only have two physical SIM slots and can't take a single eSIM.

Heads-up: Kolet's own list is older than Apple's, and only counts the 13 mini, 12 mini, SE (2020) and XS as Hong Kong iPhones with eSIM. On Android, Kolet says some Hong Kong Galaxy S20, S21, S22 and Note20 models have no eSIM, and the S20 FE and S21 FE definitely won't work; most Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco, Oppo and Huawei phones bought on the mainland don't have it either. If your iPhone was bought in Shenzhen or elsewhere on the mainland, Apple says the 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air can be activated with eSIM, but the mainland 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and 16e only have two physical SIM slots; Kolet's list only counts the mainland iPhone Air as having eSIM.

The quickest way is to check yourself: on an iPhone go to Settings > Mobile Service, and if you see "Add eSIM" you're generally good to go. If you only find out after paying that it won't install, remember to email [email protected] within 30 days of buying to ask for a full refund (all the conditions are in point 9).

New customers get US$3 off their first order with GETQUIDS. Kolet's terms say promo codes only work on orders placed in the app, so don't buy on the website: download the Kolet app, pick your destination and data amount, tap "+ Add a promo code" at checkout, enter GETQUIDS, and only pay once you see the US$3 come off. It comes off the price; it isn't cashback.

The conditions, one by one: one, you've never bought a Kolet plan or claimed its free 1GB; two, the welcome offer is one per person, and opening extra email accounts or using disposable emails to claim it again is explicitly banned; three, one promo code per order, though you can use it together with Koins; four, promotional offers are only for people travelling abroad and can't be used in your local market, which means Hongkongers can't use the code on a Hong Kong plan.

Two things we haven't been able to pin down: the terms say Kolet may not provide the service for a promotional offer that isn't activated within 90 days of ordering, but it's unclear whether that also covers paid plans bought at a discount, so buying closer to your trip is the safer move. Also, Kolet states the discount as US$3, and we haven't confirmed whether checking out in euros or pounds turns it into €3 or £3, so check the order summary at checkout.

Full disclosure: GETQUIDS is our referral code, and when you use it we get US$3 in Kolet Koins, which can only be spent at Kolet and aren't cash. Kolet's referral explainer says they're credited when you buy, but the terms say we only get them once your first paid plan expires and you haven't asked for a full or partial refund.

Kolet's official price list was updated on 12 October and covers 187 countries and territories, plus 12 regional plans such as Asia, Europe and Global. Most come in five sizes, 1GB, 3GB, 5GB, 10GB and 20GB (a few places top out at 5GB), and most last 30 days from first use. Going by the US dollar prices at about HK$7.85 to US$1 (Bank of England reference rate, 12 October): Japan (Docomo, SoftBank) 5GB is US$14.49 (about HK$114) and 10GB US$21.99 (about HK$173); South Korea (KT, SK Telecom) and Taiwan 5GB are both US$12.99 (about HK$102); Thailand (DTAC, AIS) 5GB is just US$8.49 (about HK$67), and 20GB is US$16.49, roughly US$0.82 per GB; the UK (O2, EE, Three, Vodafone) 10GB is US$18.99 (about HK$149).

Hitting a few countries in one trip? Have a look at the Asia plan: for Japan and Korea together, Asia 10GB is US$25.49 (about HK$200), while Japan 5GB plus South Korea 5GB bought separately comes to US$27.48 (about HK$216). For just one country, though, the local plan is usually cheaper: Japan 5GB is US$14.49, while Asia 5GB is US$16.49. Leftover data can't be moved from one destination to another either.

Heading to the mainland: the mainland plan runs on China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, with 5GB at US$16.49 (about HK$129), the same price as the Asia plan, which also throws in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and more, 20 places in total. But Macao isn't in the Asia plan, so you need a separate Macao plan on the CTM network, where even 1GB is US$6.49 (about HK$51), or a pricier Global plan. Kolet's help page says WhatsApp, Gmail and Instagram work on the mainland on its eSIM without a VPN, but we haven't tried it ourselves.

Compare it with your own carrier too: for example, csl's website on 13 October 2026 showed a main Asia-Pacific roaming data pack for its own customers at HK$168 for 10GB over 30 days, covering 17 places including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand; Kolet Japan 10GB is US$21.99 (about HK$173). Prices vary by carrier and monthly plan, so check your carrier's app before you decide.

Kolet takes US dollars, euros, pounds, Canadian dollars or Philippine pesos, but not HKD; pick one in the app under "Profile > App settings > Currency". Pay with an HKD card and your card issuer does the conversion; Kolet doesn't charge a conversion fee itself, but your card may charge a foreign transaction fee. Assuming a 1.95% fee, Japan 5GB (about HK$114) costs roughly HK$2.2 more; check your own card's terms. The minimum payment is US$0.50.

Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Revolut Pay and Amazon Pay all work; the likes of Klarna and iDEAL are only for certain regions. You can even pay with miles: Flying Blue, KrisFlyer, Etihad Guest, Lotus Miles and Club Miles, but not Asia Miles. Some payment methods depend on where you are when you pay, so Kolet suggests buying before you leave.

Kolet says a plan only starts once you use your first MB of data at your destination, so buying and installing it in Hong Kong won't eat into your days. Most plans last 30 days; Global 1GB and 3GB last 30 days, 5GB 60 days, 10GB 180 days and 20GB 365 days. But the order itself has a one-year limit: the terms say a plan still unused a year after purchase may be void, with no refund.

Watch out: the Asia plan includes Hong Kong. If you've already switched your mobile data to the Kolet line while in Hong Kong, the Asia plan could start counting before you even leave; switching after you land is safer.

