Travel eSIM checklist: what to do before you fly
By Andalu team · · Updated · 2 min read
Setting up a travel eSIM takes a few minutes, and most of it happens at home: check that your phone supports eSIM, buy a plan for where you're going, install it shortly before you leave, then turn on data roaming for it when you arrive.
Before you buy: check your phone
Most phones from recent years support eSIM: iPhone XS and XR or later, Google Pixel 4 or later, and Samsung Galaxy S20 or later, among others. Your phone also needs to be unlocked, not tied to your home carrier. The quick check: an EID number in your settings means your phone has eSIM. See Does my phone support eSIM?
An eSIM installs on one phone only, so check the phone you're traveling with.
Pick the plan
Buy for where you're going: a country plan for one destination, or a regional plan that covers several countries on one eSIM. Country or regional eSIM helps you choose, and the region pages group every option: Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania.
Shortly before you leave: install it on Wi-Fi
- Your QR code arrives by email: in the email itself, or one tap away behind its Get your order button. A manual activation code comes with it, so keep the email.
- You need an internet connection to install, because your phone downloads the eSIM, and Wi-Fi is the easiest.
- For most plans, installing doesn't start the days. A few plans start counting when you install them, so install shortly before you leave and you won't lose any days either way.
- Follow the guide for your phone: iPhone or Android.
When you land: switch it on
- Turn on the eSIM's line and data roaming for it, and choose it for mobile data. You don't need Wi-Fi for this: the eSIM joins a local network.
- Turn off data roaming on your home SIM, so your home carrier doesn't charge you for data abroad.
- The first connection can take a few minutes, sometimes up to an hour. If it still won't connect, follow my eSIM shows no signal.
During the trip
Your phone counts the data it uses on your eSIM: reset the count when you land, and set a warning so your phone tells you before the data runs out. See check how much eSIM data you have left.
When the data runs out, mobile data on the eSIM stops, and you're never charged again automatically. You can't add data to the same eSIM: buy a new plan, which comes as a new eSIM with its own QR code.
When you're home
Switch mobile data back to your home SIM. Remove the eSIM only once its data and days are used up, because a deleted eSIM can't always be added back.