Frequently Asked Questions

An eSIM is a digital version of the physical SIM card you usually slide into your phone. Instead of swapping plastic cards, you just download a digital profile via a QR code to get mobile data.

Yes. Rather than reading through general advice, we can check your eSIM and work through it with you one step at a time.

Start the step by step walkthrough

It asks a few short questions, looks at the current state of your eSIM as it goes, and shows you exactly where to tap on your own phone. You do not need to know anything technical. Most problems come down to a single setting and are fixed within two or three steps.

If we cannot fix it, the walkthrough hands everything you already tried straight to our support team, so you will not be asked to repeat yourself. You can also come back later and review, or change, any answer you gave.

Bought without creating an account? Open the email from us titled Your eSIM is ready and tap the link to your eSIM. The walkthrough is on that page under Fix it step by step, and that link works without signing in.

Most modern smartphones (like iPhone XS or newer, and Samsung Galaxy S20 or newer) are compatible. However, two things are essential:

• Your phone must be eSIM-compatible.
• Your phone must be network-unlocked (not tied to a specific mobile network).

Not sure? Take a quick look at our device compatibility checker before you buy.

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Once you buy a plan, we'll email you a QR code. Just go to your phone's settings, select "Mobile Data" or "Cellular," and choose "Add eSIM." Scan the code, and you're ready to go!

Rather be walked through it? Our step by step check looks at your own eSIM as it goes and fixes most problems in two or three steps. Start the walkthrough. If you bought without an account, open the link in your eSIM email and choose Fix it step by step.

check your device checker now

Almost always because your phone is doing things in the background you did not ask it to. Photo and video backup is the usual culprit: with iCloud or Google Photos set to upload over mobile data, every holiday photo and clip goes straight up, and video eats data fast - an hour of HD video can use over 1 GB. App updates, email and cloud sync, and social feeds that auto-play video all add up quietly too.

On a trip you also simply use more than at home: maps all day, translation, uploading photos, streaming in the evening.

See exactly where you stand. Usage is live on your eSIM page: sign in to My eSIM, or if you bought without an account, open the email from us titled Your eSIM is ready and tap the link to your eSIM. Both show data used and remaining.

On a daily plan? Once you pass the daily allowance, speed drops to a reduced rate for the rest of the day and resets the next morning. That can feel like data vanishing, but it is the plan working as designed. How the fair use policy works.

To stop the drain, see My connection feels slow below for the settings worth changing. For your next trip, our data calculator gives an honest estimate of what you will need.

Try these in order; most slow connections are fixed by the first two.

• Toggle Airplane Mode on and off. It forces your phone to reconnect to the strongest local network.
• Check which line is doing the work. In your phone's mobile data settings, make sure your idealesim eSIM is the line selected for mobile data and that data roaming is switched on for it.
• Pick the network manually. Where a plan works on more than one local operator, your phone may have latched onto the weaker one. In network settings, turn off automatic selection and choose another.
• Move. Deep inside buildings, in dense crowds and in packed transport, speeds drop for everyone. A few metres towards a window often helps.
• On a daily plan, check your allowance. Past the daily limit, speed is reduced until the next day - see the fair use policy. A plan that has run out entirely stops rather than slows; check your remaining data on your eSIM page.
• Restart the phone. Unglamorous, and it works more often than it should.

Make your data go further so the plan lasts the trip: set photo backup to Wi-Fi only, turn off background app refresh and automatic app updates, lower video quality in streaming apps, download maps and playlists before you fly, and save big downloads for hotel Wi-Fi.

Still stuck? Start the step by step walkthrough. It looks at the current state of your eSIM and shows you exactly where to tap on your own phone.

Our eSIMs are data-only. This means you won't get a new phone number. However, you can still use apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger, or Skype to make calls and send messages using your data.

Your plan's duration (e.g., 7 days) typically begins the moment your eSIM connects to a local network at your destination. You can install it at home before you fly so it's ready the moment you land.

Yes! You can share your data with other devices (like a laptop or a friend's phone) just as you would with your normal SIM.

