GUIDE
Install your eSIM in two minutes
Do it at home on Wi-Fi, not at the airport. Installing early costs you nothing.
On iPhone (iOS 16 and later)
Open Settings → Cellular
On a dual-SIM iPhone, Add eSIM appears under your existing lines.Tap Add eSIM → Use QR Code
If iOS offers 'Transfer from Nearby iPhone', skip it — choose the QR option.Scan the QR from your email
Open the email on another screen and scan it. With only one device, tap 'Enter Details Manually' and paste the LPA string from the email.Label the eSIM
Name it something like 'Japan' rather than leaving 'Cellular Plan' — it makes switching easier later.Keep your home SIM as the Default Line
When iOS asks which line to use for calls and messages, choose your home SIM. Same for iMessage and FaceTime.Set the eSIM as your Mobile Data line
Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data → pick the new eSIM. Also turn off 'Allow Cellular Data Switching' so the phone cannot fall back to your home SIM.
On Android (Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi…)
Menu names differ slightly by brand, but the path is the same.
Settings → Connections / Network & Internet
Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM manager. Pixel: Settings → Network & Internet → SIMs.Choose Add eSIM / Add plan
Some phones phrase it as 'Download a SIM instead?' — that is the one.Scan the QR code
If the camera will not read it, choose 'Enter activation code' and paste the LPA string from the email.Wait for the profile to download
30 seconds to 2 minutes. Do not turn off Wi-Fi or lock the phone mid-download.Set the eSIM as your data SIM
In SIM manager, make the eSIM the mobile data line and keep your home SIM for calls and texts.
When you land
Turn the eSIM on
In your SIM settings, switch the travel eSIM line on.Enable Data Roaming FOR THAT LINE
The most commonly missed step. Travel eSIMs run on partner networks, so roaming must be on or you get nothing.Turn OFF mobile data on your home SIM
This guarantees no roaming charges from your home carrier.Toggle Airplane Mode for 10 seconds
If there is still no signal, this forces a fresh network scan. It fixes it almost every time.
Troubleshooting
Everything is on but still no internet
- Toggle Airplane Mode once.
- Restart the phone — dull advice, but it resolves most cases.
- Select the network manually: Settings → Cellular → Network Selection → turn Automatic off and pick a carrier.
- Check the APN if your email lists a specific one for that plan.
Unusually slow
Check whether the high-speed allowance is used up. A plan showing 'after that 1 Mbps' throttles rather than cutting off. Crowded places — airports, festivals — are slow on every network.
Frequently asked questions
The QR scan says 'Unable to add eSIM'. What now?
Three causes, in order of frequency: (1) no stable Wi-Fi — downloading the profile needs internet; (2) the code was already installed on another device — each code works once; (3) the phone is carrier-locked. Try a different Wi-Fi first, then message us with your order number.
It installed but there is no signal.
That is expected — a travel eSIM only finds a network once you are in that country. At home it will show 'No Service'. Do not delete it; deleting is permanent.
I have arrived but still cannot get online.
Check three things in order: the eSIM is switched ON, it is selected as the Mobile Data line, and Data Roaming is enabled for that line specifically. The third is the one most people miss — travel eSIMs run on partner networks, so roaming must be on.
Should I delete the eSIM after my trip?
Once it has expired, yes, to keep your SIM list tidy. While it is still valid, do not — deleting removes it permanently and the old QR will not reinstall it.
I installed it before flying. Did that waste days?
No. Validity starts only when the eSIM connects to a network at your destination. It cannot connect at home, so no days are used.