Travel eSIM questions and answers.

It will if your phone supports eSIM and is carrier unlocked. Almost every phone sold since 2019 qualifies, including iPhone XS and later, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, and most recent Pixel and Xiaomi models. A few models sold in mainland China and Hong Kong were made without the eSIM hardware. Check your exact model on our compatible devices page before you buy.

About 1GB covers a week of maps, messaging and the odd search. Posting photos and stories every day takes that to between 1GB and 2GB a week. Streaming video or running a laptop from your hotspot needs nearer 3GB a week. You can top up during the trip, so there is no need to buy more than you expect to use.

Yes, your number stays exactly where it is. The eSIM is a second line that carries data only, with no number of its own. Your normal SIM stays in the phone, so calls and texts still reach you. Turn data roaming off on your home line and let the eSIM handle the internet.

Yes on most of our plans, and each plan says whether hotspot is allowed. Sharing data with a laptop uses it up much faster than browsing on the phone does. Keep an eye on your usage if you are working that way.

An eSIM is a SIM that is built into your phone, so there is no plastic card to fit. You add a plan to it by scanning a QR code. Ours is a prepaid data plan for travel, and it sits next to your own SIM without replacing it.

Unlimited means full speed up to a daily amount, and slower data once you pass it. The daily amount is shown on each unlimited plan. Look at that figure before you buy if you expect to stream a lot or share data with a laptop.

Yes, as long as the eSIM has not been installed or used. Once an eSIM has been downloaded to a phone it cannot be sold again, so we cannot refund it. If something did not work, tell us what happened and we will sort it out with you. We will not hide behind the policy.

No, there is no way to run up extra charges. You pay once, before you use anything, for a fixed amount of data. When that data is used up the connection stops until you top up. Nothing is charged unless you choose to buy it.

They start when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination. Buying the plan does not start them, and neither does installing it. That is why we suggest installing at home on WiFi and keeping the eSIM switched off until you land.

You scan a QR code, which we send by email and also keep in your account. On the phone you are travelling with, open the mobile data settings, choose to add an eSIM and scan the code. It takes about a minute. If the email is open on that same phone, you can tap to install and skip the scan.

Yes, data roaming has to be on for the eSIM line, even if that feels wrong the first time. The eSIM is a visitor on a local network and cannot connect without it. This costs nothing extra. The setting to keep off is data roaming on your home SIM, because that is where the expensive bills come from.

No, an eSIM can only live on one device. Once it is installed, moving it means we have to issue a replacement. Install it on the phone you will be carrying on the trip and you avoid the problem.

Your QR code is sent by email once your payment has gone through. A copy is saved in your account as well, so you can still find it if the email goes missing. Have a look in your spam folder before you write to us.

Yes, install it at home over WiFi before you leave. Your phone needs an internet connection to download the eSIM, and that is easier to find at home than in an arrivals hall. Installing early does not shorten your plan, because the days only start at your destination.

Sign in to your account and open your eSIMs to see it. The usage figure comes from the network, so it is the same number the operator is counting. It can run a few minutes behind what you have just used.

Buy a top up and carry on. The new data is added to the eSIM that is already on your phone. You do not install anything new, and there is no second QR code to scan.

Check four things, in this order. Data roaming is on for the eSIM line. The eSIM line is the one chosen for mobile data. Airplane mode is off. Then wait two or three minutes, because a first connection to a foreign network is slower than you expect. If it still will not connect, restart the phone once and then message us.

Yes, WhatsApp carries on with your own number. The eSIM only supplies the data and has no number of its own, so nothing changes in the app. People message and call you there the same way they do at home.