What Is an eSIM Card and How Does It Work? Travel Guide 2026

A friend tells you to "just get an eSIM". You open the settings and see "Add eSIM". Or your new phone has no tray at all. Is it a card you have to order, and does it cost money every month? Will your home number still get texts, and what if you delete it by mistake? Below are plain answers, a quick phone check, prices for six popular countries and the steps to get one before you fly.

In this article

• What is an eSIM? The meaning of eSIM and the "eSIM card"
• How does an eSIM work?
• Does my phone have an eSIM?
  • What is an eSIM on iPhone?
  • What is an eSIM on Android? Pixel and Samsung
• Why would I want an eSIM? Benefits for travel
• What is the downside of an eSIM?
• How much is an eSIM? Prices for a trip
• Does an eSIM have a phone number? Data-only eSIMs explained
• How to get an eSIM for a trip
• What happens if you delete an eSIM? Keep eSIM vs Delete eSIM

What is an eSIM? The meaning of eSIM and the "eSIM card"

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. Apple describes it as a way to turn on a mobile plan from your carrier without a physical SIM card.

eSIM stands for embedded SIM: the chip sits inside the phone, and your plan lands on it as a download, a "carrier profile" in the words of the Android Open Source Project.

You may see it called an eSIM card, a virtual SIM or a digital SIM. Same thing, and there's no card to hold. The eSIM is a phone line, not storage, so your photos and apps stay on the phone itself.

How does an eSIM work?

An eSIM works like this: you get a plan from your carrier or a travel eSIM provider and scan its QR code, tap a link or use the provider's app. The phone then downloads the plan from the provider's server and keeps it.

One phone can store several plans. Apple says an iPhone can manage "eight or more" eSIMs.

Data still runs over one line. Apple says so for the iPhone, and Google says the same for Pixel phones.

Installing and using are separate steps. You install a plan once, then switch it on as your data line when you need it.

Does my phone have an eSIM?

Most phones from the last few years have an eSIM: the iPhone XS and XR or later, the Pixel 3a or later and the Samsung Galaxy S20 or later. For a Galaxy bought abroad, Samsung says support depends on the country the phone comes from, even for listed models.

If your new phone has no SIM tray, that's not a mistake: some phones take nothing but an eSIM. Apple and Google list them:

• iPhone 14 and later bought in the US
• iPhone 17e, 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max models without a SIM tray
• Pixel 10 and later in the US, except the Pixel 10 Pro Fold

Your phone also needs to be unlocked. On an iPhone, open Settings > General > About: if "No SIM Restrictions" appears next to Carrier Lock, you're fine.

What is an eSIM on iPhone?

That "Add eSIM" line you spotted in the settings is where a new plan goes in. On an iPhone, it sits under Settings > Cellular, as "Add eSIM" or "Add Cellular Plan". iPhone 13 and later run two eSIMs at the same time. The full steps are in how to install an eSIM on iPhone.

What is an eSIM on Android? Pixel and Samsung

On Android, Pixel 7 and later run two eSIMs at once with some carriers. Here's where you add one:

• Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM > Set up an eSIM, says Google's Pixel help
• Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM
• Other Android phones: the menu names differ by maker

For the steps on each, see how to install an eSIM on Android.

Why would I want an eSIM? Benefits for travel

The main reason to want an eSIM for travel: you buy and install a data plan before you leave, with no shop and no card in the mail.

Pros

• Home number and travel data on one phone
• A thief can't pull it out of the phone
• Plans for over 190 countries from worldwide providers
• No passport check at a local SIM counter

Apple notes that local carriers abroad may ask for your passport before they sell you a SIM.

What is the downside of an eSIM?

The downside of an eSIM is that it needs a phone that supports eSIM and is unlocked. Most travel eSIMs also need Wi-Fi to install and give you data only, with no local number. Moving one to a new phone takes a few steps. A plastic card just swaps over.

Local SIMs and roaming are compared in eSIM vs physical SIM for travel.

How much is an eSIM? Prices for a trip

You pay for the data plan, not for the eSIM: 10 GB for 30 days runs from $3.99 in the UK and Italy to $13.99 in Mexico across six popular destinations.

Prices checked on October 11, 2026.

The lowest-price column means exactly that: on October 11, no eSIM in our whole catalogue asked less for 10 GB over 30 days in these six countries. My recommendation for a first eSIM is the lowest price for your country, because in five of the six it gets you 10 GB for a month for under $7.

A tip for other countries and plan sizes: compare travel eSIM plans on eSIM Spotter. Plans from dozens of sellers are listed side by side, sorted by price and updated daily, so the lowest price for your trip takes a minute to find.

Outside Mexico and Canada, AT&T and Verizon charge $12 a day for their travel passes, so a week of roaming comes to $84.

If you don't know how much data you need, start with how much data Google Maps uses.

Does an eSIM have a phone number? Data-only eSIMs explained

Most travel eSIMs are data only, with no phone number of their own, and your home number stays on your home line, as Airalo explains. Calls and texts then go through apps like WhatsApp. On an iPhone, Apple adds, iMessage and FaceTime keep working on the home line even when you use only the travel eSIM.

Keep the home line on, so texts from your bank still reach you.

Turn off data roaming on that line, as Airalo advises. Calls and texts on it can still be billed as roaming, and with Verizon's TravelPass, even one call you make or answer abroad counts as a paid day.

Need a number abroad? Some travel eSIMs include one. Airalo's UK plan with 10 GB, 100 minutes of local calls and 100 texts costs $23.50 for 30 days.

How to get an eSIM for a trip

You get an eSIM from your carrier, which moves your own line onto it, or from a travel eSIM provider, which sells a separate data plan for the trip. For travel, you want the second:

1. Check that your phone has an eSIM and is unlocked.
2. Pick a plan for your country, your data and your days.
3. Install it a day or two before the flight. I install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi the day before I fly, and Airalo advises installing "as early as possible, whenever you have a stable internet connection".
4. Read the plan's validity policy. At Airalo, most plans start when they connect to a network in the destination, and some start as soon as you install them.
5. When you arrive, turn on the eSIM line and choose it for mobile data.

What happens if you delete an eSIM? Keep eSIM vs Delete eSIM

Deleting an eSIM removes the plan from your phone, and you need a new one to get it back. Apple says to contact your carrier for that, and not to erase an eSIM to fix a problem unless the carrier asks.

You're wiping your old iPhone before you sell it, and the screen asks "Keep eSIM" or "Delete eSIM". Apple's guide to erasing an iPhone explains the choice:

• Keep eSIM: the line stays on the phone, for a phone that stays yours.
• Delete eSIM: the line is gone, for a phone you sell, trade in or give away.

A travel eSIM may not come back. Airalo says its eSIMs "typically can't be reinstalled", though its app can check whether a deleted plan can return. Check your provider's help before you delete one.

Turning the line off is the safer choice on a trip, because you can switch it back on later. Airalo notes that the plan's days keep running while the line is off. Here's where the switch is:

• iPhone: Settings > Cellular > SIMs, tap the eSIM, then switch off Turn This Line On
• Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network, tap the SIM, then switch off Use this SIM