What is an eSIM?

An eSIM is a SIM card built into the phone as a chip. Instead of a plastic card you download a profile: scan a QR code, and the phone joins a network. A travel eSIM, also sold as an international SIM or travel SIM, is a data-only profile from a network in the country you are visiting. You install it at home over Wi-Fi and switch it on when you land; your own SIM, number and WhatsApp stay exactly as they are.

How an eSIM works, step by step

Buy a plan for the destination You get a QR code and an install link by email within minutes. Nothing is shipped. › Install at home over Wi-Fi The phone downloads the profile and stores it next to your own SIM. Two minutes on iPhone or Android. › Switch data roaming on for the eSIM after landing The phone joins the local network for data. The validity clock starts at the first connection. › Your own SIM keeps calls and texts Turn its data roaming off so it does not bill you. Calls over WhatsApp or FaceTime use the eSIM data. ›

eSIM vs a physical SIM card

Travel eSIMLocal SIM card
How you get itBy email, before the tripAt the airport or a carrier shop, often against a passport
InstallTwo minutes at home over Wi-FiSwap the card, sometimes register it
Your numberStays in the phone on your own SIMCard is out; calls to your number miss you
Phone number on the planNone: data onlyLocal number, calls and SMS
Several at oncePhones store several profiles; two lines activeOne slot, one card
Moving to another phoneInstalls once; a new phone needs a new eSIMMove the card
Works oniPhone XS and newer, most recent Android flagshipsAny unlocked phone

Which phones support eSIM

iPhone XS (2018) and newer, Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer with the Z Fold and Z Flip lines, Google Pixel 4 and newer. Units sold in mainland China are the main exception. Budget Android lines, such as Galaxy A, Redmi and POCO, mostly ship without eSIM. Makers also sell the same model with and without eSIM depending on the country, so the one-minute check in Settings beats any list: an EID row under General → About on iPhone, an "Add eSIM" entry in the SIM settings on Android.

Phones and eSIM, model by model Verdict per model with the maker's caveats, plus the check. › Check your phone in a second Pick the model, get the answer. ›

What a travel eSIM costs

Plans are priced by data volume and validity, from about four dollars for a gigabyte to a few tens of dollars for an unlimited month. Every country page shows what each plan costs per day and per gigabyte, and for visitors from Australia, the US and Canada, what the home carrier's roaming pass would cost for the same days.

What stays the same, and what changes

Stays: your number, WhatsApp, iMessage, banking apps and two-factor codes by SMS, because your own SIM stays in the phone. Changes: data comes from the local network through the eSIM, so streaming, maps and calls over WhatsApp cost what the plan cost, nothing more. Calls and texts over your own SIM still roam at your carrier's rates, which is why data roaming for that SIM goes off.

Guides

What data roaming is, and the two switches Carrier day-pass prices with the date, and how a travel eSIM replaces them. › Not connecting after landing Six checks in order of likelihood, and the countries where Android needs the APN typed in. › Moving an eSIM to a new phone Your carrier line moves; a travel eSIM installs once. › Make the plan last Low Data Mode and the six settings that eat data on their own. › Europe eSIM across borders One profile for 41 countries: what a border does to the plan, and where it stops. › eSIM on a cruise Ports yes, sea no. What the ship does in between, and the two switches. ›

Rules of the country still apply

A handset that supports eSIM still meets whatever the destination requires: an identity check before a local SIM is sold, a handset registry, an APN typed by hand. Those rules sit with the country, not the phone. The rules section reads them from the primary documents, one country at a time.

Common questions

sim_card What is an eSIM?

A SIM card built into the phone as a chip. Instead of a plastic card you download a profile: scan a QR code or tap an install link, and the phone joins the network. A travel eSIM is such a profile from a network in the country you are visiting.

qr_code_2 How does an eSIM work?

After payment you get a QR code. The phone scans it over Wi-Fi, downloads the profile and stores it next to your own SIM. After landing you switch data roaming on for that profile and the phone uses the local network for data. Your own SIM stays in for calls and texts.

phone_iphone Does my phone support eSIM?

iPhone XS (2018) and newer, Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, Google Pixel 4 and newer support it, with exceptions for units sold in mainland China. Many budget Android phones do not. The one-minute check is in Settings: on iPhone an EID row under General → About, on Android an "Add eSIM" entry in the SIM settings.

call Can an eSIM make calls and send texts?

A travel eSIM is data-only: no phone number, no calls or SMS over it. Calls go over WhatsApp, FaceTime or Telegram using its data, and your own number keeps working through your home SIM for anyone who calls you.

chat Will WhatsApp change with a travel eSIM?

No. WhatsApp is tied to the number you registered, not to the SIM the phone uses for data. It keeps working with the same number and chats over the eSIM data.

block Can I move an eSIM to a new phone?

A travel eSIM installs once. Deleting it or moving to another phone does not carry it over: you would need a new eSIM. Install it on the phone you are taking, and do not delete the profile until the plan is used up.

savings Is an eSIM cheaper than roaming?

Usually by a wide margin for anything longer than a couple of days. Carrier day passes cost around ten dollars a day; a 5 GB or 10 GB travel eSIM costs about the same for the whole trip. Every country page here shows the day-by-day cost of each plan.

lock Does my phone need to be unlocked?

Yes. A phone locked to a carrier rejects another network's profile. iPhone: Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock should read "No SIM restrictions". Phones on an instalment plan are often locked until paid off; the carrier unlocks them on request.

key What is an EID?

The eSIM chip's own 32-digit number, shown under Settings → General → About on iPhone or behind *#06# on any phone. A seller rarely needs it; a carrier may ask for it to issue a profile.

data_usage What happens when the data runs out?

The eSIM stops passing data; nothing is charged automatically. You top up the same eSIM from your order page or buy a fresh plan. The validity clock runs from the first connection, not from purchase.