Install your travel eSIM

Five minutes, done on Wi-Fi, ideally before you leave home.

Before you start

  • You’ve received an order confirmation email with a QR code. (If not, check spam, then message us.)
  • Your phone is connected to Wi-Fi.
  • You’re at home, on the couch, with a cup of something. Don’t do this at the airport — the QR is hard to scan on a tiny phone screen and free Wi-Fi at airports can be slow.

iPhone (iOS 17 and later)

  1. Open the order confirmation email on a second device — a laptop, an iPad, or a partner’s phone. You’ll need to point your iPhone’s camera at the QR code on that screen.
  2. On your iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data → Add eSIM → Use QR Code.
  3. Hold the iPhone up to the QR. It’ll detect it within a second.
  4. Tap Continue. The eSIM downloads in about 20 seconds.
  5. When prompted to name the plan, call it something obvious like “Japan trip” or “SimKit Europe.”
  6. Important: when iPhone asks which line to use for data, leave it set to your home SIM for now. You’ll switch it after you land.
  7. Done. The eSIM sits dormant until your phone connects to a network in your destination country.

Android (Pixel, Samsung, etc.)

  1. Open the QR code on a second device.
  2. On Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add eSIM (the wording varies slightly by brand).
  3. Tap Scan QR code and point the camera at the QR.
  4. Confirm the download. Takes 20–60 seconds.
  5. Label the eSIM clearly. “Thailand trip” works.
  6. Leave your home SIM as the default data line until you land in your destination.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Don’t enable the eSIM for data before you leave. If you do, the data plan tries to activate and won’t find the right network — it just sits on “No Service” at home.
  • Don’t delete the QR email. If you ever uninstall the eSIM, you’ll need that QR to add it back. Star it in your inbox.
  • Don’t scan the QR with your camera app. It needs to be scanned from inside Settings → Add eSIM. The camera app won’t install it.

What happens next

You’re done with the install. The eSIM profile is on your phone, but the data plan hasn’t started. That happens automatically the first time your phone connects to a mobile network in your destination country — usually when you turn airplane mode off after landing.

Next step: activating it when you land →

Next: activating on arrival