Opera for Android adds a travel eSIM with 3GB of free data

Opera has put a travel eSIM inside its Android browser. From today, users can buy data for a trip without leaving the app, and Opera is giving away 3GB for three days to get people trying it.

How the free data works

The free allowance needs no payment details and no email address. Opera is offering it to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Poland, and the data can be spent in any of the destinations the eSIM supports.

The eSIM itself covers 47 destinations and can be bought from anywhere in the world. Opera shows the price for each destination in the browser before payment, and says the plans are powered by Holiday.com.

Set it up before you fly

Claiming the free data means updating Opera for Android, opening the profile menu, choosing the eSIM option and tapping Claim now, then confirming a destination country. The allowance only starts counting when the phone first connects to a network in that country, and it expires a year after purchase if it has not been used.

Because the eSIM is data only, it sits alongside an existing phone number rather than replacing it. Opera says installation needs a stable connection before travel and a supported, carrier-unlocked handset.

Our opinion

Browsers spend most of their time adding features nobody asked for, so a useful one is worth noticing. The smart part here is the timing: eSIMs have always been awkward for casual travellers because people only think about data once the plane has landed, while Opera wants the setup done in the week before the trip. Folding the store into the browser also removes the second app, the airport kiosk and the roaming bill, which is the whole pitch in three taps. The open question is what a paid plan costs once the free allowance runs out, and Opera is only answering that inside the app.