BNESIM Reviews 295

BNE customer support is awful.

I bought a BNE eSIM and made a minor error in activating it (installed using one-time QR code on iPhone instead of using the BNE app). When trying to confirm its activation, the eSIM didn't show up on the BNE app, and there was no record of its activation.
I tried contacting BNE support and got a total runaround -- staff never answered messages on Chat on their website.
Then I tried messaging using Whatsapp and got long many delays after each text, ended up being told it was being looked at and someone would get back 24 hrs later. I tried explaining that my flight overseas would leave before 24 hrs, then zero responses after that.

In desperation I tried ordering another eSIM from BNE, but they sent the activation QR code to the incorrect email address. There was a corrupted email address in the app (no idea how that occurred).
Tried messaging over Whatsapp, and was told (again) it would take 24 hours for someone to look at it. Again, further requests were ignored.
As soon as I am able, I will cancel this additional eSIM.

I ended up having to purchase and install another eSIM at the last minute from another company, which installed and activated without any issues.

Before I purchased the eSIM I had read previous reviews saying their support is good over Whatsapp, but it seems that's no longer the case.

I will no longer recommend BNE and will instead write reviews about this experience so others who are in a situation where they need help will know not to count on BNE support.

Great value when using a refferal code and I like that there's a choice of what network I can connect to in most countries.

They are repeatedly charging my credit card monthly despite cancelling my account.

I've been using several eSim providers in the past, small and big. Lately I used BNE eSIM as their eSIM doesn't expire. the leftover credit stays for your next trip. Today I own 2 of their eSIMs in my family. Their price per MB is similar to what you can find online from many available esim providers (i.e. competitive price to air high or low).
I used their eSIM in Greece, Italy, Netherlands, USA , Germany . worked perfectly , no complaints.
it costs about 10€/3GB for EU.
the problem with their eSim is once installed to your phone it can't be transferred to another phone (i.e. all credit is lost if your phone breaks).
Therefore, I also ordered their a plastic SIM (same rates per MB but S&H is extra 10€): order came within 3 days via DHL ! first time I installed it into the sim it didn't work : I contacted support and after 5 emails they provided me with technical instructions how to change some SIM settings via Android SIMtoolkit app. then it worked fine.

BNEsim offers a management app for iOS and Android. personally I find the UI to be a total mess, since it only fits small font .recently (2024) they have released a newer app UI which is much better (but they removed the VOIP phone).

if you ever used BNEsim app voice minutes you know it costs 10 to 20 times more than other VOIP providers you can find online. for that issue: they lost 1 star in rates.

They have a US Whatsapp support number which is really fast and useful if you get stuck in airport without DATA working.

they can lease you a land line number (requires proof of citizenship) , tried it once , it didn't work for me. calling that number gave no ring tone. I sent the SIP logs to customer support which was clearly above their skills.
they also offer other phone services (like conference number, VPN ) which I didn't use so I can't comment.

Be warned! their app, by default ,on each new purchase (top up data) will choose the auto-renew plans rather than one-time plan.
you must actively change the purchase options each time.
many people forget , discover months later they are on a monthly subscription plan and that's alone is a good profit source for the company. lost one transparency star.
The good part: if you haven't used that data you can write support and they will refund you.

May 2023: the app may struggle sometimes to manage 4 sims simultaneously . one bug I saw: if one of the eSim run out of credit , it will block the app from charging it. I had to switch to my laptop to charge it. Another thing you must remember: sometimes the the top up data price list changes once you get to the final payment page. remember the price you choose .

BNEsim sells several sub-types of eSim, some can work in USA only , some can work in EU , some can work in both and they all have different pricing per MB so do your own research before charging a new continent into your old SIM. you may want to buy a completely new eSIM.

Aug 2023: there is a way to migrate account credit to a new eSIM with help from customer support. its not free : they charged me 1€ to migrate the eSim to a new iPhone.

July2024: bneSIM read this review within a day and commented about the default top up data value via their newer app (launched 2024). the default is now one-time-purchase, which is great. adding 1 star to review.

Very unprofessional. Not only do their FAQ page "about-esim" contain only questions with no answers except the very first, but when you write to support to report the problem, you receive an automatic message asking you to further explain the issue, and then they block your email address simultaneously.

Scam beware.

