Two phones, one trip: how to split the data between work and personal
If you travel with a work phone and your own, one travel eSIM is often enough: install it on one phone and let the other join its hotspot. It stops being enough when the two phones spend the day apart, or when the work phone has to stay online on its own. Each eSIM goes on one phone only, so decide which one carries the data before you buy.
Work out how much dataOne plan, shared from the phone that is always with you
The phone with the eSIM turns on its personal hotspot and the other joins it like any Wi-Fi network. It shares whichever line is set for mobile data, so on the host phone that has to be the eSIM; the full steps are in sharing mobile data with another phone. The second phone needs no eSIM and keeps its own number.
Three questions decide the host. Which phone are you allowed to install an eSIM on? Many work phones are managed, and IT may have blocked new eSIM profiles, as explained in installing a travel eSIM on a work phone. Which has the better battery, since sharing drains it faster? And which one never leaves your pocket? Usually the answer to all three is your personal phone.
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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.
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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.
When the work phone needs its own eSIM
A hotspot only reaches a few metres. If the work phone stays at a stand while you walk the trade fair, or you leave your personal phone charging in the hotel, the phone without the eSIM is offline. The same applies if you are on call or depend on push approvals for sign-in, which do not wait for you to be near the other phone.
In those cases, give each phone its own eSIM, sized to what it does: the work phone for mail and video calls, the personal one for maps and messages. Every travel eSIM is tied to the phone it is installed on, so two phones always means two eSIMs, not one shared between them. Each purchase comes with an invoice showing VAT, which keeps the work one easy to put on an expense report, and the data calculator helps you size each plan.
Joining the hotspot without typing passwords
Apple's Instant Hotspot lets another Apple device join your iPhone's hotspot without the Wi-Fi password, as long as both are near each other with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and signed in with the same Apple Account. Family members can be allowed in too, from Settings, Personal Hotspot, Family Sharing, where you choose Automatic or Ask for Approval for each person.
A work iPhone signed in with a different Apple Account does not get that shortcut: it joins like any other device, by picking the network and typing the password. Android phones join the same way. Do it once at home so the network is saved, and the second phone will reconnect on its own when the hotspot is on.
Stop the work phone from eating the shared data
A work phone on Wi-Fi assumes it is in the office: it downloads mail attachments, syncs cloud folders and installs updates. On a hotspot, that comes out of your plan. On the joining iPhone, turn on Low Data Mode for that hotspot network in its Wi-Fi settings; on Android, mark the network as metered. Both are explained in sharing your data with tablets, and they work the same for a work phone.
Also check what happens to the work phone's own line. If it still has data roaming on, it may use the company's roaming allowance instead of your hotspot whenever the hotspot drops. Whether that is acceptable is the company's decision, so ask before you travel rather than after the bill.
Calls, codes and two numbers
Sharing data does not move phone numbers. Each phone keeps receiving calls and text messages on its own line, so the bank's SMS codes still reach your personal phone and the office can still ring the work one. Turning off data roaming does not turn off calls; outside the EU, answering them may cost money, which our guide on avoiding roaming charges outside the EU covers.
WhatsApp on each phone keeps its own number and only needs internet, from the eSIM or the hotspot. Keep a charging cable or a power bank for the host phone: when it runs out, both phones go offline at the same moment. Snoozim's eSIMs allow hotspot, so the sharing setup works the same with either pack.
Can one travel eSIM work on two phones?
No. An eSIM is installed on one phone and stays there. The second phone can share its data through the hotspot, or have its own eSIM.
Which phone should carry the eSIM?
The one you are allowed to install it on, with the better battery and that stays with you all day. That is usually the personal phone.
Will my work phone still receive calls if it uses my hotspot?
Yes. Sharing data does not affect calls or text messages, which still arrive on the work phone's own line.
How do I stop the work phone using too much data on my hotspot?
Turn on Low Data Mode for the hotspot network on an iPhone, or mark it as metered on Android, so syncing and updates wait for proper Wi-Fi.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
Work out how much data