Customer reviews

53 verified reviews

4.8

Based on 53 reviews

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  • Niamh F.

    Galway, IE · May 2026

    No roaming fees, yay!

    Using esima in Guadeloupe was a game changer! I didn’t have to worry about roaming fees, and the data was more than sufficient for all my needs. I could look up restaurants and navigate on the go without any hassle.

  • David H.

    Chicago, US · May 2026

    Seamless connection!

    Just landed in Guadeloupe, scanned the QR code, and was online in seconds. I used it for everything from group chats to uploading photos. Customer service was quick to respond with a question I had. Will definitely use esima again!

  • Emma T.

    Edinburgh, GB · May 2026

    Seamless Connection!

    Activated my eSIM as soon as I landed in Pointe-à-Pitre. Perfect for navigating the island and sharing photos with friends.

  • Ava M.

    Melbourne, AU · May 2026

    Highly Recommend for Travelers

    Using esima in Guadeloupe was a breeze. Quick QR scan and I was online instantly. I used it for Google Maps and staying in touch with family.

  • Megan H.

    Cape Town, ZA · May 2026

    Perfect for island hopping!

    I used esima while traveling around Guadeloupe, and it was fantastic! The QR scan made installation a breeze, and I was able to share my adventures in real-time without any hassles.

  • David H.

    Chicago, US · May 2026

    Good but could be better

    Great service in Guadeloupe! Just a tip, a larger data plan would have been nice for my longer stay. Overall, happy with the experience.

  • Camila R.

    Mexico City, MX · May 2026

    Amazing Service in Guadeloupe

    The eSIM worked perfectly as soon as I arrived in Guadeloupe! I easily activated it by scanning the QR code. I used it for Google Maps and stayed connected with family back home. Highly recommend this for anyone traveling!

  • Priya S.

    Mumbai, IN · Apr 2026

    Perfect for island adventures

    Loved using esima during my trip to Guadeloupe! The connection was seamless and I could easily share my experiences on social media. The QR installation made it super easy—took just a minute. Will definitely use it on my next trip!

eSIM vs roaming in Guadeloupe

Typical home-carrier roaming

£10£18

per day

Esima eSIM

£5.49

Flat rate

Most international carriers treat Guadeloupe as Zone 2 or Zone 3 roaming — outside the EU 'Roam-Like-At-Home' perimeter despite being French territory. That typically means a daily roaming pass or per-megabyte billing that runs higher than mainland Europe rates.

Many roaming bundles throttle after the first gigabyte or two, and hotspot is often blocked or charged separately. A local eSIM gives you the same per-gigabyte cost a Guadeloupean prepaid customer pays, with no throttling and no hotspot surcharge.

Your home carrier may also cap speeds to 3G or low-band LTE on roaming; the eSIM hands you the full 4G or 5G pipe that Orange Caraïbe and SFR Caraïbe offer.

If you are staying longer than three days, the eSIM almost always costs less than stacking daily roaming passes, and you avoid bill shock when you return home.

Real trips, real travelers

Built for travelers like you

Different trip, same eSIM — here is how it lands for the most common visitors to Guadeloupe.

You start the La Soufrière trail at dawn, check the Météo-France forecast on your phone at the parking lot, and message your gîte host on WhatsApp when you summit. Signal drops past the viewpoint, but you downloaded the Parc National offline map the night before. Back at the trailhead, you upload summit photos and call a taxi via WhatsApp for the ride to Trois-Rivières.

Volcano hiker

You take the morning ferry from Trois-Rivières to Les Saintes, navigate to your guesthouse with Google Maps, and book a sunset snorkel trip via WhatsApp with a local operator. The next day you catch the Marie-Galante ferry, lose signal mid-channel, and reconnect when you dock at Grand-Bourg. The eSIM stays active across all the dependencies without a second SIM swap.

Island-hopper

You rent a villa in Sainte-Anne for two weeks, hotspot your laptop from the eSIM for morning video calls, and use Karu'lib to catch the bus into Pointe-à-Pitre for groceries. Orange Caraïbe delivers 40–60 Mbps on the terrace, fast enough for Zoom and large file uploads. You pay one flat eSIM rate instead of stacking daily roaming passes that would cost triple over 14 days.

Remote worker in a beachfront rental

Apps you'll need data for in Guadeloupe

The apps locals and travelers actually use — the ones that need real cell data, not just hotel Wi-Fi.

  • Karu'lib app icon

    Karu'lib

    Real-time bus tracker for Pointe-à-Pitre metro and resort routes

  • WhatsApp app icon

    WhatsApp

    Default messaging and voice calling across the French Caribbean

  • Crédit Agricole Mobile app icon

    Crédit Agricole Mobile

    French banking app — works as domestic, not international

  • Iles de Guadeloupe app icon

    Iles de Guadeloupe

    Official tourism app with maps, events, and ferry schedules

  • CTM app icon

    CTM

    Transit app for intercity buses across Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre

  • Météo-France app icon

    Météo-France

    Hyperlocal weather and tropical-storm alerts for the archipelago

How much data you'll burn per day

WhatsApp

~40 MB per day for text and photos, ~120 MB per day if you make frequent voice calls to coordinate with gîte hosts or tour operators.

Maps

~20 MB per day for light navigation; ~60 MB per day if you are driving the full coastal loop or hiking multiple Parc National trails with live tracking.

