Is Saily eSIM worth it? Will your HK phone take it, what Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the mainland cost, and US$5 off with JIMMYU6940: 10 things to know before you buy

Fail this one and you can skip the rest. Saily's terms say your phone has to be "unlocked and eSIM-compatible". Apple's support article from 17 September 2026 spells it out: iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 series (Plus, Pro and Pro Max included), XR and XS Max bought in Hong Kong, Macao or the mainland have two physical nano-SIMs and no eSIM, so Saily won't install.

Hong Kong and Macao models that do have eSIM: iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e, Air, 16e, 12 mini, 13 mini, SE (2nd and 3rd generation) and XS; the same models bought outside Hong Kong usually have eSIM. On Android, check in your settings whether there's eSIM and whether the phone is network-locked; Saily's device list only spells out Hong Kong or mainland versions for some models (a few Samsungs, for example), and Saily also says phones made and sold on the mainland don't support eSIM.

Why all the fuss? Plenty of the bad reviews on the Hong Kong App Store come down to "bought it, then found out my phone can't use it", and some say their refund was turned down. The terms say a plan that hasn't been installed, or has been installed but hasn't started, can get a full refund if you ask within 30 days of buying (as long as you haven't used the extra perks that come with the plan, called Extras), but checking your model before you pay beats chasing a refund afterwards.

Saily is a prepaid eSIM from Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN. It says it has data in 200-plus countries and regions, running on local networks, such as KDDI and SoftBank in Japan and China Telecom and China Unicom on the mainland. When you install the eSIM your phone may show "Saily" or "Webbing"; both are normal. Who you sign with depends on where you're tax resident: Saily UAB in Lithuania for the European Economic Area, a separate local company in Australia, and Saily Inc. (registered in Delaware, US, number 4419800) everywhere else, so Hong Kong users should be signing with Saily Inc. Payments may be handled by Moonflash Ltd in London, NordSec B.V. in the Netherlands (PayPal only) or Lagosec Inc.

The terms follow Delaware law, disputes in principle go to the courts there, and class actions are ruled out (unless the law where you live gives you mandatory consumer protection); Saily also says it isn't responsible for data amounts or speeds. Prepaid eSIMs come with nothing like deposit protection, so don't stock up on a pile of plans in one go.

Ratings (13 October 2026): 4.4 on the Hong Kong App Store (319 ratings, 241 five-star and 29 one-star), 4.8 on the UK App Store (9,851); 4.7 on the UK Google Play page (about 98,000 reviews), with the Hong Kong page showing 4.3; 4.7 on Trustpilot (32,245 reviews, 83% five-star and 3% one-star), with Saily replying to 99% of negative reviews. The Hong Kong bad reviews come down to four things: iPhones bought in Hong Kong turning out to have no eSIM after paying; data suddenly cutting out mid-trip; customer service that can't help and refunds turned down; and auto-renewal charges people never agreed to. On the UK and US App Stores and Trustpilot, people complain that "unlimited" is unusable once it slows down, signal is poor in places like Switzerland and Sicily, activating sometimes takes several rounds with support, you need to be online already to top up or even see your plans, refunds after activation get turned down or come back only as Saily credits, and that you can only log in with a Google or Apple account.

Support is 24-hour live chat plus an email form, with priority for Ultra users. The website has Taiwanese Traditional and Simplified Chinese versions but no Hong Kong one, and we haven't checked whether there's Chinese-language support. If you can't get online abroad, you'll need to find Wi-Fi before you can reach support.

These are Saily's US dollar prices on its website on 13 October 2026, converted at roughly HK$7.8 to US$1 (the linked rate runs from HK$7.75 to HK$7.85), before card fees:

Japan, 30 days: 3GB US$7.99 (about HK$62), 5GB US$10.99 (about HK$86), 10GB US$17.99 (about HK$140), 20GB US$24.99 (about HK$195); unlimited for 5 days US$18.99 (about HK$148), 7 days US$26.99 (about HK$211), 15 days US$48.99 (about HK$382). South Korea, 30 days: 5GB US$10.99, 10GB US$18.99, 20GB US$29.99 (about HK$86, 148 and 234). Taiwan, 30 days: 5GB US$11.99, 10GB US$19.99 (about HK$94 and 156). Thailand, 30 days: 3GB US$5.99, 5GB US$7.99, 10GB US$10.99 (about HK$47, 62 and 86), unlimited for 15 days US$38.99 (about HK$304). The mainland, 30 days: 3GB US$10.99, 5GB US$15.99, 10GB US$26.99 (about HK$86, 125 and 211). Heading to the UK, 10GB for 30 days is US$18.99 (about HK$148), and unlimited across 35 European countries for 15 days is US$49.99 (about HK$390).

