Best eSIM for Indonesia: Why I use Saily (in 2026)

Indonesia is a beautiful country, so it is no surprise that it is also a very popular holiday destination. I absolutely loved my time there, thanks to the friendly locals, stunning nature, and the amazing food.

Whilst I was there, internet connection was particularly useful. I ordered a lot of Grabs (the taxi app), relied heavily on Google Maps for getting around (particularly when renting my own moped to drive about), and needed it for the usual daily admin, like emails and WhatsApp.

There are a few different methods to accessing the internet whilst travelling, including public WiFi and data roaming, but by far my favourite is eSIMs. And more specifically, the Saily eSIM.

In this article, I will be sharing with you my reasons for choosing the Saily Indonesia eSIM, covering my experience with the speeds, coverage, pricing, and the extra security features. At the same time, I’ll be sharing plenty of pictures from my trip to Bali, Indonesia, for travel inspiration.

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Why not just grab a local SIM in Indonesia?

You can, but it can ocassionally be a bit of a faff in Indonesia. You’ll need your passport to register the SIM card. And if you are using it for more than 90 days, you’ll need to register your phone’s IMEI with Indonesian customs to avoid network blocking.

An eSIM is far easier than this. Once you’ve bought the eSIM, you simply download it to your phone and it’ll activate the moment you land. No airport SIM queue, no long registration, and no waiting when you arrive.

How do you pick the best eSIM for Indonesia?

For me, it is first and foremost about whether or not the eSIM works when you actually need it to. This means:

• A reliable connection on the local networks.
• The flexibility to top up if I misjudge my data.
• Affordable prices, because holidays are already expensive.

Saily covers all of these for me. With extras! Including built-in security tools, like web protection and an ad blocker.

Why I recommend the Saily Indonesia eSIM

Saily is made by Nord Security, the team behind NordVPN, a well-reputed online security provider. So, when they built Saily, I felt I could trust them. Particularly given that they add on some pretty useful security features to the Saily eSIM app.

But the real reason I recommend their eSIM for Bali (and the whole of Indonesia) is that it has just worked, trip after trip. Here is an overview of my pros and cons:

Does Saily cover Indonesia?

Yes, and it covers the popular island of Bali, and beyond. The Saily Indonesia eSIM works right across Indonesia, so you are sorted if you are just stopping over in Jakarta, or exploring the islands. Making it a great eSIM for Bali, and for Indonesia as a whole!

Saily connects to the best available local network automatically. In Bali, coverage tends to be strongest in the busy south around Canggu, Seminyak and Uluwatu, and out in Ubud.

Once you get properly rural or onto smaller islands, it can get more variable, which is true of any provider, and Telkomsel-backed coverage generally reaches furthest here.

What are the data speeds like?

For everything I do in Bali, the speeds have been plenty. Google Maps, Grab, Happy Cow, WhatsApp messaging, uploading photos, and working from a café when I need to.

And if there is one big selling point for Bali, its the great coffee shops. Which attract thousands of digital nomads. And when I’m in a place like that, I prefer using my phone hotspot than the public WiFi networks, to keep my private data as secure as possible.

Thankfully, Saily has always been able to provide me with great speeds when hotspotting. Making remote work very easy!

The bigger towns have 5G, and Saily supports it where the local network does, so somewhere like Denpasar you should get the faster speeds when they are available.

Is Saily’s Indonesia eSIM affordable?

Very, especially when you compare it to data roaming from your home SIM. When compared to other eSIM providers, their prices are competitive.

Here are Saily’s current Indonesia plans, checked in August 2026:

On top of that, every plan gives you 3% back in Saily credits towards your next top-up. And the 30-day activation window means you can buy before you fly and it will not start counting until you actually reach Indonesia.

For a week’s trip, most people will be fine on 3 GB or 5 GB. If you are working remotely or staying a month, size up or look at the unlimited plan.

Get 10% off any of these with code MVT10.

Does it include any extras?

What I love about Saily is not only do they do the fundamentals well, they also offer some really useful extras.

• Hotspot sharing is unlimited, so I can tether my laptop or share data with whoever I am travelling with.
• There is a data saver that blocks ads, which Saily reckons cuts data use by up to 28.6%, so it does stretch your allowance.
• Because Saily comes from the NordVPN team, you get security features like changing your virtual location and blocking malicious sites.

Does Saily offer a phone number?

If you want a proper number for calls and texts, Saily now sells an optional US phone number you can pair with a call and text plan. Otherwise the data plan handles everything through apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime.

Who should buy Saily’s Indonesia eSIM?

A Saily eSIM honestly suits most travellers, but a few especially:

• Short-trip visitors who want cheap, no-drama data for Grab and maps.
• Remote workers and long-stay nomads who need something dependable to work from.
• And anyone living off café and villa wifi who likes the built-in security.

If you are travelling across Asia, you may want to consider getting a regional eSIM for Asia instead.

How to get started with Saily

It takes a couple of minutes, and you can do it before you leave.

1. Download the Saily app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Choose Indonesia and purchase your data plan.
3. Install the eSIM by following the in-app steps and turn on data roaming for it.
4. It activates automatically when you land, and then you are online!

My verdict: The best eSIM for Indonesia

Across my trips to Bali, Saily has done its job without me having to think about it, which is all I want from an eSIM.

It is cheap, reliable across Indonesia (good enough for me to work from in cafes, as well as stream my favourite shows from my hotel room), and the security extras are a genuine bonus.

If you are heading to Indonesia, I’d definitely recommend giving Saily a go!

Get 10% off your eSIM for Indonesia using code MVT10

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