Guides · Updated September 2026

Install your eSIM before you fly, switch it on when you land

The five-minute routine that means you walk off the plane already connected: install at home, set up the lines, and flip one switch at arrivals.

The best time to install a travel eSIM is on your sofa the week before, not at the gate. The plan does not start until you connect at the destination, so there is no cost to doing it early, and every problem you could hit is easier to fix at home.

At home, on Wi-Fi

1. Buy the plan. Your order page and email arrive within a minute with the QR code and a one-tap install button.
2. On iPhone, tap Install eSIM on this iPhone from the order page and follow the prompts. On Android, tap the install button, or scan the QR code from another screen. Full steps are in the install guide.
3. Label the new line something obvious like "Philippines data".
4. Keep your home line as the default for calls and texts. Leave Cellular Data on the home line for now, so nothing changes until you travel.
5. Check your order page. It should show the eSIM as installed and not yet activated. That is correct.

On the plane

Nothing to do. You can leave both lines on. The travel eSIM has no coverage at home or in the air, so it cannot connect to anything, and the days do not start.

When you land

1. Turn off Airplane Mode. Wait for the travel line to show signal. It can take a minute the first time as the phone finds the network.
2. Settings, Cellular (or SIMs), and set Cellular Data to the travel line.
3. On the travel line, make sure Data Roaming is on. This is the step people miss. The eSIM is a roaming line by design and needs it.
4. On your home line, turn Data Roaming off so it does not quietly use data at roaming rates.

That is it. Open Maps and confirm it loads. Your order page will now show the plan as active with the days counting.

If it does not connect

Toggle Airplane Mode once more. If there is still no data after a couple of minutes, go through the no-data checklist. Nine times out of ten it is Data Roaming being off on the travel line.

Common questions

Can I install it on the day?

Yes, as long as you have Wi-Fi or data for the download. It takes about a minute. Doing it at home just removes the risk of a slow airport connection.

Should I delete the eSIM after the trip?

Once the plan has expired, yes. It frees a slot for the next one. Keep it until then in case you top up.

I have an eSIM-only iPhone with no home SIM. Does this still work?

Yes. Your home line is also an eSIM, and the two live side by side. The steps are the same.