All went smoothly except: * the set-up is entirely self-service. The instructions are clear, but some human assistance at the collection point would be even better * my first attempted connection w... See more
Company replied
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Review summary
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
Received Sim and installed it - had data but had problem with receiving voice calls. This was due to the age of my phone. There are notes on the website about this, but the issue could perhaps be made... See more
Company replied
Great 4G LTE connectivity throughout my 14-day (9/22 to 10/05/25) trip in Japan. KYOTO, NARA, OSAKA, TOKYO. I do wish 5G data speed was available. I do love the massive data plan 50GB for 16 days.... See more
Company replied
I used Mobal during my two-week stay in Japan. Everything worked flawlessly, everywhere I stayed, including Hakuba, Nagano, Matsumoto, and even Jigokudani Monkey Park! Mobal also worked great in the T... See more
Company replied
Company details
Written by the company
Mobal is an award-winning UK/Japan-based SIM provider whose mission is to make life in Japan easier for foreign nationals, known for reliable service, and friendly English support. What makes Mobal different is that it's 100% owned by a charity, which is dedicated to building schools and feeding children in Malawi, Africa. That means that all the profits Mobal makes go straight to making the world a better place!
Contact info
The Winding House, Walkers Rise, Rugeley Road, Hednesford, Staffordshire, WS12 0QU, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
- support@mobal.com
- www.mobal.com
3.8
Great
929 reviews
Replied to 87% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 1 week
How this company uses Trustpilot
See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.
Had issues getting the esim to work
Had issues getting the esim to work, removed it from device - error message said it wasn't pernament - couldn't replace it as it said it was already activated - support said I had to buy another one.
Support have now said they will replace the esim - DO NOT remove the ESIM from the device when troubleshooting - contact support they are helpful. Changing review to 2 stars.
January 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your feedback.
We are sorry to hear that you encountered issues using your Data Only Japan Tourist eSIM.
As discussed with our Customer Service team, we believe the error message you saw (stating that the deletion of the eSIM was not permanent) was a generic message from your device and unfortunately, this is out of our control. However, we do of course apologise for any confusion this may have caused!
We can confirm that we provided clear instructions in the email you received containing your Data Only eSIM, as well as in our terms and conditions, advising not to delete the eSIM from your device as it could only be installed once and cannot be reissued. We also explain that should the eSIM be deleted you will be required to purchase a new one from our website.
Nevertheless, we are glad to hear that our Customer Service team have been able to offer support and come to a resolution with you.
We again thank you for your feedback and hope you have a wonderful time in Japan!
Repeat customer
Repeat customer, due to prompt and awesome customer service.
January 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Hi Norman, thank you so much for taking the time to provide your feedback.
We are delighted to hear that our Customer Service team were able to promptly assist you with your queries!
We also thank you again for your repeat custom and look forward to hearing from you in the future!
Mobal sim all over Japan
I got a Mobal sim with a Japanese mobile number for my recent 3 month stay in Japan.
Travelling all over, from Akita in the north to Okinawa in the far south, the reception was excellent.
The cost was very reasonable and there was no need to carry a mobile wifi.
October 2, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
We really appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback.
We are delighted to hear that your SIM card worked well throughout your stay in Japan and that you found the service good value for money!
Thank you for your review and for choosing Mobal!
Get it before you go
I spend ½ my time in Japan. I need an inexpensive local mobile phone and mobile hub when I'm out and about. We have a land line there. I keep the Mobal line all year. When I'm out of Japan, I can reduce the allowable download so that the cost is minimal. It works very well. It's also a charity, so the expense creates value where it's needed.
December 1, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for providing your feedback.
It’s great to hear that you find having a genuine Japanese phone number with your Mobal SIM card useful, as well as good value for money.
We are also glad that you find it easy to amend your plan to suit your needs!
We thank you for your ongoing custom as every purchase makes a difference to many lives, as the majority of our profits go towards helping to achieve our vision for the communities that we support in Malawi and beyond.
Thank you again for your kind review and for choosing Mobal!
Extremly poor data speed
I bought 2 esims with 30 gig/month while in Japan.
Both of them had crazy low speed connection. Like below 1mb/s.
I contacted the customer service, which to be fair was responsive, but they couldn't help in any way.
Edit: the customer service did reach out and outright refunded me for the past month. This was greatly appreciated from my side. So I am changing my review from 1 to 3 stars
This wasn't specific to some parts of Japan as we travelled all over the country and the issue was the same everywhere. I would not recommend their service to anybody. We were desperate for wifi the whole time and would have been better off going for anybody else but them.
December 21, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback.
We are sorry to hear of the issues that you experienced.
As mentioned in your correspondence with the Customer Service team, connection speeds can vary based on a number of factors that are outside of our control. However, we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused during your trip.
