Help with your travel eSIM and phone abroad

Most travel eSIM questions land at one of four moments: the week before you fly, the install, the first hour abroad and the trip home. Below are short answers to the common ones; when a question needs a step-by-step guide, the link takes you to the right page.

Help topics

How to install an eSIM Step by step on iPhone and Android. › Move an eSIM to a new phone Transfer your eSIM to a new phone, or remove one you no longer need. › What is data roaming? What data roaming means and when to have it on or off. › Turn data roaming on or off The steps on iPhone and Samsung. › Keep your UK number Calls, WhatsApp and bank texts on your UK line while the eSIM carries the data. › eSIM or data not working abroad What to check, in order, when you have no signal. › Before you travel A short checklist for the days before you fly. › Buying an eSIM for someone else For a partner, a child or a parent: one QR code per traveller. › Check your data usage How much data is left on your eSIM. › Share data from your eSIM Using your phone as a hotspot for another device. › How to pay Card payment in pounds, paying a seller registered abroad and your bank’s rules. › Find my order Lost the email with the QR code? Get it again with the email address you used to buy. › Refund policy When and how you get your money back. › Cancel an order Ask to cancel an order and get a refund under our refund policy. › Contact us Write to support by email or WhatsApp. ›

In detail

In short

Most travel eSIM questions land at one of four moments: the week before you fly, the install, the first hour abroad and the trip home. The pages below follow that order and cover installing, transferring, data roaming, keeping your UK number and fixing no signal. Start at the heading that matches where you are.

Each line names the problem the way people describe it, then points to the page that answers it, or answers it in place. The help topics above list every help page that is live today. This text tells you which one to open first.

Before you travel

Most of the work happens at home on Wi-Fi, and the install needs a connection anyway. Check what your own network charges abroad, check that your phone takes an eSIM, and decide which number people will ring.

Setting up

Install the eSIM before you leave, on Wi-Fi, while you can still reach us if the QR code will not scan.

  • “How do I install it on iPhone or Android?” Follow How to install a travel eSIM.
  • “I’ve got a new phone.” Transfer an eSIM to a new phone covers iPhone, Android and the move between them. A travel eSIM is different: write to us before you delete anything.
  • “Where is the data roaming switch?” On an iPhone and a Pixel you set it for each line; Samsung’s UK guide shows one switch for a Galaxy, with no per-line step. The menus are in Data roaming settings.

Abroad

If something is wrong the moment you land, run the checks in order before you change anything else.

  • “The eSIM is in, but there’s no signal or no data.” Run the five checks in eSIM not working abroad.
  • “How much data have I got left?” See Check your data usage.
  • “Can I share my data with a laptop or a friend’s phone?” Whether you can share data depends on the plan; check your plan’s details or message us on WhatsApp.

After your trip

Put roaming and the data line back to your usual settings: Data roaming settings has the switches. Then decide what to do with the travel eSIM. Transfer an eSIM to a new phone explains the difference between turning a line off and deleting the profile. Turning it off keeps the profile on the phone.

Still stuck?

For eSIM help from a person, message us on WhatsApp. It works over hotel Wi-Fi when you have no mobile signal, which is when you will most need it. You can also write to support@esimworld.co.uk. We have no phone line, so there is no number to ring.

To get your QR code or order details again, use Find your order. Payment questions are answered on How to pay.

Before you buy

Will I get a phone number at my destination?

On most plans, no: the eSIM is data only. Calling apps are subject to the rules of the country you are in. For 3 destinations in the catalogue there are also plans with minutes and SMS, and the country page shows which ones.

Will my UK SIM keep working?

It stays in your phone. The eSIM is added as a second line: data goes through it, and your UK number stays on the phone for calls and texts. To avoid roaming charges from your UK network: on an iPhone, each line has its own Data Roaming switch; turn it off on the UK line and on for the travel eSIM. On Android it depends on the brand: if there is one switch for all SIMs, leave it on and choose the eSIM as the line for mobile data. Whether texts, including bank security codes, reach your UK number abroad, and what they cost, depends on your network’s roaming terms.

Does my phone support eSIM?

Most recent models do, but not all, and some phones locked to an operator reject the profile. Check yours in the list of eSIM-compatible phones before you buy.

How far in advance should I buy?

You can buy and install it at home before you travel. For 199 of the 202 destinations in the catalogue, the plan starts counting only with the first connection to a network at the destination. The installation deadline and the rule for your destination are on the country page.

Do WhatsApp and Instagram work?

They work as on any mobile data connection, because the eSIM is a data connection. The exception is services that the country itself blocks.

Order and payment

How do I pay?

By debit or credit card, or Apple Pay or Google Pay if Stripe shows them on your device, in pounds sterling (exactly the price shown), on Stripe’s secure payment page. It appears on your statement as JET SHARING. The details are on the how to pay page.

What currency am I charged in?

Pay by card in pounds: you are charged in GBP, exactly the amount shown. The seller is registered in the United States, so your bank may apply its own rules to a payment to a seller abroad. Online payments must be enabled on your card.

The QR code didn't arrive. What should I do?

Check the spam and promotions folders of the email address you gave with the order. If it isn’t there, use Find my order or write to support@esimworld.co.uk from the email address you used to buy.

Installation and activation

I installed the eSIM at home. Has the plan started?

Installing and activating are different steps. For 199 of the 202 destinations in the catalogue, the days start counting with the first connection to a network on the trip. The rule for your destination is on the country page.

How do I install the eSIM?

Scan the QR code from the email with your phone, ideally at home on Wi-Fi. The steps are in the installation guide, with a section for Android.

Can I use the same eSIM on two phones?

No. The profile stays on the phone where you installed it. To get online on another device, buy another plan; ask us before you rely on sharing the connection from your phone.

During the trip

How do I see how much data I have left?

Your phone shows an estimate for the eSIM line: on an iPhone, in Settings → Mobile (on some iPhones: Mobile Data), under the Mobile Data heading; on a Samsung, Settings → Connections → Data usage; on a Pixel, Settings → Network and Internet → Internet. The order page, linked in your email, can also show the balance.

My data ran out before the end of the trip. What now?

Buy a new plan for the rest of the trip on the destination page; it comes with its own QR code by email.

Refunds

Can I get a refund or change the destination?

A full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM hasn’t connected to a network; the full conditions are in the refund policy. To ask for a cancellation, use the cancellation form or write to support@esimworld.co.uk from the email address you used to buy.

The profile didn't work. What should I do?

Write to support@esimworld.co.uk and tell us what your phone showed.

Didn’t find your question?

Write to support@esimworld.co.uk or see the contact page. If your question is about a destination, the country page shows networks, plans and prices: start with the list of countries.