A SIM you don’t need to insert
A regular SIM card is a chip on a piece of plastic. An eSIM is the same chip, only built into the phone from the start (the “e” is for embedded, “embedded”). The carrier doesn’t hand you a card — it sends a profile — a set of data written to the built-in chip via QR code or with one tap.
For the network there’s no difference: a phone with an eSIM registers with the carrier exactly like one with a plastic card. The difference for you is that there’s nothing to swap or store.
What it looks like in practice
- You choose a plan and pay for it — in our case right in Telegram or in your account on the site.
- You get a QR code and a manual code in return; on many phones the profile installs with one tap right from the app, no scanning.
- The phone downloads the profile and adds a second line. Your main SIM stays in place: calls, SMS and bank codes go to it.
- In the destination country you switch on the new line — and data goes through it, at a local price instead of roaming.
What you need to use it
A phone with eSIM support. That’s almost every flagship after 2018: iPhone from XS, Pixel from 3, Samsung from S20 and most recent Xiaomi, Huawei and Honor. One exception people trip over most: iPhones bought in mainland China ship without eSIM. The quick check is to dial *#06# and look for the EID line; more on the compatibility page.
And internet at the moment of installation: the profile downloads from a server. So it’s best to install the eSIM at home, before the flight — and switch it on abroad.
Why eSIM beats plastic abroad
No need to find a counter at the airport, show a passport or explain yourself in a foreign language. Bought at home — you’re online before leaving the arrivals hall.
A plastic tourist SIM goes in instead of your own — and bank codes stop arriving. An eSIM works as a second line.
Plastic falls out of the tray, gets left in the hotel, gets scratched. The eSIM profile lives in the phone, with a copy at the carrier.
Bought 10 GB for 30 days — spend it whenever you like. Not using it — nothing burns or gets charged overnight.
What an eSIM can’t do
Move the profile to another phone: it’s tied to the device it was installed on. Recover after deletion: the QR is single-use, so don’t delete the profile — data tops up on the same one. And work without support in the phone itself: if there’s no EID line, no setting will add it.
Everything else is like a regular SIM. A detailed comparison with plastic, including the cases where plastic is still handier, is on the page «eSIM or SIM card».