Despite the best efforts of our Customer Service agents, we regret to hear that we were not able to come to a full resolution on this occasion but nevertheless, we thank you once again for your feedback and we hope that you may reconsider using our services again in the future.
Great service
Good communication. Competitive pricing. Clear instructions. Smooth transaction. Fantastic signal reception. Highly recommended.
November 22, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
We really appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback.
It’s great to hear that you have found our service straightforward to use, works as intended and is good value for money!
We thank you for your review and recommendation, and for letting Mobal be a part of your trip!
No activation, no response
I ordered my pocket Wi-Fi for delivery in Japan before I visited in November this year. It arrived with no problem, and I recovered it from my friends apartment when I arrived. But then I was not able, at any point, to activate the unit. I requested help from the help site 10 or 15 times, and never got a message back.
So I have the pocket Wi-Fi, but I was unable to make any use of it.
November 18, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I’ve looked into your case, and I can see that our customer service team responded to all of the emails you sent between November 7th and November 11th. However, based on the contents of your emails, it seems that our responses may not have been delivered, possibly due to them being blocked by your mail provider.
To help resolve this issue, could you kindly send an email to care@mobal.com using a different email address? We'll be happy to assist you in getting everything up and running.
Highly recommended for convenience and peace of mind
Being able to get a SIM card for Japan before I left the US was incredibly convenient and so much easier than trying to get one in Japan. Communicating and entering into contracts in Japan is extremely difficult for a foreigner unless you have a strong grasp of the language and can read and write in Japanese. Plus, it was so nice having a SIM that was already activated when I landed. It saved me the time and hassle of trying to get one here and gave me the peace of mind knowing that I could navigate my way around as soon as I stepped off the plane. And, fact that Mobal donates a majority of their profits to charity was a huge selling point for me. I’ve been with Mobal for 5 years now and have been very happy with the service - I highly recommend them!
December 21, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for providing your feedback.
We are delighted to hear that being able to receive your SIM card and schedule activation before arriving in Japan made the process easy and convenient for you.
It’s also great to hear that the service worked well for you from the moment you arrived in Japan!
We are very pleased to hear that our Company ethos and charity work attracted you to our services! Your long term custom is truly appreciated and has already made a difference to many lives, as the majority of our profits go towards helping to achieve our vision for the communities that we support in Malawi and beyond.
Thank you for your recommendation and for choosing Mobal!
Does not work - No refund available
For whatever reason it does not work. I tried with two phones, an iphone and android and I followed the steps very diligently. Also the SIM card that you have in your phone at the time, may affect your interface. So I made a point of swapping them around in order to get things working.
Three hours later all that I achieved was having watched a number of youtube videos on how to create an APN and wasted both my morning and 25£. No refund is available.
Maybe this is a service specific to US phones. But given how unreliable it is and might end up with you wasting your holiday time and your money, I would definitely not recommend it.
Save yourselves the pain and just get a prepaid sim card from a booth when you land at an airport in Japan. Both Narita and Haneda have these.
December 15, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for sharing your experience, and we’re truly sorry to hear you’ve encountered issues getting up and running!
Our service is designed to work with both iPhone and Android devices worldwide, provided the device is unlocked and meets the compatibility requirements outlined on our website. We aim to make the setup process as straightforward as possible, and our team is always here to assist if you run into any difficulties.
After checking our ticketing system, it appears you haven’t reached out to us directly regarding these issues or requested a refund. Please note that refunds are available under our Money Back Guarantee for customers who contact us within the eligible timeframe and who's issues are not related to incompatibiity.
We’d love the opportunity to help resolve this for you. If you could email us at care@mobal.com with your phone’s make and model, screenshots of your APN settings, SIM Manager, and any error messages you’re seeing, one of our team members will be happy to guide you through the setup process or investigate further to get you connected.
We value your feedback and look forward to assisting you so you can enjoy our service without any issues.
Great choice for Internet cards
The internet card was a really good quality and worked super well. It was easier with an apple device but the people from this company are very kind and offered us help on how to make it work on our samsungs too. We didn't have any problems even in the mountains where service is often bad. We are very happy and if we come back to Japan one day, we will for sure buy them again! :)
November 1, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that our SIM card worked so well for you and that you were able to stay connected even in the mountains—I bet you got some fantastic views!
We’re also glad our team could assist you in setting it up on your Samsung devices. It’s great to know we could make your experience in Japan smooth and hassle-free.
We look forward to hearing from you if/when you return to Japan in the future! Thank you again for choosing Mobal and for sharing your positive experience!
Sim card never activated
Unfortunately the tourist data Sim that I purchased just never worked on my Android system phone, despite using the instructions issued with the Sim card and instructions in email with customer services. I had to buy a pocket wifi as although I was only in Japan for 10 days, really needed data for maps etc! The Sim card did work for my friends, who had iphones.
