What is an eSIM, and what does it change when you travel?
An eSIM is a SIM that is already built into your phone. Instead of inserting a plastic card, you download a mobile plan onto that chip, usually by scanning a QR code. For a trip, that means you can add a data plan for your destination without taking your own SIM out or looking for a shop after landing.
See data packsThe chip is already in the phone; the plan is what you download
Apple describes the eSIM as an industry-standard digital SIM that lets you activate a plan from a carrier without a physical SIM. The hardware is a small chip fixed inside the phone. What you buy from a provider is a profile: the set of credentials that tells the phone which network it may join and as whom.
A plastic card carries one profile for its whole life. An eSIM chip can hold several and switch between them; Apple says an iPhone can manage eight or more. Every phone with an eSIM chip also has its own identifier, the EID, which is the quickest way to confirm your model has one. The compatibility page has the check and a model-by-model table.
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.
Four ways a plan reaches the chip
- A QR code from the provider, scanned with the camera or from the mobile settings.
- A link sent by the provider, which Apple mentions as an alternative to the QR code.
- Carrier activation, when you buy a line from an operator and it assigns the eSIM to your phone directly.
- A transfer from your previous phone, for lines that support it.
Whichever route is used, the profile is downloaded over the internet, so the phone needs a connection the first time. Wi-Fi at home is enough. Once installed, the line works on the mobile network like any other. The installation guide walks through it on iPhone, Galaxy and Pixel.
Two lines in one phone, which is the point for a trip
Most recent phones combine a physical SIM with an eSIM. Apple lists the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later for that combination, and the iPhone 13 and later can also run two eSIMs. Google says Pixel phones from the 3a onwards take one physical SIM plus one eSIM.
That is what makes an eSIM useful abroad: your usual line stays in the phone for calls and SMS, such as bank codes, and the second line handles data. Apple notes that an iPhone uses one cellular data network at a time, so you choose which line carries the data. The two-line setup guide covers which switch goes where.
What stays exactly as it was with a plastic SIM
An eSIM line behaves like any other line once it is in. It appears in the mobile settings with its own name, its own mobile data switch and its own data roaming switch. It connects to the same networks a physical SIM would.
The rules on carrier locks do not change either. Apple says that to use plans from two carriers, your carrier must unlock your iPhone. A phone tied to one operator will not accept an eSIM from another provider, whether that eSIM is for home or for travel, so the lock is worth checking before you buy anything.
What an eSIM does not do
It does not give you a phone number by itself. A data-only travel eSIM, which is what Snoozim sells, has no number, no calls and no SMS. WhatsApp keeps working with your usual number over that data, because the account belongs to the number, not to whichever SIM carries the internet.
It also cannot be moved by hand. With a plastic card you can pop it into another phone; an installed eSIM stays where it is. Apple advises against deleting an eSIM as a troubleshooting step, because once erased you need a new one from the provider. On a Snoozim pack, a deleted eSIM cannot be reinstalled and the remaining data goes with it.
One upside follows from the same fact: Apple points out that an eSIM cannot be removed from a lost or stolen phone the way a card can.
How do I know if my phone has an eSIM?
Look for an EID in the phone's settings: on iPhone under Settings, General, About; on most Android phones under About phone. If the EID is there, the phone has an eSIM chip.
Can I keep my own SIM card and add an eSIM?
Yes, on most recent phones. Apple lists the iPhone XS and later for a physical SIM plus an eSIM, and Google lists the Pixel 3a and later.
Do I need internet to install an eSIM?
Yes, the profile is downloaded when you scan the QR code, so connect to Wi-Fi first. After that the eSIM works on the mobile network without Wi-Fi.
Is an eSIM more secure than a SIM card?
Apple says it is, in one specific way: it cannot be removed if the phone is lost or stolen, unlike a plastic card.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See data packs