Our unlimited plans give you a set amount of high-speed data each day (usually 1 GB or 2 GB, depending on the plan you pick). Once you've used that day's allowance, your connection doesn't stop — it just slows down to between 256Kbps to 1 Mbps (depending on the network you are connected to) for the rest of the day. That's still enough for WhatsApp messages, emails, maps, and light browsing, just not HD streaming or big downloads.

Your high-speed allowance resets every 24 hours, so the following day you're back at full speed. This is called a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) and it's what lets us keep prices low while preventing a small number of users from hogging the network.

Each plan's exact daily allowance and throttled speed is shown on its details page — look for the "Fair Usage" line.

Regional and Global plans work across multiple countries. Single-country plans only work in the specified destination — so double-check the coverage before you buy.

Log in to your account and view your eSIM dashboard. Usage is updated in real time, so you always know exactly where you stand.

Your internet will stop working, but don't worry — you won't be charged extra. You can simply log back into your account (see My eSIM) and "top up" your existing eSIM, or buy a new plan.

Contact Support to request a refund.

We can offer a refund if you haven't scanned the QR code or activated the eSIM yet. Once the eSIM is installed or used, we generally cannot offer a refund unless there's a technical fault we can't fix. See our full Refund Policy for the details.

Most issues are solved by two simple steps:

• Make sure Data Roaming is turned ON for the eSIM in your phone settings.
• Restart your phone.

If that doesn't work, our support team is only a message away — we'll help you get back online.

Rather be walked through it? Our step by step check looks at your own eSIM as it goes and fixes most problems in two or three steps. Start the walkthrough. If you bought without an account, open the link in your eSIM email and choose Fix it step by step.

Our plans are designed for personal travel use — browsing, maps, streaming, video calls, social media. A few common-sense limits apply:

• Fair Usage Policy (FUP): Unlimited plans have a daily high-speed cap. Once you hit it, speed drops to around 256Kbps to 1 Mbps (depending on the network you are connected to) until the next daily reset. See your plan's details for the exact figure.
• Hotspot / tethering is allowed and uses the same data pool — so if you share your connection with a laptop, it counts toward your daily allowance.
• No commercial reselling. Our plans are for individual travellers, not for reselling or redistributing to others.
• Streaming quality may be reduced on throttled speed — HD video usually needs the full-speed portion of the day.
• VoIP calls (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom) work on throttled speed but may sound choppy during busy moments.

If you ever run into trouble or think your plan isn't behaving as described, get in touch — we'll investigate.

Try these in order; most slow connections are fixed by the first two.

• Toggle Airplane Mode on and off. It forces your phone to reconnect to the strongest local network.
• Check which line is doing the work. In your phone's mobile data settings, make sure your idealesim eSIM is the line selected for mobile data and that data roaming is switched on for it.
• Pick the network manually. Where a plan works on more than one local operator, your phone may have latched onto the weaker one. In network settings, turn off automatic selection and choose another.
• Move. Deep inside buildings, in dense crowds and in packed transport, speeds drop for everyone. A few metres towards a window often helps.
• On a daily plan, check your allowance. Past the daily limit, speed is reduced until the next day - see the fair use policy. A plan that has run out entirely stops rather than slows; check your remaining data on your eSIM page.
• Restart the phone. Unglamorous, and it works more often than it should.

Make your data go further so the plan lasts the trip: set photo backup to Wi-Fi only, turn off background app refresh and automatic app updates, lower video quality in streaming apps, download maps and playlists before you fly, and save big downloads for hotel Wi-Fi.

Still stuck? Start the step by step walkthrough. It looks at the current state of your eSIM and shows you exactly where to tap on your own phone.

Yes. Rather than reading through general advice, we can check your eSIM and work through it with you one step at a time.

Start the step by step walkthrough

It asks a few short questions, looks at the current state of your eSIM as it goes, and shows you exactly where to tap on your own phone. You do not need to know anything technical. Most problems come down to a single setting and are fixed within two or three steps.

