GigSky is running a new promotion for Visa Infinite and Signature cardholders which offers a free 15 day international data plan. Cardholders can also get discounts of 20%-30% off other GigSky plans, while those with no eligible card can still save 10% with promo code FREQUENTMILER.
The Deal
- GigSky is running the following promotions:
- Visa Infinite cardholders – Get a complimentary 3 GB/15 day international data plan + 30% off all plans
- Visa Signature cardholders – Get a complimentary 1 GB/15 day international data plan + 20% off all plans
- Non-Visa Infinite & Signature cardholders – Save 10% on most plans with promo code FREQUENTMILER
- Direct link to offer (Disclosure: Frequent Miler will earn a commission if you click through from this link and make a purchase. Be sure to check Cashback Monitor as you might be able to click through from a shopping portal to earn rewards.).
Key Terms
- FREQUENTMILER promo code excludes in-flight and North Sea plans.
Quick Thoughts
A couple of years ago, Nick wrote about GigSky’s partnership with the US Bank Altitude Connect card which offered a free 1 GB/15 day (since increased to 5 GB) international data plan. In that post, he wrote that based on GigSky’s announcement that he wouldn’t be surprised if that got expanded to other cards. Sure enough, it has been expanded and it’s a very generous offer.
Anyone with a Visa Infinite card (e.g. Capital One Venture X, Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite & more) gets a complimentary 15 day plan with 3 GB of data, as well as 30% off all plans if you’d like to continue the service or use it again on a future overseas trip.
Visa Signature cardholders meanwhile (e.g. Alaska Airlines, Bank of America Premium Rewards, Wyndham & many more) get a complimentary 15 day plan with 1 GB of data and 20% off all plans thereafter.
What makes this offer for eligible Visa cardholders even better is that GigSky has confirmed that you can take advantage of the promotion once per card. That means if you have two Visa Infinite cards and three Visa Signature cards, you can get two sets of the 3 GB/15 day plans and three of the 1GB/15 Day plans.
This is a smart move by GigSky. I vaguely remember hearing about them in the past, but I doubt I’d have thought to give them a test drive. However, with them offering 15 day plans with a decent data cap for free, it makes it much more worthwhile checking them out. If the process works as seamlessly as hoped, I can definitely see it being a service I’d look into using more frequently for overseas travel if I wasn’t on a phone plan that included overseas data coverage (e.g. some Google Fi and T-Mobile plans).
This has the potential to save you a lot of money if you want data coverage while overseas. For example, my in-laws are on Verizon and I think they have to pay $12 per line per day when overseas. With the 20%-30% discount on GigSky plans for Visa Signature and Infinite cardholders, it looks like they could get a 30 day, 5 GB plan for less than the cost of one day with Verizon. Sure, the GigSky and Verizon plan allowances aren’t identical, but I imagine for most travelers the GigSky plans will be sufficient.
If you don’t have a Visa Signature or Infinite card, that doesn’t mean you miss out. GigSky offers a 15 day, 100 MB complimentary plan, plus you can get 10% off other plans with promo code FREQUENTMILER.
GigSky uses eSIMs for their service. If you’re not sure how to get that set up, GigSky have helpful videos and screenshots giving step-by-step guides for how to get it set up.
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Are all smart phones compatible with e-sim for data only?
I don’t have experience specifically with GigSky eSIM, but do have experience broadly speaking with use of a data-only eSIM and still being able to use text/voice using your primary SIM’s existing phone number.
Many (most?) US mobile carrier service plans support “WiFi Calling”, but this name is a misnomer. The feature is really “voice and text messaging over Internet data access which you might be getting via WiFi connection”. But you could just as well be getting Internet data access with a data-only eSIM.
So, my first hand experience (on an iPhone) when using a data-only eSIM in multiple Asian and European countries is that my primary SIM’s US mobile carrier phone number continues to work for both incoming and outgoing voice calls and text messages. This has been true for both eSIM provided by a specialized app and eSIM provided by a legacy telecom carrier of the visited country.
So far so good, I have “purchased” (for $0.00) one 3GB/15day plan with my Visa Infinite card and have entered two of my three Visa Signature cards via the special Visa promotion card/bubble. You can’t just enter the cards from the normal Payments feature.
I cannot make additional “purchases” of 1GB/15day plans until the existing special purchased plan is used up; but I see two bubbles telling me I am eligible for those plans because of the corresponding Visa Signature cards already added.
I can’t add my third Visa Signature card because the Visa promotion card/bubble tells me I am limited to making 5 checks per day. I had done a couple of checks where I didn’t continue onward to completing the information to add that checked card as a payment method, hence I have reached that maximum number of checks even though I only had a total of four eligible cards.
Yeah.. I still need to use my number when I’m traveling and I have some dipshit friends that refuse to get an iPhone. I’ll just pay the $12/day for Verizon.
Used Gigsky in Japan (through US Bank Altitude Connect free plan) and the service worked well. The data cap is now 5GB per 15 days, will make use of this in upcoming European trip.
Can you sign up and activate the plan later?
I just tried it, you can sign up and activate when ready
The problem with esims is that you need to change your number while using it. I haven’t seen a way that you can keep your number so you get texts without having to give everyone your esim phone number. Hopefully there is a way and I just haven’t understood how to do it.
(Those of us have iPhones just continue using iMessage using our AppleID)
There is no phone number with the international data plan that comes with the US Bank card. It is purely data.
Also, the US is not on the list of countries for that plan. That shouldn’t matter much, but I used it driving back and forth across the Canadian border and it only worked after several miles into Canada.
The free data plan from US Bank Altitude Connect card does not work in United States?
Correct. If you look up the product there’s a list of countries.
Wondering if each Venture X AU card will trigger this benefit. If so, that could be a nice win for families traveling together.
Yea, I have 3 member as AUs on VX. Can someone confirm this?
I am leaving Sunday for a week in Europe with my kid. We will try it and report back. If not, then I guess he only gets 1 GB.
Thanks Mate.
i am looking for the same answer.