No longer reliable
This used to be a good app, but I’ve experienced several problems recently. For example, I can’t top up my account, select a payment method, or see how much data I’ve used. I’m also concerned about my most recent purchase: 5 GB of data ran out in just two days, even though I mainly used Google Maps. With so many issues recently , I’m close to giving up on the app and am considering removing it from my iPhone.
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IRiiii loveee rroobbllooxx
5G signal but no data — serious APN/provisioning issue and poor support
I’m writing this review so other travellers understand a technical limitation I experienced with ZIM before relying on it during a trip.
I purchased a France eSIM and installed it successfully on my Samsung Galaxy. The eSIM registered on Orange France, showed 5G roaming, and appeared completely normal — but there was no mobile data at all.
I checked mobile data, data roaming, SIM selection, network mode, restarted the phone, reset network settings, and manually tried Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free Mobile. The phone could register on the networks, but data still did not work.
The key problem was the APN. My Samsung showed an empty APN list and the message:
“This user is not allowed to modify Access Point Name settings.”
ZIM support later confirmed that the required APN was:
data.esim
This meant I was stuck in a technical dead end: ZIM required an APN that had apparently not been provisioned to my phone, while Samsung would not allow me to add it manually.
I want to make an important distinction: the eSIM itself was installed and could register on a French 5G network. The failure was specifically that the mobile data session could not be established.
This is also why seeing “5G” on your phone does not necessarily mean a travel eSIM is actually working.
What made the experience worse was customer support. Even after I had explained the problem, completed the troubleshooting, and sent screenshots showing the activated eSIM, roaming settings, mobile network settings and the empty APN page, I was repeatedly asked to perform the same steps and send the same screenshots again.
At one point I asked to stop troubleshooting and requested a refund because I had already spent a significant part of my travel time dealing with the issue. Instead of addressing the refund directly, the conversation kept returning to the same troubleshooting script.
I even had to explain why I had redacted my private phone number from a screenshot.
I bought this eSIM to save time while travelling. Instead, I spent the walk from the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and then from the Arc de Triomphe toward the Eiffel Tower, dealing with network settings and customer support.
The price of the eSIM was only a few euros. The real cost was my travel time.
My advice to other users: do not assume the eSIM is working just because installation reaches 100% and your phone shows 4G/5G. Turn off Wi-Fi and actually test mobile data before relying on it. Also check whether the APN has been correctly provisioned and whether your phone allows manual APN configuration.
I will continue using eSIM technology, but after this experience I would strongly prefer an operator-provided eSIM or a provider with better control over APN provisioning and more effective technical support.
Beyond the technical issue itself, this had a real impact on my trip.
I was in Paris for a limited amount of time, and instead of enjoying the city, I spent a large part of the evening staring at network settings, restarting phones, switching carriers, taking screenshots, and repeating the same explanations to customer support.
I literally walked from the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and then from the Arc de Triomphe toward the Eiffel Tower, while dealing with this issue on my phone. Those are places I had travelled to Paris to experience, but a significant part of that time was spent troubleshooting an eSIM that never provided the service I had paid for.
The financial loss was only a few euros. That is not the main reason I am leaving this review. The real loss was my time, attention, and travel experience. Travel time is limited, and once it is wasted, it cannot be refunded.
An eSIM is supposed to make travelling easier. In my case, it did the opposite: it turned what should have been a simple evening in Paris into hours of technical troubleshooting and customer-service frustration.
That is why I think other travellers should know about this experience before deciding whether to rely on this service abroad.
Another major problem was how ZIM handled the refund discussion. They repeatedly treated technical activation and minimal data consumption as if they proved that the service had been successfully delivered.
In my case, the eSIM was indeed installed, activated and able to register on a mobile network. But that is not the same as providing a usable mobile-data service. The phone showed 5G roaming, yet I could not actually use mobile data normally.
ZIM’s own support confirmed that the required APN was data.esim, while my phone showed an empty APN list and would not allow me to add it manually. Despite this, their refund response focused mainly on the fact that the eSIM had been “activated” and had “consumed data.”
Activation is not the same as successful service delivery. Background data usage is not the same as a functioning internet connection.