Unlimited means only 24gig at any reasonable speed. Then they gimp you to a tiny 128kbps after this. Meaning you can do basically nothing.

It is most certainly not unlimited.

I asked this question of support before I left home to avoid this and they said it wasn’t applied and was unlimited. Or at least hid it in terms to make it confusing.

I will be applying a chargeback via my credit card company for this scam.

Update: after kicking up a fuss I got a full refund and an apology for the lack of clarity so I’ll make review 2 stars rather then 1. I did find another sim provider who makes it clear there is no throttling or daily limits.

BNESIM is absolutely phenomenal! I have been using them since 2023 and I have not had a single incident where I had no data. As soon as I land and turn on my phone, it connects automatically to the best available network. Throughout Europe, my speeds were off the charts. I couldn't believe it and I was never throttled either. Support is quick and very responsive, respectful and genuinely cares. They are definitely my go to data needs company. On top of that they offer plans to meet almost everyone's needs and I absolutely love the data plans that do not expire. Everyone needs to try them out and see for yourself.

I had a small Issue - Data was deducted from Region Package (Europe) instead from the Country Package (Switzerland) - Europe too ;) - Wrote an e-mail and issue was solved very fast (not more than one hour). Very friendly contact. A have a really good experience with BNE, both with service/coverage and also with support.

The problem with BNESIM is their renewing plans:
1. If you have a data plan with no expiration date active and buy another renewable data plan for the same region, they will use first your data with no expiration data. That’s dishonest.
2. In order to cancel a renewable data plan, you have to delete the esim. If you have another plan active on that esim, you’ll lose all your data immediately. Again, that’s dishonest.

It’s a pity and a shame.

Bought 2 eSIMs. One for USA and one for Europe. Actually the USA esim was “accidentally” purchased. I had selected the 3GB package for Europe in order to try use as an esim on my Apple Watch. I applied a discount coupon and without noticing I was switched to the USA esim. After realizing that there was a mistake i bought a 2nd one this time for Europe checking carefully throughout all the process. ( I didn’t care about the USA sim because my son is traveling in summer to the states and I thought that I could transfer the sim to his phone. The sims of the company suppose to be transferable to other phones.

But actually they are not.

I contacted the costumer support and after chatting the told they can not help and they are upscaling my issue to th higher lever of support and that they will resolve in the next 24 hours at most.

30 hours later the support team didn’t even came back for chatting and my issue of being impossible to transfer the cards to another phone isn’t yet resolved although all the steps and alternatives were tried out.

Both sims were with lifetime data. Actually the esim didn’t work with my Apple Watch either (but There no blame for that to the company because I just made a wild guess, without any reference from them)

The dear service man Matthias was very quick and helpful in giving me an advice. Really nice man and network!

Good pricing for the e7 Europe sim. Really easy to activate and use.

I use the sim domestically in lieu of my EE sim. It has been a valuable backup.
Only negative side is it fails to connect to Vodafone in the uk, however customer service have been good.

Mariangela did an excellent work fixing my technical issues and she was amazing 🤩

bnesim worst service. Once installed, cannot delete from phone ever.

Super second line support team

My experience with BNE eSIM has been exceptional. I've used it during my trips to India, the UK, and Italy, and never had issues. I was truly impressed with the coverage in the mountains or even in the forests which made social media so easy.The support was also very responsive and helpful whenever I had questions

Tonight, I experienced an activation issue after purchasing and installing the eSIM on my iPhone SE (3rd). When I tried to contact the live 24/7 support through chatting. It’s really an amazing experience and patient support provided by one of the BNESIM founders (after resolving the issue, I learned this on chat). We kept chatting and tried all possible solutions to resolve the error during eSIM activation, replacing the eSIM profile, reinstalling again and again even though on different iPhones. The whole process took more than one hour but finally we resolved the problem together that made me super excited, really! For such efforts and patient support, I would love to vote my five stars definitely to recommend BNESIM! Hope its business can become bigger and bigger very soon. //bow

The tariffs are fair
The service team is outstanding helpful and nice and kind people
There is not enge one doubt to not stay with this provider.
Very easy going product with full service
100% recommended!

the customer service team is very helpful.

I tried buying one time duration package but UAE card declined to purchase, may be it’s not listed as genuine service provider, not sure. Moreover they never respond in app, but in Trust pilot they immediately wake up and respond and defend, seems not legitimate