An eSIM card is a digital SIM already built into your phone. Buy a travel plan, scan a QR code and you have data abroad — no shop, no SIM tray, no roaming bill.
Written by the JamboSim eSIM support team
An eSIM card (embedded SIM) is a small chip soldered into your phone that does exactly what a plastic SIM card does — it identifies you on a mobile network. Instead of swapping plastic, you download a profile onto the chip. For travel that means you can buy an e sim card for international travel at home, install it in about a minute, and land abroad already online.
You keep your home number active on your normal line, and use the eSIM card only for data at your destination.
Every iPhone from XS/XR onwards and most modern Android flagships have an eSIM card built in.
You need a Wi-Fi connection and an unlocked phone to install the eSIM profile.
Installing is not the same as activating — validity starts when the eSIM connects to a network at your destination.
One phone can store several eSIM profiles, so a global eSIM card and a regional plan can live side by side.
eSIM plans from JamboSim are data-only: calls and texts keep running over WhatsApp, FaceTime or Wi-Fi Calling.
Your phone contains a rewritable chip called an eUICC. When you buy an eSIM plan, the operator generates a profile — the same credentials that would otherwise be printed onto a plastic SIM — and delivers it as a QR code or activation link. Your phone downloads that profile straight onto the chip.
From that moment your phone has two identities: your home line and the travel eSIM. You choose which line handles mobile data, so you can switch to your eSIM card the second you land and back again when you get home.
Because there is nothing physical to ship, an international eSIM is instant. No queue at the airport kiosk, no paperclip, no lost SIM card at the bottom of your bag.
Same technology, very different travel experience.
Physical SIM card: Shop, kiosk or postal delivery — eSIM card: Emailed instantly after checkout
Physical SIM card: Queue, paperwork, SIM swap — eSIM card: Scan a QR code, about 60 seconds
Physical SIM card: Removed while you travel — eSIM card: Stays active alongside the eSIM
Physical SIM card: New SIM per country — eSIM card: Regional and global plans on one profile
Physical SIM card: Easy to lose or damage — eSIM card: Nothing to lose — it lives in the phone
Physical SIM card: Vouchers or local app — eSIM card: Top up in your account, no new SIM
Install at home on Wi-Fi, activate when you land.
Look up your model on our compatible devices list. Your phone also has to be carrier-unlocked.
Pick a country, region or global eSIM card and pay. Your QR code arrives by email within seconds.
On Wi-Fi, open Settings → Mobile/Cellular → Add eSIM and scan the QR code. Label the line something like 'JamboSim'.
Switch mobile data to the eSIM line, enable data roaming for that line, and you are online. That is when your validity starts.
In Europe a single eSIM card can cover dozens of countries. Our Europe plans roam across the EU plus popular non-EU destinations, so an eSIM card for Europe keeps working when you take the train from Amsterdam to Paris or fly on to Lisbon.
The eSIM connects to local partner networks, exactly like a local SIM would — you simply do not have to buy a new one at every border.
One eSIM card europe plan covers multi-country trips and interrail routes.
4G/LTE and 5G where the local partner network supports it.
Hotspot/tethering is enabled on most plans, so a laptop or tablet can share the connection.
No roaming surcharges: you pay the plan price upfront, nothing after.
Travelling further or hopping between continents? A global eSIM card covers 100+ countries with one profile, so you never think about connectivity again. If your trip stays in one region, a regional or single-country plan is usually cheaper per gigabyte.
Not sure how much data you need? Our data usage calculator turns maps, streaming and social media into a realistic gigabyte estimate.
It is a SIM card that is already inside your phone. Instead of inserting plastic, you download a profile onto the built-in chip. The network sees it as a normal SIM.
No. The eSIM works on its own for data. Most travellers keep their normal SIM or line in the phone too, so calls and SMS to their home number still arrive.
It works in every country covered by the plan you buy. Check the coverage list on the plan page — country plans cover one destination, regional plans cover a group, and global plans cover 100+ countries.
Install the profile on Wi-Fi before you fly, then switch mobile data to the eSIM line once you land and turn on data roaming for that line. Validity starts at that first connection, not at purchase.
A Europe eSIM plan roams across the partner networks of many European countries on one profile, so the same eSIM keeps working as you cross borders — without extra roaming charges.
A profile can only be installed on one device at a time. If you switch phones, contact support and we can help you reissue the eSIM.
JamboSim eSIMs are data-only. You still call and message over WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram or Wi-Fi Calling on your home number.
Your connection stops but the eSIM stays installed. You can top up the same eSIM in your account in a few taps — no new QR code needed.