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I have been travelling most of this month through Singapore, Europe and the middle East. For data Eskimo was initially used before activating my freebee FlexiRoam 14 days.
All has been good including Qatar, now in Dubai there are issues!!
On passing immigration, my passport was handed back with a promotional pack "Free Tourist SIM". I thought it a bit weird immigration officials were providing these, but, whatever. The pack is from 'du' - one of the main Dubai providers. It has a physical sim card as well as a QR code for an eSim - both provide up to 10GB for up to 24 hours. I stuck it in my bag.
With Flexiroam, I have noticed it can take maybe 15 minutes after arrival before it activates so switched to Eskimo for a bit. This while waiting for the expected email from Flexiroam advising roaming was activated.
Data was soon showing du | Eskimo - but the phone was still offline - no internet. I connected to the airport Wi-Fi to research successfully but could not bring up the Eskimo site. While pondering this, the Flexiroam email arrived, so switched over and turned off Wifi. Data was soon showing du | Flexiroam - but still no internet.
Mentally shrugging, I headed to my hotel for check-in. It was a bit early and my room was not ready and was asked to wait.
While waiting I decided to pursue this internet stuff. I could not get data with either Eskimo or Flexiroam. I checked settings, rebooted, doing all the checks I could recall to no avail. I tried to use the hotel Wi-Fi to bring up the Flexiroam site - no go; same thing for Eskimo.
OK, I travel with a backup 'phone (an old S10). I dug out the Tourist pack and inserted the du SIM into it, sent a text code of my birth year to 1220 and soon had mobile data. I was able to tether/hotspot to it as well. Off I went ...
Alright 24 hours later and time is up. I could recharge the 'free' SIM for USD14 to get 4GB/28 days, hmmm ...
I was departing the Emirate in 30 hours so did not need that much and it griped me that I could not use either of the two eSIMs I had planned.
QR Code!
The pack has an eSIM QR code, so could I set up another freebee eSIM on my main 'phone? That'd get me through to the airport before departure. With that; yes, was able to set up an eSIM. This was a bit more involved than with the physical SIM and included enabling location access for the du site, scanning my passport and some other bits.
Ok, I now have enough data for now, but this whole thing puzzles me. Research indicates eSIMs must be installed before arriving into Dubai - Eskimo
& FlexiRoam.
Maybe I missed something?
This site has some info - I'm still not sure if I did anything (note, the page won't properly load in Dubai, I bookmarked it from prior research).
All has been good including Qatar, now in Dubai there are issues!!
On passing immigration, my passport was handed back with a promotional pack "Free Tourist SIM". I thought it a bit weird immigration officials were providing these, but, whatever. The pack is from 'du' - one of the main Dubai providers. It has a physical sim card as well as a QR code for an eSim - both provide up to 10GB for up to 24 hours. I stuck it in my bag.
With Flexiroam, I have noticed it can take maybe 15 minutes after arrival before it activates so switched to Eskimo for a bit. This while waiting for the expected email from Flexiroam advising roaming was activated.
Data was soon showing du | Eskimo - but the phone was still offline - no internet. I connected to the airport Wi-Fi to research successfully but could not bring up the Eskimo site. While pondering this, the Flexiroam email arrived, so switched over and turned off Wifi. Data was soon showing du | Flexiroam - but still no internet.
Mentally shrugging, I headed to my hotel for check-in. It was a bit early and my room was not ready and was asked to wait.
While waiting I decided to pursue this internet stuff. I could not get data with either Eskimo or Flexiroam. I checked settings, rebooted, doing all the checks I could recall to no avail. I tried to use the hotel Wi-Fi to bring up the Flexiroam site - no go; same thing for Eskimo.
OK, I travel with a backup 'phone (an old S10). I dug out the Tourist pack and inserted the du SIM into it, sent a text code of my birth year to 1220 and soon had mobile data. I was able to tether/hotspot to it as well. Off I went ...
Alright 24 hours later and time is up. I could recharge the 'free' SIM for USD14 to get 4GB/28 days, hmmm ...
I was departing the Emirate in 30 hours so did not need that much and it griped me that I could not use either of the two eSIMs I had planned.
QR Code!
The pack has an eSIM QR code, so could I set up another freebee eSIM on my main 'phone? That'd get me through to the airport before departure. With that; yes, was able to set up an eSIM. This was a bit more involved than with the physical SIM and included enabling location access for the du site, scanning my passport and some other bits.
Ok, I now have enough data for now, but this whole thing puzzles me. Research indicates eSIMs must be installed before arriving into Dubai - Eskimo
& FlexiRoam.Maybe I missed something?
This site has some info - I'm still not sure if I did anything (note, the page won't properly load in Dubai, I bookmarked it from prior research).
Is eSIM Allowed in the UAE? Updated Rules for 2026 Travel
Planning a trip to Dubai or Abu Dhabi? Learn the latest UAE eSIM rules as of December 2025, and what changes travelers should expect entering 2026. Install your eSIM before arrival for seamless Etisalat connectivity.
www.roafly.com
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