There are two completely different things people mean by converting to an eSIM, and mixing them up causes a lot of confusion. Sorting out which one you actually want takes about thirty seconds, so let us do that first.
Which one do you actually want?
| Converting your home SIM | Buying a travel eSIM | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your existing number moved onto a digital SIM | A separate data plan for the country you are visiting |
| Who provides it | Your current home carrier | An eSIM provider like us |
| Keeps your number | Yes, it is the same line | No, it is data only |
| What it costs | Usually free, sometimes a small admin fee | From $1.29 for a travel plan |
| How long it takes | Minutes to a couple of days | About five minutes |
| Good for | Freeing the SIM tray, losing the plastic | Cheap data while abroad |
If you are reading this because you are going on holiday and want cheap data, you want the right hand column and you do not need to convert anything. Skip to the last section.
If you want to get rid of the plastic card in your phone and hold your normal number digitally, keep reading.
Before you start, three checks
- Your phone supports eSIM. Dial *#06# and look for an EID number. If one appears, you are fine.
- Your carrier supports it. Most major networks now do, but smaller virtual operators sometimes do not. A quick search for your carrier's name plus eSIM will tell you.
- Your phone is unlocked, or at least still with the carrier you are converting through.
One warning before you begin. Converting is generally reversible, but it is not instant, and for a short window you may have no service at all while the old SIM is deactivated and the new profile downloads. Do not start this at the airport. Do it at home, on Wi-Fi, on a day when you do not urgently need your phone.
How to convert, by platform
iPhone, the quick way
Newer iPhones can often do this without contacting anyone.
- Go to Settings, then Cellular.
- Look for Convert to eSIM under your current plan.
- Tap it, follow the prompts, and wait for the profile to download.
- When it finishes, remove the physical SIM from the tray.
If Convert to eSIM is not there, your carrier has not enabled it and you need the manual route below.
Android and Samsung
Android has no universal one tap conversion. The path depends on your carrier, but generally:
- Contact your carrier and ask them to issue an eSIM for your existing number.
- They send you a QR code, by email or in their app.
- Go to Settings, then Network and internet, then SIMs, then Add eSIM. On Samsung it is Settings, then Connections, then SIM manager, then Add eSIM.
- Scan the code and wait for the download.
- Remove the physical SIM once the new line is working.
The manual route, any phone
If your carrier has no self service option, phone them or use their live chat and ask for an eSIM swap for your number. Most will do it while you wait. Some post you a code. A few charge a small fee, though many do it free because it saves them the cost of plastic and postage.
What happens to your number and your messages
Nothing changes. The number stays the same, your contract stays the same, your billing stays the same. An eSIM is just a different way of holding the same subscription. Your texts, your voicemail and your call history all carry on as before.
Two practical things do change. First, your SIM tray is now free, which on a dual SIM phone means you can add a second physical SIM or simply run one less bit of plastic. Second, moving to a new phone is different: instead of popping a card out, you transfer the eSIM digitally or ask your carrier to reissue it.
- ✓Runs alongside your converted home line
- ✓No contract and no roaming bill
- ✓Install before you fly, activate on landing
- ✓Plans from 1 GB to unlimited
Should you convert at all?
Honestly, for most travellers, no. It is worth doing if:
- You want a free SIM slot for a second physical SIM.
- You keep losing or damaging SIM cards.
- Your next phone is eSIM only, as newer iPhones sold in the United States are.
- You switch phones often and prefer moving lines digitally.
It is not worth doing if you simply want cheap data on holiday. In that case you keep your plastic SIM exactly where it is, and add a travel eSIM as a second line. That gives you both: your usual number for calls and codes, and local priced data for everything else. Converting your home line does nothing to reduce roaming costs on its own, which is the misunderstanding that brings most people to this page.
If something goes wrong
No service after converting
Restart the phone first, which resolves it more often than not. If the line is still dead after a restart, your carrier may not have finished activating the profile on their side. Ring them from another phone.
The QR code from my carrier will not scan
Use manual entry. The carrier's email will contain an SM-DP+ address and an activation code, and every phone has a manual option for exactly this.
I converted and now want my physical SIM back
Carriers can usually reverse this and post you a replacement card, though it may take a few days and occasionally costs a small fee.
I deleted the eSIM by accident
Contact your carrier for a reissue. This is the genuine risk of eSIM versus plastic: you cannot retrieve a deleted profile yourself. Never delete an eSIM profile unless you are certain you can get it back.
The travel answer, in one paragraph
If your goal is to stop paying roaming charges, you do not need to convert anything. Leave your home SIM alone, buy a travel eSIM for the country you are visiting, set your phone to use the travel eSIM for data and your home line for calls and texts, and turn data roaming off on the home line. That takes five minutes, costs a couple of dollars, and does not put your main number at any risk.
- ✓Adds a second line, leaves your number alone
- ✓Cheap local data in 196 countries
- ✓Install at home, switch on when you land
- ✓No contract and no roaming bill
