Travel eSIMs: how they work and how to choose one

Roaming charges used to be the tax on every trip abroad, and the fix — a local SIM card bought at the airport — meant queues, passport photocopies and a tiny plastic card to lose. A travel eSIM does the same job digitally: you buy a data plan online, install it on your phone as a second line, and it connects when you land.

Check your phone first

An eSIM only works on a phone that supports eSIM and is not locked to your home carrier. Most recent iPhones, Google Pixels and Samsung Galaxy flagships support it, but not every model sold in every country does, so check your phone's settings or your carrier before you buy anything. A locked phone will install the plan and then refuse to use it.

How it works in practice

• Buy the plan for your destination country, a region, or a global plan.
• Install it by scanning a QR code or through the provider's app, ideally at home on Wi‑Fi.
• Keep your normal SIM switched on for calls and texts if you want, and set the eSIM as the line for mobile data.
• Turn on data roaming for the eSIM line only — that is what lets it connect abroad.

Data-only, usually

Most travel eSIMs are data-only. You keep reaching people through messaging apps, and your home number stays on your physical SIM. If you need a local number for calls, look specifically for a plan that includes one.

The services we link to

Airalo sells eSIMs for iPhone, iPad and Android devices in more than 200 destinations, with country, regional and global plans. It is the broadest single catalogue here and a sensible default for a one-country trip.

Yesim covers 170+ countries and offers both fixed and unlimited data plans, which suits longer trips where you would rather not watch a meter.

Saily is an eSIM service from the team behind NordVPN, with plans for hundreds of countries, an unlimited global plan and optional phone numbers.

GigSky offers international eSIM data and, unusually, combined cruise-and-land plans — useful if part of your trip is at sea, where normal mobile networks do not reach.

Drimsim is different from the others: a physical SIM card for travel, with coverage in 197 countries and no monthly fee. It is the option for a phone that does not support eSIM at all.

Which to choose

For a single country, compare the country plan across two providers and pick the one whose data allowance matches your trip, not the largest. For a multi-country trip in one region, a regional plan is usually simpler than stacking country plans. For long trips or heavy use, unlimited plans remove the guesswork. And if your phone cannot take an eSIM, a travel SIM card is the fallback.