Compare New Zealand Travel eSIMs

Stay Connected in New Zealand with Travel eSIMs from the Moment You Land

Kia Ora – welcome to New Zealand! Get online with an eSIM as soon as you arrive in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Say goodbye to lengthy airport queues to buy a prepaid SIM card with hundreds of other sweaty, weary travellers, or trying to find a fast and secure WIFI connection to send that urgent WhatsApp message.

Quickly buy an eSIM before you fly, get instantly connected when you land, and book an Uber straight to the hotel as soon as you collect your bags!

Whether you’re planning to enjoy a scenic panorama of Auckland from atop the Sky Tower, experience whale watching in Kaikoura, or get sprayed by the geysers at Wai-o-tapu outside of Rotorua on the North Island, you can now stay connected with an eSIM in enzed for a fraction of the cost of international roaming.

Compare the best eSIM plans for New Zealand below and learn more about coverage, network providers, how to choose the plan that best suits your needs, and how to set up your eSIM plan.

What is an eSIM vs a physical SIM?

An eSIM, which stands for embedded SIM, is a SIM card that’s built into mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops – and even wearable technology like smartwatches.  This contrasts with the traditional physical SIM cards we’re accustomed to, which can be inserted and removed from devices at will.

While a physical SIM card is preloaded with the information, i.e., your SIM profile   required to connect to a network provider, the eSIM within a device is initially blank and requires you to download a profile onto it. However, while a physical SIM only holds one profile, an eSIM can store multiple profiles, allowing you to easily toggle between plans, e.g., eSIM data plans for different countries.   

Check your device supports eSIMs before travelling to New Zealand

The first thing to determine before you seek out the best eSIM for your New Zealand trip is if your device is eSIM-compatible. As eSIMs are in-built, only devices manufactured in 2016 and onward feature them.

To check if your device is eSIM-ready, take see our list of eSIM-compatible devices.

How to choose the best Travel eSIM for New Zealand

The good news is there are plenty of New Zealand Travel eSIM plans to choose from – but how do you go about selecting the one that suits your needs? Here are a few key considerations for finding the best eSIM for your New Zealand trip:

• Length of Plan: choosing an eSIM plan that lasts the entire duration of your time abroad is essential. eSIM plans for New Zealand can last anywhere from 1 day, for quick visits, to a year, for extended stays! One thing to be mindful of is the validity period as some Providers start the clock upon purchases, whereas with others the Plan starts upon first initial contact with the local network in your destination.
• Data Limits: how much data will you need for your entire trip? This will be influenced by the length of your trip, as well as what you intend to use data for, e.g., social media, using map apps to make your way around, streaming video and music, etc. As a guide, Netflix uses about 1GB of data per hour for streaming a TV show or movie in standard definition and up to 3GB of data per hour when streaming HD video. Whereas streaming in high quality with Spotify, a full hour of streaming music can use up to 150MB of data. So, a single hour of streaming your favourite playlist per day can use up 6GB of mobile data over a month.
• Coverage: Does the eSIM plan offers reliable coverage in all your New Zealand destinations? Also, bear in mind that if you’re travelling to other destinations, like Australia or Singapore, you might want to consider a super-convenient regional plan for more than one country.

Our Favourite New Zealand Travel eSIMs

Here are some of the most prominent eSIM providers in New Zealand, as well as the networks they use and their available connection speeds: 

Nomad (4G/5G, Spark & Telecom NZ):

US provider with a comprehensive variety of eSIM plans to suit a range of trip lengths and data usage needs.

• One of our favourite New Zealand prepaid Travel eSIMs is from Nomad which has an epic data allowance of 50GB for 30 days! Super Users will be happy to know Nomad eSIM plans can even be topped up whilst active.
• They also offer unlimited plans on Telecom New Zealand starting at just $1.10 per day, which throttle down to 512Kbps after the daily quota has been used. However, these plans can’t be topped up.
• Nomad plans are not only for New Zealand, however. Their catalogue includes another 20+ regional and global plans that cover up to another 127 destinations alongside New Zealand!
• Finally, the duration of Nomad plans start after you’ve touched down, rather than date of purchase. This is handy if you’re very organised and prefer to buy in advance.

Enter our exclusive 10% discount code (NOMADXESIMPOP) when buying your Nomad New Zealand eSIM on the Provider’s site.

