GigSky eSIM Review: Hong Kong Phone Compatibility, Prices for Japan, Taiwan and Elsewhere, and Choosing Between Visa Card Discounts and the 25% Referral Code

GigSky is operated by the US company GigSky, Inc. The user agreement is governed by the laws of California, users submit to the jurisdiction of the Californian courts, and GigSky may at its discretion refer disputes to arbitration before three arbitrators in Palo Alto, California; the service is sold only to persons aged 18 or over. GigSky describes itself as a "true network operator" that manages its own US-based eSIMs rather than simply reselling another provider's service. We have been unable to verify whether it holds a licence issued by Hong Kong's Office of the Communications Authority. GigSky states that its service covers more than 190 countries and regions, but before buying you should rely on the plan list for your destination.

The service provides data only. The terms state that the SIM is for "data use" only: it cannot make calls or send SMS or MMS messages, and it has no phone number. If you need to receive calls and SMS on your Hong Kong number (for example, bank one-time passwords), you must keep your Hong Kong SIM card in use as well and ask your local operator about roaming charges for incoming calls and SMS; calls can instead be made over data through apps such as WhatsApp or FaceTime.

Each phone installs one GigSky eSIM, and plans bought later use the same eSIM. The eSIM cannot be transferred to another phone; if you change phones and no longer use the old one, you can contact customer service to have a new eSIM issued for the new phone. The GigSky help centre is available in Traditional Chinese.

The phone must both support eSIM and not be locked to an operator. GigSky suggests entering *#06# on the dialling screen: if an EID number appears, the phone supports eSIM. On an iPhone, the carrier lock status can be checked under Settings > General > About; if the phone is locked, ask your operator about unlocking it first.

Hong Kong readers should pay particular attention to the model. Apple's support article published on 17 September 2026 states that the iPhone 11, 14 and 15 series in full, the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 13, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, and the XS Max and XR, when bought in Hong Kong or Macau, use a design with two physical nano-SIM cards. The Hong Kong and Macau models with eSIM are the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e, Air, 16e, 13 mini, 12 mini, SE (2nd and 3rd generation) and XS. For Android phones, whether *#06# shows an EID is the test.

GigSky also notes that most iPhones sold on the Mainland do not support eSIM, and says it cannot vouch for the compatibility of eSIM adapter products such as 5ber, 9eSIM and eSIM.me. After registering through the link on this page, new users can claim a free 100MB, seven-day trial (no payment card required) and confirm that the phone can install the eSIM before paying; GigSky's terms state that it may change or end this trial at any time.

Standard plans provide a set amount of data for a set number of days and end when the data runs out or the days expire, whichever comes first. A single-destination plan covers only one country or region; regional plans cover several, and the Asia Pacific plan includes 19 destinations, among them the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand, but not Singapore. The World Plan covers 165 destinations and the World Plan Lite 119; according to the GigSky plan catalogue, neither includes Hong Kong. GigSky also offers unlimited data, cruise, European ferry, inflight, offshore and GigSky One monthly plans.

The GigSky plan catalogue lists the networks used in each destination: NTT Docomo and SoftBank in Japan; KT and SK Telecom in South Korea; Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile in Taiwan; AIS and dtac in Thailand; China Unicom on the Mainland; and 3 and CTM in Macau. GigSky states that speeds depend on signal strength, network congestion and location.

Readers travelling to the Mainland should note that GigSky has not publicly stated whether its Mainland plan gives access to services such as Google and WhatsApp without a VPN. We have been unable to verify this, and you should confirm it yourself before departure. All plans can be used as a personal hotspot, but connected devices share the same plan's data.

GigSky lists prices in US dollars and other currencies, not in Hong Kong dollars. The US dollar list prices in the plan catalogue on 13 October 2026 were as follows: Japan US$2.99 for 1GB over seven days, US$10.29 for 5GB over 30 days and US$16.79 (about HK$131) for 10GB over 30 days; South Korea US$17.79 for 10GB over 30 days; Thailand US$9.79; Singapore US$14.99; Macau US$32.99; and Taiwan and the Mainland both US$36.49 (about HK$285). For long-haul destinations, 10GB over 30 days costs US$9.79 for the United Kingdom, US$22.99 for 42 European countries and US$21.49 for the United States.

By comparison, the Asia Pacific 10GB 30-day plan costs US$22.99 (about HK$179) and covers Taiwan, the Mainland and Macau together, for less than the single-destination plans for those three. For short trips, seven-day unlimited data is also worth considering: US$24.49 for Japan, US$25.49 for Taiwan, US$27.99 for the Mainland, and only US$16.49 for South Korea, less than the 10GB plan there. The drawback of the Asia Pacific plan is that it also covers Hong Kong, so attention must be paid to when it starts on installation (see below).