Rideshare

Rideshare apps do not operate in Guadeloupe. Taxis are hailed or booked via WhatsApp, using negligible data — under 5 MB per day for messaging and location sharing.

When you're travelling matters

Hurricane season runs June through November, with peak risk in August and September. During tropical storms, cell towers can lose power or backhaul in affected zones; Orange Caraïbe and SFR Caraïbe both prioritize restoring Pointe-à-Pitre and Basse-Terre first.

If you are traveling in hurricane season, download offline maps for your entire itinerary and cache important documents (ferry tickets, hotel confirmations) before a storm warning is issued. The Météo-France app sends push alerts for cyclone watches, but those notifications require live data — check forecasts daily if weather looks unstable.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does the eSIM work on Les Saintes islands?

Yes. Orange Caraïbe covers Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas near the main villages and ports. Signal weakens on hiking trails above the bay and disappears entirely on some of the uninhabited islets. The ferry from Trois-Rivières holds coverage near both shores but drops mid-channel for about 10 minutes.

Can I use WhatsApp calling in Guadeloupe on this eSIM?

Yes. WhatsApp voice and video calls work over the eSIM's data connection exactly as they do at home. Most locals and gîte hosts prefer WhatsApp over SMS, so it is the easiest way to coordinate pickups or ask your host about Wi-Fi passwords.

How much data do I need for a week hiking and beach-hopping in Guadeloupe?

Three to five gigabytes covers a week of Google Maps navigation, WhatsApp chats and calls, occasional photo uploads, and streaming a Spotify playlist on the drive to Pointe-des-Châteaux. If you plan to upload full-resolution photos daily or stream video, budget seven to ten gigabytes.

Does the eSIM work at La Soufrière volcano?

Partially. Orange Caraïbe holds signal at the Savane à Mulets parking lot and the main viewpoint platform. The trail to the crater rim becomes patchy, and the summit itself often has no service. Download the Parc National trail map and weather forecast before you start the hike.

Orange Caraïbe vs SFR Caraïbe — which has better coverage in Pointe-à-Pitre?

Both are strong in the city center, cruise port, and along the waterfront. Orange Caraïbe has slightly denser 5G in the Bergevin and Abymes suburbs. SFR Caraïbe is competitive downtown. The eSIM hands off automatically, so you get whichever is stronger at your exact location.

Does the Karu'lib bus app work on this eSIM?

Yes. Karu'lib (formerly Karu'Bus) needs live data to show real-time bus positions and delays on routes around Pointe-à-Pitre and the resort strip. The app works identically on the eSIM as it would on a local Orange or SFR SIM.

Will I have signal on the ferry to Marie-Galante?

You will have Orange Caraïbe coverage near the Pointe-à-Pitre or Saint-François departure port and again when you approach Grand-Bourg. The middle 20–30 minutes of the crossing typically drop to no service or intermittent 3G. Download anything you need before boarding.

Can I hotspot my laptop from the eSIM in a Sainte-Anne beachfront rental?

Yes. Hotspot is enabled by default with no extra charge. Orange Caraïbe and SFR Caraïbe both deliver strong 4G along the Sainte-Anne coast, so you can tether a laptop for remote work or share data with a travel partner whose phone does not support eSIM.

Does the eSIM cover La Désirade island?

Yes, but coverage is thinner than the main island. Orange Caraïbe has LTE in Beauséjour (the main village) and along the coastal road. Inland trails and the eastern plateau often have no service. Marie-Galante has better overall coverage than La Désirade.

eSIM vs buying a physical SIM at the airport in Guadeloupe?

Pointe-à-Pitre airport has a small Relay kiosk that sometimes stocks Orange Caraïbe SIMs, but availability is inconsistent and the counter closes early. A physical SIM costs about the same per gigabyte but requires a passport and a local address. The eSIM activates before you land, so you are online the moment you clear customs.

Does Crédit Agricole Mobile banking app work on this eSIM?

Yes. Crédit Agricole and other French banking apps treat Guadeloupe as domestic France — two-factor SMS and push notifications arrive normally. The eSIM uses the same .fr network backend, so there is no international delay or extra authentication step.

How much data does Google Maps use driving the Route de la Traversée rainforest road?

About 15–25 MB per hour of active navigation. The road crosses several dead zones in Parc National, so download the offline map for Basse-Terre before you leave your hotel. Live traffic data will not update in the forest, but turn-by-turn directions work offline.

Can I use the eSIM in both Guadeloupe and Martinique on the same trip?

That depends on the eSIM plan you purchase. Some regional Caribbean eSIMs cover multiple French overseas departments; others are Guadeloupe-only. Check the coverage-country list in your esima confirmation email. If your plan is single-country, you will need a separate eSIM or a top-up for Martinique.

Does the eSIM work inside the Mémorial ACTe museum in Pointe-à-Pitre?

Yes. The museum has indoor Orange Caraïbe and SFR Caraïbe coverage, though thick concrete walls in some exhibit rooms can weaken signal to 3G. The outdoor terrace and café have full 4G. The museum offers free Wi-Fi, but the eSIM is faster for uploading photos.

Will I have service snorkeling at Réserve Cousteau in Bouillante?

Orange Caraïbe covers the Plage de Malendure beach and the dive-shop area. Once you are 50 meters offshore or underwater, you will have no signal — leave your phone in a waterproof pouch on the boat or onshore. The reserve itself has no cell towers.

Need broader coverage?

Going further than Guadeloupe? These plans include Guadeloupe plus everywhere in between.