Airalo (4G/5G, Vodafone NZ):

Global eSIM pioneer offering a wide range of local and global prepaid eSIM plans.

• Airalo operates on the One NZ network, the new name for Vodafone NZ. They’re offering New Zealand eSIM plans from 1GB to 20GB for 7-Day, 15-Day, or 30 Day trips. We reckon the 10GB 30-Day plan is pretty good value at less than a buck a day! Airalo’s local NZ plans have no expiry and can be topped up online.
• If you think you’ll need a mobile number to make or receive voice calls and SMS, then their Discover+ plans have you covered – although be warned: the mobile number will be from Europe (not New Zealand).

Don’t forget to enter our exclusive discount codes (AIRALOESIM10 and NEWTOAIRALO15) when buying your Airalo New Zealand eSIM for 10 – 15% off.

Note that both Nomad and Airalo use the Spark and One NZ (formerly Vodafone) networks in New Zealand. Check the coverage maps below to ensure these services 100% of the locations you’ll be visiting. If not, you may wish to consider eSIMPLUS plans. Both Spark NZ and Vodafone , as well as 2Degrees, so constant coverage is almost 100% guaranteed. Their plans start at just $4 for 1GB over 5 Days.

Which Mobile Operator has the best coverage in New Zealand?

There are three main networks in New Zealand that eSIM providers connect to: Spark, 2Degrees, and Vodafone. To View a coverage map of each network via the links below to help you choose the right provider: 

• Spark coverage map
• 2Degrees coverage map
• Vodafone coverage map

eSIM Pros and Cons

Let’s look at some pros and cons of purchasing an eSIM for New Zealand, compared to a physical SIM card:

Pros

• Lower cost: using an eSIM in New Zealand can save you anywhere from 35% to 90% compared to international roaming fees*.
• Convenience: you can arrange your eSIM plan before you board the plane – so you can skip having to seek out the prepaid SIM kiosks in arrivals and head straight to your hotel!
• Don’t need to swap out SIM cards: with no physical SIM card, you won’t need to remove your existing SIM to insert a new one – and potentially lose or damage it in the process.
• Security: greater security in eSIM devices.
• Flexibility: An eSIM-capable smartphone can accommodate up to 20 different mobile plans via eSIM!

Cons

• Device must be eSIM-compatible: as touched on earlier, your mobile device must be recent enough to have an eSIM built into it.
• Harder to swap devices: despite being fiddly, physical SIM cards are easier to swap between devices if need be. With an eSIM, you’ll need to deactivate it on one device before activating it on another.
• Activation: Attempting to scan a QR code to activate your plan using the only device in your possession, ie your smartphone, can be a challenge. Although eSIM plans can be manually activated and new techniques are constantly being developed to improve the process.

When should you buy a New Zealand eSIM?

One of the key advantages of purchasing an eSIM for your New Zealand trip is that you can buy one before you set off. That way, your SIM card in New Zealand will be set up and you can get online as soon as you touch down on the tarmac. Ideally, you should buy your eSIM a week before your journey – to give you peace of mind that your data needs are handled and allow you to focus on the other preparations for your trip.

However, if you’re rushing around before your journey and don’t get a chance to buy an eSIM before you fly – don’t worry! You might be able to buy eSIMs using Airport wifi when you arrive in New Zealand, as well as purchasing them online, just like you would at home.

Can New Zealand eSIMs be used on both North and South Islands?

Your eSIM plan in New Zealand will generally cover you across the entire country – providing coverage across both the north and south islands. We recommend you check the coverage maps against the local networks used by your chosen Provider to ensure you’ll have 100% coverage across your entire itinerary.

Don’t risk a data disaster whilst in New Zealand. Stay connected with an eSIM so you can share, post and stream the thrills ’n’ spills of the Shotover Jet boat ride in Queenstown, a peaceful cruise alongside dolphins up the placid Milford Sound, or hiking through middle earth at the Hobbiton Movie Set.

How to Set up an eSIM?

Setting up an eSIM on your smartphone, tablet or laptop is as easy as 1,2,3! You can check out our guides here:

• For iPhone
• For Android
• For Laptop or Tablet

Stay connected with esimpop

Here at esimpop we’re constantly comparing Travel eSIMs for over 100 destinations globally, so you don’t have to. Our review of the best eSIM plans for New Zealand will be published shortly, so bookmark this page and check back often, or join our community to be notified when we release our findings.

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