Buy another plan for the same destination before yours expires and the leftover data moves to the new plan's expiry date; but the days don't stack: Kolet's own example has two plans bought on the same day, 15 June, both expiring on 15 July. If you hold plans for several different destinations, the plan for wherever you are kicks in automatically once the previous one runs out.

The terms say data left over when a plan expires isn't refunded, but leftover data on paid plans can be converted into Kolet Koins in the app, whether the plan has expired or not, and the app tells you how many Koins you'll get before you convert; a plan that hasn't expired stops the moment you convert it.

100 Koins = €1, valid for three years, and they can only be used in the app to buy plans or make calls, never cashed out. Plans gifted to you and the free 1GB trial can't be converted, and the trial only lasts two days from first use. Koins can be used together with a promo code when you buy a plan.

No plan comes with a phone number or SMS, so for calls use WhatsApp, FaceTime and the like. The app has "International Calls" for ringing regular phone numbers, charged per minute in Koins; the other person sees a temporary number and can't call you back. Your Hong Kong SIM can stay on for calls and SMS (turn data roaming off), charged by your carrier as usual.

Kolet sends your traffic out through servers in Poland and France, so websites may show up in Polish or French with prices in zloty or euros, and services that work out your location from your IP may think you're there; Kolet says maps and ride-hailing apps that use GPS aren't affected, though. Kolet suggests changing the website settings yourself or using a VPN. Australian tech blogger Gough Lui's hands-on test saw traffic going out via London; either way, your IP location won't match the country you're in.

Also, one account can only be used on one device at a time; generate the eSIM on a new phone and the one on the old phone is permanently disabled. Families travelling together each need their own account, or one phone can share a hotspot.

Unlimited plans are day passes, sold only in the app: every 24 hours you get 5GB at full speed, then it drops to 1 Mbps until the next reset. Kolet says that's fine for maps, chat and browsing, but not for video. They're available in places like the UK, the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, but not Hong Kong, the mainland, Taiwan or Macao. The price list doesn't show their prices, so you'll have to check in the app; unlimited data can't be gifted or turned into Koins.

Hotspot works, with no extra limit on unlimited plans either, but a hotspot eats data fast. With at least 1GB left on a paid plan, you can send whole GBs to other Kolet users, effective immediately and no take-backs; free or gifted data can't be passed on.

Gough Lui's test found the usage shown in the app lags a few minutes behind, and he felt the line wasn't suited to real-time apps. Kolet itself says usage takes a while to show up in the app, and your phone's own count is only an estimate.

The homepage says "Love it or your money back", but the terms of sale are much narrower: you only get a full refund if the eSIM isn't installed, or it's installed but the plan isn't activated, and you email [email protected] within 30 days of buying. Kolet reviews it within five working days and refunds your original payment method within 30 days. If the plan is activated but you've used less than 1%, a partial refund is only "may be considered".

Once you start using it, the terms treat mobile data as a service delivered immediately, so the 14-day withdrawal right under French consumer law no longer applies. A lost or stolen phone or switching phones gets no refund either, and you'll have to generate the eSIM again on the new phone; data left at expiry can only become Koins; and if you delete your account, any leftover data goes with it.

Recent low-star reviews say people couldn't get their money back despite the refund line on the homepage. If the eSIM won't connect, contact support straight away rather than spending hours trying, because partial refunds are based on how much you've used.

On 13 October 2026, the Hong Kong App Store showed 5.0, but from only 20 ratings; France 4.9 (3,136 ratings), the US 4.9 (1,335) and the UK 4.9 (941). Google Play shows 4.9 (5.0 in Hong Kong, about 7,020 reviews) and over 100,000 downloads. Trustpilot has 4.7 (about 2,330 reviews), with 85% five-star and 3% one-star; but Kolet claimed the page in January 2026 and actively invites customers to leave reviews, so the score may not reflect every user, and it replies to every negative review.

Of the latest 20 one- and two-star Trustpilot reviews from June to September, roughly half say the eSIM wouldn't connect or cut out with data still left, in places including the US, Dublin and Thailand. Other common complaints: data running out fast or vanishing for no reason; data from airline partner promos such as KLM's not working; slow or unreachable support; no refund despite the refund line; suspected effects on their own SIM or roaming; and login code emails not arriving.

Handy tips: install the eSIM in the app on home Wi-Fi before you leave; after landing, set Kolet as your mobile data line, turn off "Allow Mobile Data Switching", and turn off data roaming on your Hong Kong SIM, or your carrier may charge you roaming fees, and Kolet's terms say it isn't responsible for roaming charges caused by wrong phone settings. Login codes come by email, so check you can log in before you go.

The app has no Chinese interface, only English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic and Vietnamese. Support is in the app 24 hours a day, answered first by the digital assistant Koko, and you can ask for a human, or email [email protected]. Back in Hong Kong, just turn off the Kolet line rather than deleting it, and use it again next trip; plans don't auto-renew either. If you're really done with it, tap "Delete Account" at the bottom of the "Profile" page in the app; the account can't be recovered, and any leftover data is gone with no refund.

Buy it if: your phone has eSIM and isn't locked, and you travel a few times a year mainly needing data; you like keeping one eSIM and buying a plan in the app each time; you hate leftover data going to waste; or you've got KrisFlyer or other miles to use up.

Skip it if: you're using an iPhone 11 to 16 series bought in Hong Kong (except the 12 mini, 13 mini and 16e), an XS Max or an XR; you need a local number or SMS; you go to Macao a lot, or want an unlimited plan on the mainland or in Taiwan; you rely heavily on websites or services that go by your IP's region; you don't want to pay in a foreign currency; or you want a refund even after using a plan.