From zero to online in about three minutes
No shop, no paperwork, no swapping the tiny plastic card over a hotel sink.
Pick a destination and a plan
Search your country, then choose daily unlimited if you stream and navigate all day, or a fixed data package if you mostly need maps and messages. Validity and price are shown before you pay.
Install on home Wi-Fi before you fly
One tap on a recent iPhone, or scan the QR on Android. The line sits dormant until you switch it on, so installing a week early costs you nothing.
Land, switch the line on, done
Turn on the travel line at arrival and leave your normal SIM in place for calls and bank codes. Turn data roaming off on the home line so it stays quiet.
The bits nobody tells you
Check the phone twice
It must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. A few region-specific models ship with eSIM switched off at the factory.
Data-only, on purpose
A travel eSIM carries data, not your number. Keep the home SIM active for calls and one-time bank codes.
China needs prep
Install and test before you land. Once you are inside the Great Firewall the activation page is blocked, and a plan routed outside the mainland is what keeps Google and WhatsApp alive.
Top-ups are new eSIMs
Running low usually means installing a fresh plan rather than recharging the old one. It is one tap, but worth knowing before your data runs out.
Hotspot is per plan
Most plans allow tethering. If you work off a laptop, confirm it in the package details rather than assuming.
Install early, activate late
Validity on most plans starts when the eSIM first connects, not when you buy. Check the package details, since a few plans differ.
