In short: An eSIM is a digital SIM card already built into your phone by the manufacturer. Instead of inserting a plastic card, you load your plan straight onto the device.

How an eSIM works

An eSIM is a chip built permanently into your smartphone. It sits empty until a provider loads a profile onto it. That profile holds exactly what used to live on the plastic card: your number and the credentials for the network. The only difference is how it gets into the phone. Instead of arriving by mail, it arrives over the internet.

For you that means nothing to insert, no tray to open and no paperclip to hunt for. You set the plan up digitally in the app and you are online within a few minutes.

What makes an eSIM practical

  • Instant: you get the plan the moment you buy it, with no wait for the mail.
  • Several profiles: you can keep several eSIMs on one device and switch between them, for example a personal and a work plan.
  • Nothing to lose: there is no card to fall out of a pocket or snap in half.
  • Good for travel: you set a travel plan up at home before you fly, rather than looking for a kiosk at the airport.

What you need

Two things. First, a phone that supports eSIM. Look in your mobile or cellular settings for “Add eSIM” or “Add phone plan”. Most phones from the last few years have it. Second, the device must not be locked to a particular provider, because a carrier-locked phone rejects another provider’s eSIM even when it supports the technology. Your current operator has to remove the lock first.

You also need an internet connection during setup so the profile can be fetched. Wi-Fi is perfectly fine.

Setting up with Simsalasim

  1. Buy the plan in the app.
  2. The app opens your phone’s own eSIM setup and the profile is fetched.
  3. The Activation Wizard walks you through the remaining settings. Other eSIMs on the device are left untouched.
  4. If setup is interrupted, you carry on from the same point the next time you open the app. Nothing is lost and nothing is charged twice.

With Simsalasim you get your whole plan as an eSIM: unlimited data in 100 countries and unlimited Talk+Text to 50 countries, for 10 € a month. There is no plastic card as an alternative.