Small 1GB plans run about US$2.99 to US$4.99 (Japan for 7 days is US$3.99), all below the referral code minimum. Hitting several places in one trip? Look at the regional or global plans: Asia and Oceania (22 countries) from US$4.99, global (121 countries) from US$8.99. You can add plans for different places to the same eSIM, so no reinstalling every time; travelling as a family, a fixed-data plan that hasn't started can be shared with up to 4 people by email invite in the app (not unlimited or Ultra, and they need to install the app and log in too).

Saily accounts only come in US dollars, euros, pounds and Swiss francs, no HKD, so your card may charge a foreign currency fee; we've confirmed bank cards and PayPal work, and any other payment methods show at checkout. It's data only, with no local number; if you want calls and texts you can add a US (+1) number, but it needs identity verification, only makes local calls in the country you're in, doesn't do MMS, and some apps treat it as an internet phone number so OTPs may not arrive; we haven't checked its price.

Take a five-day Japan trip: csl's "Major Asia Pacific" daily pass is HK$88 a day for 1GB, dropping to 512kbps after that, so five days is HK$440; csl also has a "Major Asia Pacific" data pack for HK$168 with 6GB, used within 30 days of starting it and started within three months of buying. Holafly's five days of unlimited in Japan is US$20.50 (about HK$160), with 1GB a day you can share by hotspot. Saily's five days of unlimited in Japan is US$18.99 (about HK$148), or US$13.99 (about HK$109) on your first order with the referral code; if you don't use much, 5GB for 30 days is US$10.99 (about HK$86), and just US$5.99 (about HK$47) on a first order.

Saily is clearly cheaper than the daily pass; against the data pack, the 5GB plan is roughly half the price, with 1GB less data. "Unlimited" rules differ from provider to provider: Saily Japan gives 5GB a day at full speed, while Airalo's fair use policy defaults to 3GB a day, and both drop to 1Mbps after that. Roaming has its perks too: no eSIM needed, nothing extra to install, and you pay in HKD. If your monthly plan already includes roaming where you're going, or your phone has no eSIM, Saily won't do much for you. We've only used csl as an example; other carriers charge differently.

Standard plans have a 180-day activation window: install it in Hong Kong after buying, and it only starts counting once you connect at your destination; if you still haven't started it after 180 days, Saily starts it for you. Ultra monthly plans kick in the moment you pay. Once a plan has started you can't pause it, and any data left when it expires is gone.

The catch is the refund window: on standard plans you have to ask for a refund within 30 days of buying, way shorter than 180 days. If your trip isn't fixed yet, or you're going in two or three months, don't buy yet; buy within 30 days of leaving, so if plans change and it hasn't started, you can still ask for a refund.

Saily suggests this: before you leave, get on Wi-Fi, install the eSIM in the app (no QR code to scan), then turn on "Data Roaming" for the Saily line. After you land, turn off your main SIM and turn off mobile data switching, so your Hong Kong carrier doesn't charge you for roaming. If you need your Hong Kong number for bank OTPs and keep your main SIM on, remember to turn off data roaming on the main SIM, and ask your carrier how calls and texts are charged.

Didn't start when you landed? First check the Saily line is on and the APN is set; on Android you can keep the app open for up to five minutes and let it set things up itself, while on iPhone you'll need to contact support. The app tells you when you've used 80%, and you can add data in the app, with the new plan starting once the old one runs out; or turn on auto top-up to buy more automatically when you run out. Heads up: even if your first order used the referral code or credits, auto top-ups are charged at full price.

The terms say standard unlimited plans give 3GB or 5GB a day at full speed (depending on where you are), then drop to 1Mbps until midnight where you are; the Japan, Thailand and Europe pages all say 5GB a day. At 1Mbps, maps and messaging are fine, but HD video is going to be painful. If you use far more than 99% of users, Saily can investigate and even suspend your unlimited plan.

The hotspot rules don't add up: the Japan and mainland pages say you can share a hotspot "without limits", the Taiwan page says every plan supports hotspot, but the fair use rules in the terms don't allow hotspot use on unlimited plans "beyond occasional personal use". When the two clash, go by the terms, and don't keep a hotspot running for several devices all the time.

The bundled security features include virtual locations (Saily says 115-plus), ad blocking and blocking of malicious sites, which come in handy on the mainland (see the next one).

