10% OFF your travel eSIM - Use code MEGA10
An eSIM is a SIM card built into your phone that you activate by scanning a QR code. Nothing to post and nothing to swap. You buy a plan for the country you are visiting, scan the code before you leave, and switch it on when you land.
An overview of the whole journey. For the device by device install instructions, see the eSIM setup guide.
Open the dial pad and type *#06#. If the list that appears includes an EID number, your phone supports eSIM. If it only shows an IMEI, it does not.
Most phones sold from 2019 onward qualify, including iPhone XR and XS and newer. Check your exact model if you are unsure.
Search for the country you are travelling to. We cover 203 destinations, each running on local networks rather than a single global roaming partner, which is why speeds hold up.
Local networks mean local speeds. You get the same signal a resident does, not a slow roaming lane.
Plans run from 1GB for a weekend up to unlimited daily data for longer trips. If you are not sure what you need, a week of maps, messaging and normal browsing usually lands between 1GB and 3GB.
The eSIM Price Index tracks the live price per GB in every country we cover, so you can see what data should cost where you are going.
Checkout takes a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your QR code arrives by email within a minute and also sits in your account under My eSIMs, so you are not dependent on finding one email later.
Lost the email? The same QR code is always in your account under My eSIMs.
Scan the QR code from your phone settings while you are still on Wi-Fi. Installing writes the profile to your phone. It does not start your plan, so there is no cost to doing this early.
You need internet to install, and the airport you land in may not give you any. Install at home. Full setup guide.
When you arrive, open your settings, select the eSIM line and turn on data roaming for that line only. Your plan starts counting from first connection and you are online in under a minute.
Your home SIM keeps working for calls and texts. Only the eSIM line needs roaming switched on.
Three things, all of which you probably already have.
Unlocked, and from roughly 2019 onward. A phone locked to a carrier will not accept a second profile.
Only for the install itself. After that the eSIM carries its own connection.
Your QR code goes there. It is also saved in your account, so a lost email is not a lost eSIM.
Short answer first, detail if you want it.
No. It sits alongside it as a second line.
Your usual number keeps working for calls and texts while the eSIM handles data abroad. You do not take your home SIM out, so you do not lose your number and your two factor codes still arrive. On most phones you can set which line is used for data and which for calls.
About five minutes end to end.
Buying and receiving the QR code takes a minute, installing takes two or three, and connecting when you land takes under a minute. The only part with any waiting in it is the email, and that is usually instant.
Before you travel, while you are on Wi-Fi at home.
Installing does not start your plan or use any data. Plans begin counting from the moment the eSIM first connects to a network in your destination, not from purchase and not from install. The failure people run into is installing on arrival, when they need internet to install and have none.
Usually not. A profile installs once and stays with that phone.
If you change phone mid trip you will generally need a new eSIM. Worth knowing before you buy, particularly if you are shopping for someone else. Install it on the phone that is actually going on the trip.
Pick your destination and you can be set up before you finish packing. Not sure what a fair price looks like? Check the Price Index first, or read the FAQ.
Join 50,000+ travelers who stay connected with MegaEsim. No contracts, no hassle.
Buy eSIM NowWe use cookies to keep things running and improve your experience. Learn more