Is Quibity any use on a cruise ship?
Short answer
Quibity used to be called eSIM.sm. The San Marino company has run this eSIM since 2016. It took the Quibity name in April 2026. It sells data plans for more than 190 countries, and Trustpilot reviewers rate it highly. On a cruise, it works like any land eSIM. Your phone connects in port and goes quiet at sea.
Prices last confirmed
Overview
Magic Srl built the original platform in San Marino in 2016. That same company renamed itself Quibity Srl in April 2026. The rebrand added new features on top of a product with years of history behind it. Quibity is a GSMA member. It reports more than 2 million users so far. Across its history, those users have used over 10 million gigabytes of data.
The catalogue covers around 190 countries, one destination plan at a time. Quibity groups them into five regions: Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania. There’s also a separate Global Plan. It spans roughly 150 countries, built for a trip that crosses several borders. Popular single-country plans include Italy, the UK, Turkey, China, Egypt, Morocco, Thailand and the Balkans. Trustpilot reviewers give Quibity around 4.7 out of 5, from more than 10,000 reviews.
Coverage on a cruise
Quibity’s eSIMs run on ordinary national mobile networks, the same ones locals use. That signal fades out about 12 nautical miles from land. Past that line, a ship has left coastal waters and is out in open water. Buy a Quibity plan for a port stop. It works fine while the ship is tied up in a covered country. Once the ship pulls away and heads for open sea, that plan gives you nothing. Quibity has no maritime product, so the hours between ports are a dead zone for it.
Plans and pricing
Prices start around €5.40 to €6 for the smallest plans. Data sizes run from 1GB up to unlimited. Validity stretches from a single day to a full year on the longest plans. Those prices were checked in September 2026. The Global Plan carries its own price, separate from the single-country plans. It suits a trip that crosses several of its roughly 150 countries, rather than staying in one.
Refunds aren’t covered by one fixed policy. It comes down to which plan you bought and how far you’d already used it. If your travel plans shift, get in touch with support before you install the eSIM. That’s the safest way to check what you’re owed. Quibity takes Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Klarna. That’s a wider range of payment options than most eSIM sellers offer.
Features
| Coverage | 190+ countries via destination plans; ~150 countries via a separate Global Plan; port-day use only |
|---|---|
| Hotspot / tethering | Generally allowed, subject to the plan and local partner operator |
| Data / calls / SMS | Data-only; a home SIM stays active for calls and SMS alongside it |
| Validity | 1 to 365 days depending on plan |
| Activation | Manual — install the QR code and enable data roaming; under a minute to set up |
| App | Quibity (formerly eSIM.sm) app on iOS and Android |
| Top-ups | Additional data or a new destination plan purchased through the app |
| Refunds | Depends on plan type and usage; handled case-by-case through support |
| Support | 24/7 chat, email and in-app support in multiple languages |
| Device compatibility | eSIM-capable smartphones with a compatibility checker on the site |
Setup and activation
You get a QR code the moment you pay. Quibity says setup takes under a minute inside the app. But installing an eSIM needs a working internet connection first. So install it before you fly out, while you’ve still got reliable wi-fi at home. Then leave data roaming switched off. Turn it on only once the ship has actually docked at a covered destination.
Strengths and limits
- More than 10,000 Trustpilot reviews put Quibity at around 4.7 out of 5.
- It holds GSMA membership and reports more than 2 million users to date.
- You can pay with Klarna, on top of the usual cards and wallets.
- The Global Plan lets you cover several countries with one purchase.
- Quibity has no maritime option, so its signal cuts out the moment your ship sails past the coast.
- Refund rules shift from plan to plan, instead of one clear promise.
- The rebrand is recent, so search results and reviews are still split between the Quibity and eSIM.sm names.
- How well the hotspot works depends on the local partner carrier at each stop.
Cruise and ferry plans
The plans database on this site holds cruise, ferry and maritime products only. Quibity publishes none, so there is no plan table on this page. Its regional data plans remain the relevant purchase for port days.
Verdict
Quibity carries real history behind it, even under a new name. It built up its user base and its review scores as eSIM.sm. What you get today is a solid port-day eSIM catalogue. It also offers a Global Plan for cruises that touch several countries. There’s no shipboard product in the mix. You’ll still need a genuine at-sea plan or the ship’s wi-fi for open-water days. The refund policy depends on your specific plan. It’s worth a quick check with support before you lock in your itinerary.
What to pair this with for sea days
Whatever you buy here, something on this list has to handle the crossings:
Frequently asked questions
01Does Quibity work on a cruise ship?+
It works ashore and nowhere else. The practical test is whether you can see land — Quibity uses ordinary terrestrial carriers, which reach roughly twelve nautical miles out and no further. Pair it with an at-sea eSIM.
02Is Quibity a new company, or a rebrand of an existing eSIM provider?+
Quibity is a rebrand, not a new company. It’s the same product Magic Srl launched in San Marino in 2016, under the eSIM.sm name. The product, the user base and the history all carried over. Only the label changed, to Quibity Srl, in April 2026.
03What’s the difference between a Quibity destination plan and the Global Plan?+
A destination plan covers just one of the roughly 190 countries in the catalogue. The Global Plan is different. It’s a separate product spanning about 150 countries in one purchase. That suits a trip crossing several countries, like a multi-port cruise, rather than staying in one place.
04What happens to your refund if a cruise port gets skipped or your itinerary changes?+
There’s no single refund rule at Quibity. Terms depend on the plan type and how much data you’ve already used. If a port gets skipped or your itinerary changes, contact support before you install the eSIM. That’s the best way to find out what’s possible for your plan.
Compare Quibity with
- InstaBridge eSIM — The eSIM arm of the Instabridge Wi-Fi app, with simple regional data packs. A convenient port-day option for existing app users.
- iRoamly — Travel eSIMs with daily-allowance plans that suit short port stops where you only need maps and messaging.
- Japan Wireless — A Japan specialist offering local eSIMs and pocket Wi-Fi. The obvious pick for Japan-calling Asia-Pacific cruise itineraries, ashore only.
- Jetpac — Circles.Life's travel eSIM brand, with regional packs and airport-lounge style perks on some plans. Land-only coverage.