Getting started and installing

An eSIM is a digital SIM you download instead of a plastic card. It stores a travel data plan on your phone's built-in eSIM chip, so you can get online abroad without swapping out your normal SIM.

Install it at home over wifi, then leave it switched off until you arrive. Open your confirmation email, scan the QR code with your phone, and follow the prompts to add the data plan. For the full walkthrough, see our guide to installing your eSIM. Your plan's days only start when it first connects abroad, so installing early is safe.

Install it at home before you travel, over wifi. It won't start using your data or counting down until you arrive and connect to a local network, so there's no reason to wait until you land.

Go to Settings, then Mobile Data, then Add eSIM or Add Data Plan, and scan the QR code from your confirmation email. It helps to have the email open on a second screen, or you can enter the details manually. Our install guide has the full steps with screenshots.

Go to Settings, then Network and internet, then SIMs, and choose Add eSIM or Add mobile plan, then scan the QR code from your confirmation email. The exact menu names vary a little by brand.

Choose manual entry instead. Your phone will ask for a couple of activation details, and both are in your confirmation email. Copy them across exactly and your eSIM installs the same way.

Your plan starts when the eSIM first connects to a network in your destination, not when you buy or install it. That's why you can safely set it up days before you fly.

Your QR code appears on the confirmation screen straight away, and a copy is emailed to you, usually within a couple of minutes. You can install it whenever you're ready before your trip.

Yes, keep your home SIM in place. Your phone runs both at once: your home SIM for calls and texts on your usual number, and the travel eSIM for data. Turn data roaming on for the eSIM and off for your home SIM.

Yes, install it over wifi or your home data before you travel. You don't need to be in your destination to install it, only to activate it, which happens automatically when it connects there.