The mainland: you have to buy and install it before you cross the border, because you can't buy an eSIM once you're there. The networks are China Telecom and China Unicom, and places like Tibet and Xinjiang may be slower or patchier. Saily says the app itself works without a VPN, but you can't log in with a Google account; Google and Instagram work through the virtual location feature, while WhatsApp needs your own VPN. Also, mainland plans don't work in Hong Kong or Macao, so remember to switch back to your main SIM when you're home.

Turkey: once you're there, the Saily website, app and top-ups may not work, so install and start it before you arrive, and ideally turn on auto top-up in advance; if the app won't open, check how much the Saily line has used in your phone's settings.

Download Saily through the link on this page, and if the code isn't applied automatically at your first checkout, enter JIMMYU6940 in the referral code box. Under the referral programme terms updated on 25 September 2026, new users get a one-off discount on their first order, with the amount depending on the account currency: on a US dollar account, US$5 off a standard plan and US$10 off Ultra (€4/€8 in euros, £4/£8 in pounds, CHF4/CHF8 in Swiss francs).

The conditions, one by one: you must be a new user who has never used Saily; first order only; the plan has to be US$5.60 (€5, £4.50, CHF5) or more, so 1GB plans don't qualify; it can't be combined with other promo codes, promotions or discounts; and Saily can cancel the discount on the spot for multiple accounts, buying to resell or one person checking out again and again. Check the discount shows at checkout before you pay.

Let's do the maths (US dollar account): Japan 5GB for 30 days goes from US$10.99 to US$5.99 (about HK$47); five days of unlimited in Japan goes from US$18.99 to US$13.99 (about HK$109); mainland 3GB for 30 days goes from US$10.99 to US$5.99; Thailand 3GB for 30 days at US$5.99 just clears the minimum, leaving US$0.99 (about HK$8) after the discount. The discount is one-time only; extra data and auto top-ups afterwards are full price.

Full disclosure: JIMMYU6940 is our referral code. When you complete your first order with it, we receive Saily credits equal to your discount, usable only on Saily, not exchangeable for cash, and valid for a year; if you later get a refund or the order is cancelled, Saily can take those credits back.

Standard plans: if it isn't installed, or is installed but hasn't started, and you haven't used the extra perks that come with the plan (Extras), you can ask for a full refund; once it starts it counts as used, and Saily only considers a full or partial refund if more than 99% of the data is left and you haven't used those perks. You have to ask within 30 days of buying; after that, or once the data's used up, there's no refund. Saily decides within 5 working days and pays approved refunds within 30 days at the latest; whether you get a refund, and how much, is Saily's call.

Ultra is a monthly subscription: 30GB a month at full speed, then 1Mbps, covering 121-plus destinations, with NordVPN, NordPass, NordLocker and Incogni included, one airport lounge visit and one fast track a month (unused ones roll over for up to three months), lounge access you can claim if your flight is delayed two hours or more, and 8% back in credits on purchases. But the airports covered are limited, and we haven't checked whether Hong Kong International Airport is one of them; Saily's own pages also disagree on when the full-speed data resets (the help centre says the start of each calendar month, the terms say it follows your billing cycle). The price isn't shown on the website; you only see it in the app or at checkout.

Ultra renews automatically at the price at renewal time: you're notified at least 3 days before renewal and charged 2 days before the next period starts; within 40 days before renewal your card may show a US$0 or small pre-authorisation that's released automatically afterwards; if the charge fails, Saily tries again within 14 days of the renewal date. To stop, cancel auto-renewal in the app, and it ends after the current period. For an Ultra refund, ask within 14 days of being charged: a full refund only if you've used no more than 5% of the data and none of the bundled perks, and possibly a partial one between 5% and 10%. To delete your account, go to Profile → "account settings" → "delete account" in the app, or contact support; deleting wipes every service you've bought with no further refunds, so hold off if you still have unused plans or a refund in progress.

Go for it: your phone definitely has eSIM and isn't locked, and you make lots of short trips to Japan, Korea, Taiwan or Thailand; you burn through data and want an unlimited plan with 5GB a day at full speed; you're a family travelling together and want to share one fixed-data plan; or your trip is fixed and you're buying within 30 days of leaving.

Skip it: you're on an iPhone 11 to 16 sold in Hong Kong (except the 12 mini, 13 mini and 16e), an XR or an XS Max; you need WhatsApp on the mainland and don't want to deal with a VPN; you need a local phone number; you only want to pay in HKD; your monthly plan already includes roaming; or your trip isn't fixed and you're worried about needing a refund after it's started.