How it works
From checkout to your first bar of signal
No technical know-how and no trip to a shop. Here is the whole process.
Four steps
1Choose
Find the country you are travelling to and pick a plan that matches your trip length and data appetite.
2Scan
The QR code arrives by email. Scan it from a second screen, or add the profile manually with the details in the message.
3Connect
When you land, switch mobile data on for the eSIM profile. The network attaches within seconds.
4Travel
Use the data you already paid for, with no roaming and no surprises on the bill.
What an eSIM actually is
An eSIM is a SIM card already built into your phone. Instead of slotting in a piece of plastic, you add a profile the network issues to you. The profile arrives as a QR code or a couple of taps, and one phone can hold several profiles with you choosing which is active.
- No plastic, no ejector pin and no queue in a shop.
- Your home SIM stays in the phone and runs alongside the eSIM profile.
- The profile lands in your inbox right after payment, at any hour.
- When the data runs out you can top the same profile up wherever top-up is supported.
What you need
- A phone that supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked
- Wi-Fi or mobile data at the moment you install
- An email address for the QR code
Installing, step by step
Install while you are still at home on Wi-Fi. Installation needs internet, and there is none on the plane.
Open Settings, then Cellular or Mobile Data.
Tap Add eSIM, then Use QR Code.
Scan the QR code from our email. If you are reading it on the same phone, choose to enter details manually and paste the SM-DP+ address and activation code.
Give the profile a label you will recognise, such as the country name.
Leave the eSIM switched off until you arrive. Turn it on at your destination.
No second screen to scan from?
The email also contains the SM-DP+ address and the activation code. Paste those in by hand and skip the QR code entirely.
When you land
- Switch the eSIM profile on in settings.
- Set mobile data to run over the eSIM profile.
- Turn data roaming off for your home SIM so it does not quietly use data too.
- Toggle flight mode on and off if the network does not attach straight away.
Validity starts when you first connect to a network at your destination, not when you buy.
What a trip with an eSIM looks like
Before you go
Buy the plan, install the eSIM while you are on Wi-Fi and leave it switched off until departure.
When you land
Turn on mobile data for the eSIM profile and give it a few seconds to attach to the network.
During the trip
Track your usage in your account and top up if you need more data.
After the trip
Switch the eSIM profile off or delete it. Your home SIM carries on as normal.
Which phones support eSIM
Almost every mid-range and flagship phone from 2019 onwards supports eSIM. Two things must be true: the model supports eSIM, and the handset is not locked to a carrier.
Supported, depending on the model
- iPhone XR, XS and newer
- Google Pixel 3 and newer
- Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, plus Z Fold and Z Flip
- Recent Xiaomi, Motorola and Oppo generations
- Cellular iPads, from the 2018 Pro models onwards
Not supported
- iPhone 8 and older
- Samsung Galaxy S10 and older
- Chinese variants of some models, where eSIM is disabled
- Carrier-locked phones, until the operator unlocks them
This list is a guide. Check your exact model in the checker for an answer about your specific handset.
What happens to your number
Your home SIM stays in the phone and keeps receiving calls and texts on your number. The eSIM carries data only. WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram are tied to the number, so they work as usual. The one setting you must change is turning data roaming off for the home SIM, so all traffic goes over the eSIM.
If something is not working
Nine problems out of ten are solved by one of these.
Check that the eSIM profile is switched on and selected for mobile data. Then turn flight mode on for ten seconds and off again so the phone searches for the network afresh.
Open the email on a laptop or a second phone and scan from that screen. If that is not an option, the same message carries the SM-DP+ address and activation code for manual entry.
A QR code installs exactly once. If you deleted the profile from your phone, contact support and we will sort it out without charging you again.
The handset is most likely carrier-locked. Only your operator can unlock it, and in the meantime we can refund an unused plan.
Pick a different partner network manually in your network settings. Underground, at sea and up in the mountains the signal is weaker whatever card you use.
Where top-up is supported you can add data to the same profile from your account. If the plan has no top-up, buy a new one and scan the new QR code.
Frequently asked questions
Install before you travel, while you are on Wi-Fi. Installation needs internet, and the plan does not start running until you connect at your destination.
No. The profile downloads once and binds to the device it was installed on.
On plans that support hotspot, yes, and each plan card says so. Bear in mind a laptop on a hotspot burns through far more data than a phone.
Data stops working, while your phone and home SIM carry on as normal. Buy a new plan, or top up where top-up is supported.
No. Our plans are mobile data only. For calls and texts you use your own number or apps that run over the internet.
Now you know how it goes
All that is left is picking a country and a plan. The whole thing takes less time than the queue at the airport.