If we cannot fix it, the walkthrough hands everything you already tried straight to our support team, so you will not be asked to repeat yourself. You can also come back later and review, or change, any answer you gave.

Bought without creating an account? Open the email from us titled Your eSIM is ready and tap the link to your eSIM. The walkthrough is on that page under Fix it step by step, and that link works without signing in.

• Make sure you have selected the newly purchased eSIM as your Cellular Data (Setting -> Cellular -> Cellular Data -> Select eSIM) and it is “On”
• Toggle “On” Data Roaming, on the new eSIM.
  Look for network connectivity bars.
  a. If there are bars, you have connected to a tower.
  b. If there is a “No Signal” showing you have not yet connected to a tower.
• In case you have no signal, restart your device, so you have a fresh network connection.
  If you have a signal, but no data, you can try to manually select the data network.

Rather be walked through it? Our step by step check looks at your own eSIM as it goes and fixes most problems in two or three steps. Start the walkthrough. If you bought without an account, open the link in your eSIM email and choose Fix it step by step.

Rather be walked through it? Our step by step check looks at your own eSIM as it goes and fixes most problems in two or three steps. Start the walkthrough. If you bought without an account, open the link in your eSIM email and choose Fix it step by step.

If you can not install your eSIM:

• Make sure your device is unlocked. eSIMs do not operate on any locked device and contracted devices. Please contact your mobile phone provider (e.g. O2, Orange, EE, Vodafone) for more information of unlocking your device.
• Make sure your device supports esim
• Make sure your device has a strong data connection. eSIM profiles are downloaded and must traverse a strong data network.
• Make sure your device is not behind a firewall.
• Make sure your QR code has not previously been been scanned by another device.

Rather be walked through it? Our step by step check looks at your own eSIM as it goes and fixes most problems in two or three steps. Start the walkthrough. If you bought without an account, open the link in your eSIM email and choose Fix it step by step.

Check my device

Most issues are solved by two simple steps:

• Make sure Data Roaming is turned ON for the eSIM in your phone settings.
• Restart your phone.

If that doesn't work, our support team is only a message away — we'll help you get back online.

Rather be walked through it? Our step by step check looks at your own eSIM as it goes and fixes most problems in two or three steps. Start the walkthrough. If you bought without an account, open the link in your eSIM email and choose Fix it step by step.

While network coverage in most modern towns and cities is generally reliable, there are areas around the world where networks are weaker or more erratic due to various factors such as remote locations, terrain, or network congestion. Some rural or mountainous regions, as well as underground areas like subways or basements, may experience weaker network signals. Additionally, during peak tourist seasons, popular destinations may face network congestion leading to slower connections.

To mitigate potential connectivity issues in such areas, customers can consider:

1. Using a multi-network eSIM: eSIMs that support multiple networks can automatically switch to the strongest available signal, enhancing connectivity.
2. Purchasing local SIM cards: Buying a local SIM card in specific regions may provide better coverage and network reliability.
3. Offline navigation apps: Downloading offline maps and using offline navigation apps can help navigate areas with poor network coverage.

Customers can reach out to our customer support team for tailored recommendations based on their travel destinations to ensure a smooth and reliable connectivity experience.

check your device checker now

Our plans are designed for personal travel use — browsing, maps, streaming, video calls, social media. A few common-sense limits apply:

• Fair Usage Policy (FUP): Unlimited plans have a daily high-speed cap. Once you hit it, speed drops to around 256Kbps to 1 Mbps (depending on the network you are connected to) until the next daily reset. See your plan's details for the exact figure.
• Hotspot / tethering is allowed and uses the same data pool — so if you share your connection with a laptop, it counts toward your daily allowance.
• No commercial reselling. Our plans are for individual travellers, not for reselling or redistributing to others.
• Streaming quality may be reduced on throttled speed — HD video usually needs the full-speed portion of the day.
• VoIP calls (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom) work on throttled speed but may sound choppy during busy moments.

If you ever run into trouble or think your plan isn't behaving as described, get in touch — we'll investigate.