This distinction seemed very difficult for their support team to acknowledge, and it became one of the most frustrating parts of the entire experience.
I purchased a France eSIM and installed it successfully on my Samsung Galaxy. The eSIM registered on Orange France, showed 5G roaming, and appeared completely normal — but there was no mobile data at all.
I checked mobile data, data roaming, SIM selection, network mode, restarted the phone, reset network settings, and manually tried Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free Mobile. The phone could register on the networks, but data still did not work.
The key problem was the APN. My Samsung showed an empty APN list and the message:
“This user is not allowed to modify Access Point Name settings.”
ZIM support later confirmed that the required APN was:
data.esim
This meant I was stuck in a technical dead end: ZIM required an APN that had apparently not been provisioned to my phone, while Samsung would not allow me to add it manually.
I want to make an important distinction: the eSIM itself was installed and could register on a French 5G network. The failure was specifically that the mobile data session could not be established.
This is also why seeing “5G” on your phone does not necessarily mean a travel eSIM is actually working.
What made the experience worse was customer support. Even after I had explained the problem, completed the troubleshooting, and sent screenshots showing the activated eSIM, roaming settings, mobile network settings and the empty APN page, I was repeatedly asked to perform the same steps and send the same screenshots again.
At one point I asked to stop troubleshooting and requested a refund because I had already spent a significant part of my travel time dealing with the issue. Instead of addressing the refund directly, the conversation kept returning to the same troubleshooting script.
I even had to explain why I had redacted my private phone number from a screenshot.
I bought this eSIM to save time while travelling. Instead, I spent the walk from the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and then from the Arc de Triomphe toward the Eiffel Tower, dealing with network settings and customer support.
The price of the eSIM was only a few euros. The real cost was my travel time.
My advice to other users: do not assume the eSIM is working just because installation reaches 100% and your phone shows 4G/5G. Turn off Wi-Fi and actually test mobile data before relying on it. Also check whether the APN has been correctly provisioned and whether your phone allows manual APN configuration.
I will continue using eSIM technology, but after this experience I would strongly prefer an operator-provided eSIM or a provider with better control over APN provisioning and more effective technical support.
Beyond the technical issue itself, this had a real impact on my trip.
I was in Paris for a limited amount of time, and instead of enjoying the city, I spent a large part of the evening staring at network settings, restarting phones, switching carriers, taking screenshots, and repeating the same explanations to customer support.
I literally walked from the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and then from the Arc de Triomphe toward the Eiffel Tower, while dealing with this issue on my phone. Those are places I had travelled to Paris to experience, but a significant part of that time was spent troubleshooting an eSIM that never provided the service I had paid for.
The financial loss was only a few euros. That is not the main reason I am leaving this review. The real loss was my time, attention, and travel experience. Travel time is limited, and once it is wasted, it cannot be refunded.
An eSIM is supposed to make travelling easier. In my case, it did the opposite: it turned what should have been a simple evening in Paris into hours of technical troubleshooting and customer-service frustration.
That is why I think other travellers should know about this experience before deciding whether to rely on this service abroad.
Another major problem was how ZIM handled the refund discussion. They repeatedly treated technical activation and minimal data consumption as if they proved that the service had been successfully delivered.
In my case, the eSIM was indeed installed, activated and able to register on a mobile network. But that is not the same as providing a usable mobile-data service. The phone showed 5G roaming, yet I could not actually use mobile data normally.
ZIM’s own support confirmed that the required APN was data.esim, while my phone showed an empty APN list and would not allow me to add it manually. Despite this, their refund response focused mainly on the fact that the eSIM had been “activated” and had “consumed data.”
Activation is not the same as successful service delivery. Background data usage is not the same as a functioning internet connection.
This distinction seemed very difficult for their support team to acknowledge, and it became one of the most frustrating parts of the entire experience.
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KFKyle Finn123
Best eSIM
Reliable, easy to set up, cheap, and again reliable, highly recommend as it won’t let you down!
BBonnie169
Voyage Turquie
Qualité prix excellent pas mieux
Oozksss
The best roaming app
Works great every time
LPLola pdc
