The neobank Revolut is now also offering its German customers flexibly bookable data volumes for mobile networks abroad. Anyone who has a Revolut account can order an eSIM and various data packages in the app. Revolut had already introduced the eSIM in Great Britain in February and is now also bringing it to Germany.
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This works with most current smartphones that support eSIM. This is a virtual SIM card that can be installed on the iPhone or Android smartphone and provides network access. This eliminates the time-consuming process of shipping the physical SIM card. The eSIM makes booking a mobile phone tariff at short notice for a business trip or vacation easier than before.
Ab 1 Gigabyte
Revolut offers data packages with different durations and data volumes on its own eSIM. The smallest package with 1 GB of data is valid for one week, packages with 3, 5, 10 and 20 GB are each valid for 30 days. The prices for the packages differ depending on the respective countries and regions such as North America, Europe or Asia-Pacific. There is also a “Global” option that includes 108 countries.
For the USA, for example, a 1 GB data volume for a week costs 4 euros. 5 GB for 30 days costs 14.50 euros. 20 GB, which is also valid for 30 days, costs 38.50 euros for the United States. Real globetrotters who want a tariff for all 108 countries pay from 8 euros for 1 GB to 62.50 euros for 20 GB.
A Revolut “Ultra” account, which costs 50 euros per month, includes 3 GB of data worldwide per month. As an introduction, all Revolut customers who activate an eSIM by May 1, 2024 will receive a one-time 100 MB data volume for worldwide use.
Revolut's eSIM supports LTE and also 5G, provided this is possible in the mobile network used. The maximum bandwidth also depends on the respective network operator. In Europe, the company cooperates with Vodafone and Telefónica, among others. “For the USA, we offer the coverage of AT&T and T-Mobile, depending on the user location and signal quality,” explains a Revolut spokesman when asked.
Platform from 1Global
Revolut uses the platform of the British provider 1Global for its eSIM. The company is a virtual network operator (MVNO) with relationships with numerous network operators worldwide. “Our eSIM technology seamlessly integrates with the existing Revolut app and can be installed and activated on any eSIM-compatible mobile device in under a minute,” says 1Gobal CEO Hakan Koç.
For people who live in the EU, such eSIM tariffs are ideal for countries where regulated EU roaming does not apply. These are, for example, Great Britain, Switzerland or Turkey, but also the USA and holiday destinations overseas. Revolut is in competition with other providers such as Airalo or Ubigi.
Since the eSIM has been supported by more and more smartphones, numerous virtual network operators are offering international mobile packages directly or opening their networks to third-party providers. Recently, Lufthansa also launched its own eSIM offer.
(vbr)