All of the above are list prices before discounts. On 13 October 2026, GigSky automatically applied a 15% promotional discount to most plans and 25% to the Cruise Day Pass. Promotions may change at any time, and only one discount applies to each purchase.

Unlimited data plans are available for 1 to 30 days and do not cut off during the period, but once daily high-speed usage exceeds 3.5GB, speeds may be reduced; the plan catalogue states the reduced speed as 500kbps. The high-speed allowance resets every 24 hours from the time the plan was activated, not at midnight. While speeds are reduced, low-bandwidth services such as email and internet calls remain usable.

Cruise plans work only on ships that GigSky supports, and the ship list should be checked before buying. Data at sea becomes available only once the ship is about 12 nautical miles offshore (generally about an hour after leaving port), and plan data is not used while you are connected to the ship's Wi-Fi. The plan catalogue lists two sea-only plans, at US$19.99 and US$31.99 for 1GB over seven days. The Cruise Day Pass is listed at US$17.99 a day and provides 500MB of high-speed data every 24 hours, after which it switches to GigSky Essentials, which allows only basic apps such as text messaging, email, maps and ride-hailing. The Cruise + Asia Pacific plan covers Hong Kong, so passengers boarding in Hong Kong should switch on the GigSky line only after boarding and setting sail.

Inflight data is available on designated airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Asiana Airlines once the aircraft has climbed above 20,000 feet and the line is switched on, depending on the aircraft type and route; the inflight plan listed in the plan catalogue is 100MB for one day at US$13.99. GigSky One is a monthly plan providing 25GB, 50GB or 75GB of high-speed data a month, with reduced speeds thereafter, in more than 120 countries, excluding cruise, offshore and inflight use. It renews automatically and can be cancelled under My Plans in the app; purchases are non-refundable, and unused data does not roll over to the following month. The terms state that the referral offer does not apply to the monthly plan.

GigSky recommends installing the eSIM the day before or on the day of departure, on a stable connection; installation requires Wi-Fi. Most plans start only when the eSIM first connects to a network in a covered destination. Regional, global and cruise plans, however, may start immediately after installation if you are within their coverage at the time. For Hong Kong users, both the Asia Pacific and the Cruise + Asia Pacific plans cover Hong Kong, so after installation you should first switch off the GigSky line in the phone's settings, and switch it on only after arriving at the destination or boarding the ship. Single-destination plans such as Japan can be installed in advance.

If a plan starts early, GigSky's purchase FAQs state that you can email [email protected] with the transaction details, and customer service will extend the expiry date. Once activated, a plan cannot be paused: leaving the covered area or switching off the eSIM does not stop the validity period. Most plans also cannot be extended, and customer service considers requests only case by case. A standard plan ends when the data runs out or the days expire, whichever comes first.

Eligible plans can be topped up through Top Up in My Plans in the app; free Visa plans cannot be topped up. If you hold two plans covering the same destination (for example, a Japan plan and an Asia Pacific plan), only one can be In Use at a time, and you switch between them in My Plans. If you cannot connect, check that the GigSky line is switched on and set as the mobile data line, and that data roaming is enabled for that line.

GigSky offers three tiers of benefits for Visa cards issued in Hong Kong and Macau and designated as eligible by Visa. Visa Infinite personal cards and Visa business, corporate and purchasing cards receive 3GB of free data for 15 days plus 30% off all plans; Visa Platinum and Visa Signature personal cards receive 1GB of free data for 15 days and 20% off; and Visa Classic, Gold, debit and prepaid cards receive 10% off. For comparison, a paid Japan plan with the same 3GB for 15 days is listed at US$7.49.

To use the benefit, verify your card number under Visa Benefits in the app; GigSky states that verification does not charge the card. The discount is then applied automatically at checkout, with no code to enter. The free plan starts only on first connection to a network at the destination; it excludes the cardholder's home location (that is, Hong Kong) as well as cruise, inflight and offshore service, cannot be topped up and cannot be transferred once redeemed. The Visa discount, however, can be used to buy cruise plans. The Hong Kong and Macau terms do not state an end date for the offer.

Register through the link on this page, or enter JIMB150 in the referral code field when creating a GigSky account, to receive 25% off your first data plan. The conditions are as follows. The referral code must be entered when the account is opened and cannot be added after the account has been created; if the referral code field on the sign-up page opened by the link is blank, enter JIMB150 yourself before pressing Sign up. After registering, you must verify your email address; the 25% discount is applied to the first data plan only after verification, and the terms also state that accounts with unconfirmed email addresses are deleted within 30 days. The service is sold only to persons aged 18 or over.

