Data on a layover or stopover: when you need an eSIM for the transit country
Long connections through hubs such as Doha, Dubai, Istanbul or Singapore raise the same question: do you need data in a country you are only passing through? It depends on whether you leave the airport, and the way a data eSIM starts counting makes the answer simple.
Find the eSIM for your stopoverWhen the plan starts counting
The eSIM does not start when you buy it or when you install it. It starts at the first connection in a country it covers. You can buy it up to 180 days ahead and install it at home on your own Wi-Fi, and not a day of the plan is used until the phone connects there.
Each single-country pack only works in its own country. So the eSIM for your final destination will not connect, and will not start counting, while you wait in a transit airport somewhere else. It simply waits until you land where it belongs.
One eSIM for 33 European countries
Several countries on one trip? Same eSIM, same data, no swapping lines at the border.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Staying in the airport: airport Wi-Fi is usually enough
If you are only changing planes and stay airside, you spend a few hours on the ground with nowhere to navigate. The airport's Wi-Fi covers messages, email and checking your next gate, and there is no need to buy data for a country you never enter.
What is worth doing is switching off data roaming on your usual line before you land at the hub. Otherwise the phone can connect to a local network on your home plan, and outside the zone your carrier includes, that data can be billed at roaming rates.
Leaving the airport: a pack for the stopover country
- Doha: eSIM for Qatar
- Dubai or Abu Dhabi: eSIM for the United Arab Emirates
- Istanbul: eSIM for Turkey
- Singapore: eSIM for Singapore
On a stopover of a day or more, or a long layover when you go into the city, you need maps, transport apps and messages on the move, as on any trip. That is when a pack for the stopover country makes sense: it starts at your first connection there and only works there.
A day or two in a city rarely needs a large pack. The data calculator works out the size from the days and from how you use the phone.
Two eSIMs on the same phone
If you buy one eSIM for the stopover and another for your destination, install both at home before you leave: phones that take an eSIM can usually keep more than one installed. When you land in each place, choose the right one as your mobile data line in the settings and turn on data roaming for it.
Your usual line can stay on for calls and texts, with its data roaming off. WhatsApp and iMessage keep your usual number while they use the eSIM's data. The dual SIM guide shows which setting goes where.
The Europe pack and connections inside Europe
The 33-country Europe pack starts counting the first time it connects in any of its 33 countries. If your route connects through a European hub, the plan starts at that layover, not at your final stop, and keeps working when you fly on to the next country with nothing to change.
Istanbul is the one to watch: Turkey is not one of the 33 countries, so the Europe pack has no data there. For a stopover in Istanbul you need the Turkey eSIM or the airport's Wi-Fi.
Do I need an eSIM for a layover in Doha or Dubai?
Not if you stay in the airport: its Wi-Fi is usually enough. If you go into the city, a pack for Qatar or the United Arab Emirates gives you data while you are there.
Will my destination eSIM start counting during the layover?
No. A single-country pack only works in its own country, so it does not connect or start counting until you arrive there.
Does the Europe pack work in Istanbul?
No. Turkey is not one of the 33 countries in the Europe pack. For Istanbul you need a Turkey eSIM.
When does the Europe pack start if my flight connects in another European airport?
At the first connection in any of its 33 countries, which can be that layover. From there it keeps working across all the covered countries.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
Find the eSIM for your stopover