esimple
Getting Started

Pre-trip checklist

Install at home over wifi, photograph the QR, save activation details, turn home-SIM roaming off.

Pre-Trip Checklist

The smoothest arrival is the one you set up before you leave. Five minutes at home on wifi saves you twenty minutes of airport stress. Here's the short list.

Before you fly

  1. Buy your plan early. Validity doesn't start until you connect at your destination, so there's no rush penalty for buying days in advance. See When does my plan start?
  2. Install the eSIM at home over wifi. Open the activation email on the phone you'll travel with and follow the install steps for iPhone or Android. Installing while connected to your home wifi is fast and avoids fighting flaky airport networks.
  3. Photograph or screenshot the QR code. Save it in your camera roll as a backup. If the install fails or the eSIM gets deleted by accident later, you can re-scan from the saved image.
  4. Note the SM-DP+ address and activation code. These two strings appear in the activation email. If the QR won't scan, you can install manually by typing them in. Copy them somewhere you can find offline — a note app or a saved email.
  5. Turn data roaming OFF on your home SIM. This is the one most travellers forget. If you leave roaming on, your home SIM can rack up charges the moment your phone connects abroad. Settings → Cellular → tap your home plan → Data Roaming off.
  6. Set up dual-SIM behaviour the way you want it. Decide whether your home SIM stays on for calls/SMS while the esimple eSIM handles data, or whether you're switching the home SIM off entirely. See Dual-SIM setup.

At the airport (before takeoff)

  • Confirm both SIMs are visible and labelled clearly in your phone's settings.
  • Make sure the esimple eSIM is installed but not yet selected as your data plan — that prevents accidental activation while you're still on home soil.
  • Keep airplane mode ready to toggle. That's your first move on landing.

When you land

  1. Take the phone off airplane mode (or keep it on and turn wifi off).
  2. On iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data → pick the esimple plan.
  3. On Android: SIM card manager → Mobile data → pick the esimple SIM.
  4. Wait 1–3 minutes for the network to register.
  5. Test by loading a webpage.

Things worth packing alongside

  • A power bank. The first day on a new network burns battery faster than usual.
  • Offline maps of the city. Useful if data takes longer than expected.
  • The order reference from your activation email, saved somewhere offline.

If anything's unclear before you fly, email support@esimple.ai with your itinerary. We'd rather sort it out before takeoff than during your trip.

Pre-trip checklist · esimple