Questions and answers

What is an eSIM?
A digital SIM card. Instead of swapping a piece of plastic, your phone loads an operator profile from a QR code. Your physical SIM stays in the phone, so calls to your home number still come through. What is an eSIM?
Does my phone support it?
iPhone XR and XS (2018) onwards, Google Pixel from the 3, Samsung from the Galaxy S20. Watch out for models bought in China and for some carrier-sold Pixels — those cannot do eSIM. To be sure, open Settings → Mobile Service (Cellular): if "Add eSIM" is there, you are fine. Check compatibility
Does the phone have to be unlocked?
Yes. A phone locked to one operator will not accept another operator’s eSIM. Unlocking is handled by the operator the phone is tied to.
How long until the eSIM arrives?
Usually within a minute of paying. We email the QR code and it is in your account at the same time.
When does the validity period start?
From the moment the eSIM first connects to a network in the destination country — not from the purchase. So you can install it at home before you fly.
Can I make calls and send texts?
No, these are data plans. Calls over WhatsApp, Messenger or FaceTime work normally, because they run on data.
What if I run out of data?
Your account has a Top up button on each eSIM. The top-up is added to the profile you already have, so there is no QR code to scan again.
Why does the usage not match what my phone shows?
The supplier recalculates usage once every one to three hours, so our figure lags behind. Your phone counts continuously, but it also counts traffic that never went through the eSIM.
Do I need data roaming switched on?
Yes, and it is by far the most common reason an eSIM does not connect after landing. A travel eSIM has no network of its own — it roams on local carriers — so with roaming off it has nowhere to attach. You switch it on for that eSIM specifically, not globally, so your home SIM does not start roaming with it.
It still will not connect. Now what?
Picking the network by hand instead of automatically fixes it almost every time. After landing a phone sometimes settles on a carrier our supplier has no agreement with, and it will not reconsider on its own. The steps for iPhone and Android are in our setup guide. Expect the list of networks to be empty for half a minute after you turn automatic off — the phone scans for what is around first.
Do I have to install the eSIM within a certain time?
On some plans, yes — the supplier gives a deadline for installing, after which the profile expires. Whether a plan has one and how long it is appears on the plan itself, under its terms. Plans without a deadline say so too.
What is the difference between a total allowance and a daily one?
A total plan gives you one pool of data for the whole validity and you spend it however you like. A daily plan gives you a portion each day and whatever you do not use does not carry over. Which one a plan is appears under its terms.
What happens to data I do not use?
It expires with the plan and does not move to another eSIM. Topping up extends the validity, though — including the data you still have left, as long as the plan has not expired in the meantime. The top-up is added to what is left and both then run to the new date. If you can see you will run out early, topping up the eSIM you have is cheaper than buying a second one.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, within 14 days of buying and only if the eSIM has not yet connected to a network. Both conditions apply: the supplier will not take a used profile back, so refunding one would come out of our own pocket. The button is on the eSIM in your account, and the money goes back to the card you paid with.
Can I scan the same QR code on two phones?
No. The code is single-use — once the profile has been downloaded, no other device can download it again. A second phone needs a second eSIM.
Do I lose the eSIM if I get a new phone?
In most cases, yes. Once installed, the profile is tied to that device and generally cannot be moved. If you still have the old phone and have not started using the eSIM, write to us — sometimes it can be sorted. Once it is active, it cannot.
Will my normal SIM keep working?
Yes. The eSIM is added as another line beside it. Calls and texts to your number keep arriving; only data goes over the travel eSIM. Your settings decide which line carries the data.
Can I use the eSIM as a hotspot?
Usually yes, but we cannot promise it for a particular plan. The supplier does not say whether a plan allows sharing, and it also depends on your phone and on which local carrier you happen to be on. If you are relying on it, try it right after installing while you are still at home.
Where do I find the QR code if I do not have the e-mail to hand?
On the eSIM in your account, along with the activation code to type in by hand. If your phone says the code is no longer valid, it almost always means the profile has already been downloaded — check your phone settings to see whether the eSIM is already installed.
How do I check how much data is left?
On the eSIM in your account. The figure runs one to three hours behind, because that is how often the supplier reports it — your phone always has the live number in its settings. On a handful of plans the supplier does not report usage at all; there we draw no gauge and say so on the card itself.
How do I remove the eSIM when I am done with it?
iPhone: Settings → Mobile Service (Cellular) → pick this eSIM → Delete eSIM (or Delete Plan). Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → pick it → Erase. A deleted profile cannot be brought back, so do not do it before the validity has run out.
Does one eSIM work in several countries?
Regional plans do — one profile covers a whole group of countries and you cross between them without doing anything. Which countries those are is listed on the plan. Single-country plans work only in that one.