These days, whether you’re travelling or working remotely, staying connected overseas isn’t just a nice-to-have… it’s essential. Traditional SIM cards are quickly becoming old news and eSIMs have stepped in to make life way easier, giving travellers a more flexible way to get online without the usual headaches. With so many providers now offering global coverage, it’s never been simpler to stay connected while you’re on the move. Honestly, you can probably leave your physical SIM card at home.

One of the many names you’ll come across is BNESIM, also called BNE, or if you believe their bold claim, the “Best Network Ever.” But does it actually live up to the name? Or is it just a lot of hype? Let’s dive in and see…

Who and what is BNESIM?

BNESIM is a global eSIM provider that’s been around since 2017, with its base in Hong Kong (one of the world’s big eSIM hubs). They offer international mobile connectivity through eSIMs, plus a bunch of other extras like VPN services, voice calls, international phone numbers and a few more bells and whistles. However, for us at TEE, the main thing we’re always looking at is the eSIM side of things and BNESIM says they’ve got coverage in over 200+ countries around the world, which definitely caught our eye.

As always, we don’t just take the marketing speak at face value. At TEE, we like to dig a little deeper and actually put these promises to the test. So here’s what we found with BNESIM…

What is an eSIM? 

An eSIM is essentially a cell plan which you can purchase that allows you to get online overseas with ease. BNESIM is one of many providers that offers different eSIMs via their app.

Allow us to answer some common frequently asked questions in more detail:

Is my phone compatible with BNESIM?

Before you grab a BNESIM plan, there are a few things you’ll need to check to make sure your phone’s ready for it:

• You’ll need to be able to download apps from the App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android). BNESIM uses its app to purchase, install and manage your plan.
• Your phone must support eSIMs, this is a non-negotiable!
• Ideally, it should also support Dual SIM so you can keep your regular number active while using BNESIM for data.
• It needs to be unlocked so it can connect to other networks when you travel.

If you’ve got a mid to high-end phone from the last few years (think Apple, Samsung, Google, etc.), you’re probably good to go, but if you’re not sure, skip the guesswork and check our eSIM compatibility guide. It’ll save you time and potential headaches later.

Is BNESIM easy to install? The setup process

Let’s walk through all of the steps to get set up on BNESIM:

1. Download the BNE app to your phone. If you’re on an iPhone, just head to the App Store. If you’re on Android, get it from the Play Store.

• Fun fact: When you search on the App Store, you’ll see two BNE apps pop up. Make sure you download the newer one called “BNESIM: 5G eSIM Data Profiles”.

2. Once you’ve got the app downloaded, the next step is to log in. BNESIM gives you a bunch of ways to do this, including:

• Standard signup
• Google
• Apple
• Facebook
• SMS verification

BNE will give you a lot of choice on just about everything within the app, we’ll run through that later.

3. Then, you’re in! Once you’re logged in, you’ll have access to all of BNE’s features, but most importantly, you’ll be able to browse and buy eSIM plans directly from the store inside the app.

What is the BNESIM app like to use?

We’ve used the BNE eSIM app quite a bit now and overall, it’s a solid experience. It feels modern, works smoothly and is packed with helpful features. There’s a lot happening when you first open it, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually pretty intuitive, functional and easy to navigate.

The design is clean with modern fonts, with a mostly white and maybe just a little bit too much orange color scheme for our taste. It’s not trying to be too flashy, but everything looks nice enough and does what it needs to. The app’s fast, responsive and so far, we haven’t run into any bugs or crashes while using it.

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll find five main tabs:

• Home: shows your current eSIM and featured content
• Store: where you can browse all available plans
• My eSIMs: view both active and past eSIMs
• Wallet: top up, send or receive credit and access loyalty rewards
• VPN: activate BNE Guard, the built-in VPN service

The VPN is a cool feature we’re starting to see more often with eSIMs these days. Normally it costs €7.99 a month (around $9), but with BNESIM, it’s free if you switch on auto-renew for your plan.

You can do everything you need inside the app: buy new plans, top up, track your plan history, manage your wallet balance, and chat with customer support. Another thing to mention, it tells you whether a plan offers 4G or 5G, which we always appreciate when choosing!

Another thing we liked (and you don’t see this often), is that BNESIM accepts cryptocurrency as a payment method. Along with the usual options (credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and your BNE Wallet balance), you can actually pay for your eSIM with crypto. It’s not something we personally use, but for anyone living a more digital nomad lifestyle or just a cryptaholic and wanting to use it on the go, that’s a pretty cool and unique feature.

There’s also a smart top-up feature that automatically reloads your data when you drop below 100MB. Handy if you want that extra peace of mind, although for us, we prefer topping up manually so we can keep full control over when and how much we spend.

Now for some quirks and slight annoyances…

One thing we’ve noticed is a “processing” message that pops up after you make a payment. Honestly, it feels a bit unnecessary. It makes it look like there’s a delay, but your eSIM is usually ready within 10 seconds or less.

This can be quite confusing at first, but you get used to it over time.