November 10, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
We’re truly sorry to hear that you encountered issues using your Tourist Data SIM Card on your Android phone during your trip to Japan, resulting in you making alternative arrangements. We understand how important having access data is, especially for navigating and staying connected while traveling.
It’s great to hear that the SIM card worked well for your friends with iPhones, which suggests there may have been a compatibility or configuration issue specific to your phone. Without further details about your account, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.
We’d love the opportunity to investigate this further and ensure we address any concerns. If you could reach out to us at care@mobal.com, one of our agents will be happy to assist you.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused and hope you were still able to enjoy your time in Japan despite these challenges.
Data goes fast. NO customer service.
I (US resident) currently have an active e-SIM from Mobal in my Samsung android phone. I did tons of research before coming to Japan (for 3 months) to try and figure out the best way to be able to use my mobile phone for local calls, texts, and data while I'm out and about on the street. It was so overwhelming and confusing, as everyone was telling me something different. But I ultimately went with getting an eSIM from Mobal.
When I first arrived at Haneda, it was a bit tricky trying to figure out WHERE to pick up my eSIM. Turns out, the desk where I was to pick up the eSIM seemed to be an 'all purpose' pick up desk. It didn't seem to be solely for Mobal customers (so you shouldn't be looking for a desk with a big MOBAL sign). That said, I can't recall exactly what the signage was at the pick-up desk. It may have had a small Mobal sign, somewhere on the desk, but when you are first looking around the entire airport, it will be hard to find. I was able to ask one of the tourist information folks, who pointed me in the general direction....
Once I settled into my accommodations, I turned my focus to setting up my eSIM. The instructions were VERY complicated and confusing. There are many steps you have to take. And in fact, I even had two other young people - young people typically being very adept at things like this... - and even they had a hard time setting up my eSIM. It was only after repeated tries that we finally realized that we were doing something wrong. And, frustratingly, there is NO CUSTOMER SERVICE to be found at Mobal, so don't expect them to help you. Oh sure, they have an email address, but what good is that when it can take them MULTIPLE BUSINESS DAYS (which can translate to five actual days) to reply to you?? As every one of us knows, back and forth emails is NOT an effective way to problem solve. Very irritating, and considering the money that we are paying to Mobal, to provide us with a SERVICE.
Now... to get to my actual phone/text/data service with Mobal's eSIM... While it was nice to have a local phone number (which helped in the rare instances where I needed to provide a telephone number, say to sign up for a local yoga class, or to make a restaurant reservation), I honestly think I probably could have done without a local phone number. I don't think the yoga studio, or any restaurant, would have NOT allowed me to sign up for a class, or a reservation, without a local telephone number. In addition, while my having a local telephone number helped in the instances where I needed to speak with the management company of my short-term rental apartment, again, we probably could have done a work-around. (For example, in the rare instances where I needed to call a company in the US...say my US bank, etc., I simply used Skype. I obviously could have also used Skype, to make calls to any local businesses here in Japan. And for any local friends here in Japan, I could - and often DID - simply use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or LINE to communicate with them.) So, again, all things considered, I didn't really NEED to have a local telephone number.
As for the data, as others here have mentioned, while it worked great in the beginning, once you reach your monthly data limit, it becomes challenging, with sites taking a long time to load up.
It's also not clear to me, how the billing from Mobal may ultimately look. Are they going to charge me, after all is said and done, for 'extra data' that I used (beyond my monthly allotment)? It's beyond frustrating, that Mobal provides no option to speak with a Live customer service rep, and in English (since, obviously, anyone wanting an eSIM likely is not a Japanese resident/speaks Japanese).
Next time I come to Japan, I think I'll just try getting a pocket WiFi from Japan Wireless (to ensure I have plenty of data when I'm out on the street), and then use a mix of email, LINE, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype for my communications, while in Japan....
November 26, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback about your experience with Mobal as it does help us to identify areas where we can improve.
We were unable to locate your Mobal account with the information provided. To ensure we provided the right information we have tried to reach out to you through TrustPilot but our request for information has gone ignore and so we are unable to go into too much detail on this occasion.
Firstly we’re glad to hear that you found some benefits in having a local phone number during your stay, such as booking reservations and contacting your accommodation’s. It’s also good to know that the data performance met your needs initially before you exceeded the allowance that came with your plan.
However, we are sorry to hear that there were some aspects that you were disappointed with which we would like to address;
Firstly we’re sorry to hear that locating the collection point was a bit confusing. You’re correct that the pickup desk does not have a big Mobal sign and this is because it is operated by a third-party provider.
To assist customers, we include a detailed “More Information” section on our website during the collection point selection process. This includes pictures of the location. Additionally, in your order confirmation email, there’s a link to the collection point you selected, which contains all the relevant details.