Only one discount or promo code can be applied to each purchase. The system automatically selects the highest, and promo codes cannot be added after purchase. In other words, the referral code's 25% and the 15% automatic promotion of 13 October do not combine, and the result is still 25%. For holders of an eligible Hong Kong Visa Infinite or business card, the 30% replaces the 25%, and GigSky has not said whether the referral discount is then kept for a later purchase. For holders of Platinum, Signature or other Visa cards, the 25% is higher than their card's 20% or 10%. The referral discount does not apply to the GigSky One monthly plan, and GigSky has not published a cap, minimum spend or end date for the offer. Before paying, confirm that the order summary shows the 25% discount.

For the Japan 10GB 30-day plan, listed at US$16.79, the price with the referral code is about US$12.59, a saving of about US$4.20 (about HK$33); the Asia Pacific 10GB plan falls from US$22.99 to about US$17.24. Because the discount is a percentage, the US$2.99 1GB plan saves only about US$0.75, so choose a plan according to the needs of your trip; there is no need to buy a larger plan for the sake of the discount. Disclosure: JIMB150 is our own referral code. Each time a friend registers with it and buys a data plan, the referrer receives a 25% discount voucher, so we benefit as well.

GigSky accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay (both depending on the device), cryptocurrency (USDC and USDP, processed in US dollars) and GigSky Credit. The only billing currencies are the US dollar, Canadian dollar, euro, pound sterling, Japanese yen and Brazilian real, with no Hong Kong dollar option; the currency can be changed under Profile Details in the app or on the website. Hong Kong users generally pay in US dollars, and the card issuer may charge a foreign currency transaction fee, at a rate that varies by bank.

GigSky states that each purchase earns a 5% rebate, paid as GigSky Credit. Credit never expires and is deducted automatically at checkout, but it cannot be transferred or exchanged for cash. GigSky does not state whether the 5% is calculated on the amount before or after discounts; on a US$12.59 plan, it comes to about US$0.63.

On refunds, two official documents are inconsistent. The Terms of Service (updated 21 April 2026) state that unused data is non-refundable whether or not the plan has been activated. The help centre, however, offers self-service refunds: select the transaction under Transaction History and press Request Refund. Approval is not automatic and takes into account factors such as whether the plan has been activated or used, and approved amounts are returned as GigSky Credit or to the original payment method. If you bought for the wrong device, the help centre states that you can request a refund and buy again. A refund should be regarded as subject to individual approval rather than as an entitlement. If you wish to leave, select Delete Account under Account Details in the app; deletion is permanent, so it is advisable to use up any Credit in the account first.

As at 13 October 2026, the GigSky app was rated 4.7 on the App Store (Hong Kong), but from only 18 ratings; 4.5 on the App Store (US), from 5,864 ratings; and 4.5 on the US Google Play page (about 5,300 reviews, more than 500,000 downloads). On Trustpilot it was rated 4.3 (7,677 reviews), with 67% five-star and 8% one-star reviews, and GigSky had replied to 99% of negative reviews.

The more common complaints include a signal being shown but no internet connection; speeds below expectations, or no 5G; intermittent cruise data, or none for an entire voyage, with some refunds refused on the grounds that the data had been used; throttling on unlimited data plans; prices higher than local SIM cards; an app that is not easy to use, with setup steps that differ between iPhone models; and no alert when data is about to run out or a plan is about to expire.

Some users also report slow replies from customer service. The customer service email address is [email protected]. It is advisable to complete installation while on Wi-Fi in Hong Kong, and to check your remaining data and expiry time yourself in My Plans rather than waiting for a notification.

Suitable for: Hong Kong residents whose phones definitely support eSIM (dialling *#06# shows an EID) and are unlocked, who make short trips to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or the Mainland and mainly need data; travellers whose itineraries cover several Asia Pacific destinations, such as Taiwan, the Mainland and Macau, and who can make good use of the Asia Pacific plan; holders of eligible Hong Kong Visa cards, who can receive an additional discount or free data; and passengers on cruise ships that GigSky supports who accept the higher cost of data at sea.

Not suitable for: users of Hong Kong iPhones that take only physical SIM cards; those who need a local phone number; those whose monthly mobile plan already includes roaming data for the destination; those staying for long periods, for whom a local SIM card may be cheaper; those who wish to pay in Hong Kong dollars or need certainty of a refund; and those who wish to have disputes handled in Hong Kong.