Another frustration of ours is that every plan comes with its own unique eSIM profile. So if you’re visiting multiple countries, you’ll need to install a new eSIM each time. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it’s a bit more effort than we’d like. Plus, there’s currently no way to organise or rename your eSIMs inside the app, which can get messy fast. We ended up with seven different profiles and honestly, we had no idea which one was for which country.

So as usual, there are pros and cons here, but overall, the BNE app is reliable and packed with interesting features. There’s only a couple of quirks that we’d like to see worked on in the future.

What countries can you use BNESIM?

With over 200 country/regional plans, you’re probably going to be able to use BNE on your next trip. They offer a few different types of eSIMs, split into a couple of categories depending on what you need…

Location:

• Country eSIMs: Best for single country trips only. You’re generally going to get the best price per GB of data this way.

• Regional eSIMs: These are a great option if you’re planning to travel across multiple countries in the same region and don’t want the hassle of buying a new eSIM for each one. They’re also handy if you’re not totally sure how much data you’ll need, you get a bit more flexibility without having to stop and switch every time you cross a border.

• World eSIMs: Best suited for frequent flyers or anyone bouncing between continents. They cover a ton of countries, but fair warning: the prices are usually pretty steep.

Now, let’s take a look at how the prices stack up between Country, Regional and World eSIMs:

• Note: We’d always recommend going for the individual country plans for the best bang for your buck.

How much does BNESIM cost?

The price you’ll pay for a BNESIM plan really comes down to a few different factors and it’s worth taking a minute to get your head around them before you buy. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you figure out what’s going to make the most sense for your trip (and for your data habits). The three big things to keep in mind are:

1. Location
2. Validity
3. Data amount

1a. Location

First things first, you’ll need to figure out which country (or countries) you want to stay connected in. If you’re only visiting one place, it’s easy: just grab a country-specific plan. However, if you’re bouncing around between a few destinations, it’s worth checking out the regional or even global plans to see if they end up being better value for your trip.

1b. Regional/Global plans vs Country plans

As you’ll see in our comparison tables, regional and global plans cost quite a bit more than single-country ones. For most travellers, it often works out better to buy separate country plans, but only if you’re confident you’ll use most of the data in each place. Otherwise, you’re just throwing money away. If you leave with unused data, your effective cost per GB also goes up.

2. Validity

BNE offers 2 main types of eSIM plans, they are:

3. Data amount 

We’ll always say it, your data amount will be the most important decision in terms of usage and value for money. With data, the cost per GB decreases substantially the more GB you buy.

Let’s head back to the UK for the current pricing difference:

With a lot of eSIM providers, the cost per GB of data goes down dramatically the more GB you buy, but with BNE, that isn’t really the case. The cost per GB does go down as you can see, however not as much as other brands. We’ve seen that cost per GB half going from 3 GB to 50 GB.

So how much data will I need?

As we’ve stressed, it’s best to have an idea of how much data you might need. This will always vary from person to person, depending on usage. From our research of various other sources, we think that you’re approximately looking at:

Try to bear this in mind when choosing a package for you. With time, you’ll become more familiar with how much data you use and this process will become a lot easier. Here at TEE, we end up shooting for higher data amount plans now.

BNESIM pricing:

BNESIM recently came 2nd place in our extensive “Cheapest eSIM for travel” study thanks to highly competitive prices that reduce even further with our 30% off coupon code.

Let’s compare BNESIM’s prices against their competition in all of these countries in this live (updated daily) table:

We’ve compared BNE’s pricing with the big players in the travel eSIM market and the outlook is generally quite positive. As long as you’re not going to Latin America.

• Europe: In Europe, BNE places around the top 3 at most key data levels

• Asia: Again BNE seems to be around 3rd or 4th cheapest in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, etc.

• Latin America: We wouldn’t recommend using BNE if you’re heading to Latin America. Prices are pretty steep in a lot of countries like Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, where you’ll see something like $58.90 for just 10GB (that’s just way too much for what you’re getting).

• USA: BNE is very well priced at lower data amounts, such as 3 GB for $4.24. Unfortunately, while competitors cost per GB decreases significantly with higher data amounts, BNE’s do not quite as much.

• Global: Don’t do it. We would steer well clear of 1 GB for $16.57! There’s much better value to be found.

BNESIM discount

Now, we’ve told you all about their default prices. Well, time to reconsider all of that. We have partnered with BNESIM to offer quite literally our highest discount in the game. Drumroll please…

30% OFF!

For all of the information, check out the dedicated 30% off BNESIM coupon page.

So, let’s look at some examples of prices at the current rates for a 5GB plan:

How does this impact BNE’s pricing at the 5GB level amongst the providers we price compare?

• France: Cheapest
• Hong Kong: Cheapest, by a distance
• Portugal: Around second place alongside Global Yo
• UK: Second cheapest
• USA: Second cheapest

So overall, with the caveat that you’ll have to use our exclusive code, BNE is cheap and for us, great value for money. We will expand on why in the coming sections…

Is BNESIM high speed and what is BNE’s signal reception like?