However we’ll of course look into how we can make this even clearer to help future customers.
As their are a number of difference versions of Android and iPhone operating systems, we have set up our guides to account for this, however we acknowledge that for some it might seem complicated and we are always amending our documents to make them clearer and easier to follow however we are delighted to hear that after you recognized your mistake, you were able to get up and running!
As for the response time - We understand 5 days is not ideal. Our customer support team prioritizes technical queries as we understand the importance of getting our customers up and running vs answering general inquiries, and the response times mentioned are a worst-case scenario for our general inquiries.
We understand your frustration about relying on the email support however we use this model as when we are troubleshooting we often require screenshots of specific settings to ensure accurate assistance. However, we do recognize that this method may not always be ideal for every customer, and we are continually working to make the process smoother.
We’re sorry that after exceeding your plan’s data allowance impacted your experience. To help with this, we provide an option to upgrade your plan through your MyAccount portal if the slower speed does not meet your needs. We’ll take your feedback into account as we work to improve communication around what to expect when you exceed your allowance and how to upgrade your plan.
We again thank you for your feedback and whilst we understand your intentions to use Japan wireless in the future, we do hope you will consider our services!
Terrible experience
I am completely at a loss to understand the positive reviews for this mobile service provider. I have had the WORST experience with them! I purchased a data only and a voice plus data sim from Haneda and have had nothing but trouble from them from day one. They do not like working in Australian iphones that is for sure. I ended up having to spend extra money on a 'cheap' (equivalent of about $150 AUD) android phone in Japan to get the voice plus data to work. The data only sim eventually worked but reception has been extremely patchy. I am currently sitting in a hotel in downtown Kawasaki and the best it can give me is 3G coverage which cannot even open email. I would NEVER buy this brand sim again.
November 23, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Your feedback is greatly appreciated and we are sorry to hear of the issues you experienced on this occasion!
With regards to the connection issues you have reported, we would not expect there to be an issue as long as you have followed all instructions and your device meets all requirements mentioned on the Mobal website. However, your connection may be impacted by the limitations of the local network coverage / the current signal in your area which is out of our control.
Unfortunately, we are unable to locate a record of your Mobal account using the information you have provided and so if further assistance is required, please send an email to support@mobal.com (containing your account details, phone model name / number and screenshots of your current settings / any error messages) and we will look into this further for you!
I experienced not a single trouble…
I experienced not a single trouble during my stay in Japan, everything worked perfectly. I got professional help withd adjusting my mobile phone settings properly. It was quick and easy.
October 31, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for your feedback and we hope that you enjoyed your stay! Your review is greatly appreciated and we are delighted to hear the service worked as expected during your time in Japan!
Great eSIM for holiday
I bought a 30 day data only eSIM for our trip to Japan from England. I installed it in the UK the day before travelling and once I got to Japan, it was activated. I had great fast coverage wherever we went, from Tokyo to Osaka, with some rural towns in between. I had better and faster coverage than my UK sim provider and was very pleased that I had it.
October 24, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for your review and we really appreciate your feedback! We are pleased that the data connection exceeded your expectations and we hope to hear from you again in the future!
Made life stress-free while travelling
Used this everyday whilst traveling around Japan. It worked much better than the cheap device I got last time which never had a signal or much data. Having huge data meant I could watch anything for as long as I wanted during long Shinkansen rides. I didn’t have to sweat about how much data I was consuming so kids were happy too. So glad we got this. Big help when you need to use Google Maps/ Goggle translate or research places to go and eat at.
October 17, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback and we hope to hear from you again in the future! We understand that making travel plans can be frustrating and so we are delighted to hear that our service met all your needs during your stay!
Positive experience
The service was activated immediately, there were not any problems with the data usage, no delays and great connection.
November 14, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you so much for your review! It's great to hear that you found our services easy to use and that you were provided with a seamless connection during your stay!
A great esim for a stay in Japan
I used this company's esim for 12 days while staying in Japan. It was working great all the time and I didn't have any problems with access to the Internet. I really recommend it
October 31, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
Thank you for your feedback and your recommendation is greatly appreciated! We hope that you enjoyed your time in Japan and it's great to hear that the service worked as expected and that there were no issues during your stay!
I finally made it to Japan
I finally made it to Japan and it surpassed my expectations- Tokyo is just wow! You definitely need a reliable SIM partner and I fully recommend Mobal. My data eSIM was easy to install and it came in very handy.
October 29, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
It's always great to hear from our customers and we really appreciate your feedback! We are delighted that the service exceeded your expectations and we hope to hear from you again!
Highly recommended
I've been in Japan two weeks and Mobal has been invaluable. I've never used an eSIM before, but it was easy to setup and works great.
October 24, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Mobal
This is great news and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! We are pleased to hear that you found the service simple and easy to use and we hope that you enjoyed your stay!
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