How to install an eSIM.
Install it at home on WiFi before you fly. The eSIM waits on your phone, and the days on your plan only start when it first connects at your destination.
Connect to WiFi
Your phone downloads the eSIM from the internet. Home is a better place for that than the gate.
Open the email from us
The QR code is sent after payment, and a copy stays in your account.
Charge above 20%
The download is short, but you do not want the phone to die halfway through it.
eSIM QR code setup, step by step
- 1
Open Settings, tap Mobile Service
On iOS 16 and earlier, the same menu is named Cellular.
- 2
Tap Add eSIM, then Use QR Code
Pick “Use QR Code”, not the option to transfer from another phone.
- 3
Scan the QR code from your email
Point the camera at the code. You can open the email on a laptop, or take a screenshot and choose it from Photos.
- 4
Label it “Travel”
A clear name makes it easy to tell which line to switch on later.
- 5
Keep your home line as default
Set your usual number as the default for calls, and use the eSIM for data only.
- 1
Open Settings, tap Connections
Then choose SIM manager.
- 2
Tap Add eSIM
On some One UI versions this button says “Add mobile plan”.
- 3
Choose Scan QR code from service provider
Aim the camera at the QR code in your email.
- 4
Confirm the download
When the plan details show up, tap Add and then name the line “Travel”.
- 5
Leave mobile data on your home SIM
Move mobile data over to the eSIM after you land.
- 1
Open Settings, tap Network & internet
Then tap SIMs.
- 2
Tap the + beside SIMs
Older Pixels show “Download a SIM instead?” in this place.
- 3
Scan the QR code
Tap Next and hold the camera over the code in your email.
- 4
Finish the download
Tap Activate when the phone asks, then rename the line “Travel”.
- 5
Keep your home SIM for calls
Once you arrive, set the eSIM as your mobile data line.
Switching it on when you land
Three settings to change, and none of them needs WiFi.
- 1
Turn on data roaming
Do this for the travel eSIM line only. The first connection it makes is what starts your plan.
- 2
Set it as your data line
Mobile data › switch to the eSIM. Calls stay on your own number.
- 3
Wait a minute or two
If no signal shows up, turn Airplane mode on and off once so the phone searches again.
Fixing common install problems
Stuck? Email support with your order number.
The QR code will not scan
Open the email on a computer and scan the code from that screen. You can also save the image, or take a screenshot, and choose it from your photo library.
“This code is no longer valid”
Each QR code can be installed one time only. If you already installed it, the plan is on your phone, so look for the line in Settings before you scan again.
Installed, but no signal after landing
Check that data roaming is on for the eSIM line and that mobile data is set to that line. Then turn Airplane mode on and off once.
The plan says it has not started
That is normal before your trip. The days on your plan begin when the eSIM first connects at your destination, so it shows as not started until then.
I deleted the eSIM by mistake
Email support with your order number and we will look at what can be done. A deleted eSIM cannot be scanned back in, so never remove a line you still need.
Still need a plan?
Plans start from $1.99 for one country, and one global eSIM covers trips across several. The QR code arrives by email after payment.