Another major advantage of BNESIM is both the signal and speed offered. We relived our high school math days and ranked every eSIM’s percentiles in each country tested and the results show, BNESIM is consistently among the top 3 speed amongst all providers that we’ve tested! While we are yet to see it come in as the absolute fastest provider in one of the countries we test, it’s usually top tier.

For a full breakdown, of their speeds everywhere, our interactive speed tool below can be filtered by country and you can add or remove providers for comparisons as you wish. Check it out.

However, we are always at pains to remind you that it will always depend on the country you’re in as well as a host of other variables that can influence speed. That includes:

1. 4G or 5G plan: 5G plans should be faster than 4G only plans and can offer better signal too. No eSIM provider will offer 5G in every country
2. Location: Location plays a major part in determining whether you have strong signal, which influences speed
3. Other variables: Such as network congestion, which can also vary depending on time of day

We have used BNESIM around the world, so can share our findings from real-world usage. BNESIM joins our other top eSIMs as one of the few to be “Good” in every country we’ve tried it in so far…

The good:

• Speed: Super fast
• Signal: Strong. We’ve traveled up and down Portugal and aside from the most rural of areas, signal is usually great. Network comes with 5G via the NOS network

• Speed: Fast
• Signal: Very good. BNE uses E&/Etisalat on 5g in the UAE, when we traveled throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, including to some very remote desert areas, you will always have signal no matter where you are

• Speed: Fast 5G speeds
• Signal: Good. We enjoyed strong signal during our time spent in many US cities, including: Houston, New York, Miami, Washington and more

• Speed: Fast
• Signal: Good. Though only available on 4G, they are using Vodafone, currently our favorite option in London and the South of England

• Speed: Average – but one of the faster options in Colombia
• Signal: Mostly good. Signal can take a hit in the more rural areas of Colombia regardless of what network you’re on however, especially in the mountains

• Speed: Very fast
• Signal: Great 5G signal throughout the various islands we visited thanks to the 3 network

• Speed: Strong
• Signal: Solid. As expected, we saw varied signal depending on whether we were in the main towns or the beautiful rural areas

For more specifics from each country like networks available and if you can Hotspot, check out our Country Guides.

Does BNESIM have a loyalty scheme?

Yes! BNE offers 5% cashback in BNE coins with every purchase via their BNE wallet which is fairly middle of the road among those that do offer a loyalty scheme. Also worth mentioning, BNE coins never expire so your loyalty over time is rewarded.

What is BNESIM’s customer service like?

It’s quite rare that we run into issues with eSIMs while overseas, but testing the number of different eSIMs that we do, things can go wrong and that’s when you need fixes quickly and efficiently.

When assessing customer service, we simply focus on how a company responds to issues. We are yet to experience any issues with BNESIM specifically, but we thought we’d throw a few questions their way just to test it out.

• Forms of communication: There are a lot of ways to reach out to BNE including 24/7 live chat (with a human!), WhatsApp support, email support, FAQs, knowledge panels, the list goes on. We have mostly tested the in-app live support.

• Response time: We got an answer within 2 minutes from Barbara. Very reasonable we’d say…

• Answers and problem solving: From what we’ve seen, answers have been comprehensive, useful and quick, that’s about all you can ask for when things go wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BNESIM used for?

BNE is a travel eSIM app that offers data plans, voice calls and more for travellers heading overseas, all at what is usually a much cheaper price than your roaming plan.

Is BNESIM any good?

Yup. We’ve given it 4.5 out of 5 so that should tell you everything you need to know.

How safe is BNESIM?

Our experience with BNE so far has been smooth and secure. We’ve had no issues with payments or privacy concerns. As with any SIM plan, eSIMs can access your data usage patterns, but we’ve seen no evidence that our information is at risk with BNE. Setting up an account does require registration, but only minimal personal details are needed.

Is BNESIM Trustable?

BNESIM has been trustable in terms of some key factors: service, activations and billing. For us, that makes it trustable.

Can I use WhatsApp with BNESIM?

Yes, you can use Whatsapp with BNE. Your BNE eSIM plan will get you online but you’ll be able to retain the same Whatsapp number from your home plan.

Does BNESIM give you a phone number?

You can get a phone number with BNESIM, but you’ll have to pay for it. Standard data plans generally don’t come with calls.

What countries does BNESIM cover?

BNE offers travel eSIMs in over 200+ countries and regions.

Is BNESIM legit?

We think that BNESIM is legit. We have used it extensively over the past couple of years in 7 countries and actively recommend it.

How do I avoid roaming charges on BNE?

When you arrive at your destination, make sure to activate your BNE eSIM and turn off Data Roaming on your home carrier. You can see the iOS screenshot below:

What are the disadvantages of BNESIM?

It’s difficult to identify too many disadvantages of BNESIM, we’d have to say the app would be our biggest gripe.

Does BNESIM use your phone number?

No, BNESIM does not use your phone number.

Is there better than BNESIM?

Not too many, its main competitors right now are Ubigi, GoMoWorld and Nomad.

Can BNESIM hotspot?

We’ve been able to hotspot on BNESIM in every country that we’ve been to so far.

Can BNESIM receive SMS?

BNESIM is unable to receive SMS.