Travel eSIM for mobile data abroad
doctorSIM sells travel eSIMs for around 150 destinations: check yours is listed before you buy, and your QR code arrives by email as soon as you pay.
- Install before you fly, connect when you land
- Keep your usual number and your usual line
- 4.2 out of 5 from over 27,000 Trustpilot reviews
Choose your destination
100+ destinations available
A travel eSIM is a digital SIM you install before you leave, so you land with mobile data already working. No card to swap, no airport queue and no roaming bill from your own network.
How your eSIM works
Choose where you're travelling
Search the country you're heading to and pick the data plan that suits your trip.
Get your QR code by email
It arrives as soon as your payment goes through, so you can set everything up at home.
Install now, connect on arrival
Scan the QR from your phone settings and switch the eSIM on once you land.
What is a travel eSIM?
A travel eSIM is a mobile data plan you download onto your phone as a digital SIM profile before you leave home, so you land with data already working. Nothing is posted to you and nothing goes into the SIM tray: you scan a QR code over Wi-Fi, the profile installs alongside the line you already use, and it starts counting the first time it connects to a network at your destination.
A travel eSIM is a data-only line. Your usual number stays active for calls and texts, while browsing, maps, WhatsApp, iMessage and video calls all travel over the eSIM connection.
What doctorSIM does as an eSIM provider
- Check your destination before you pay: the destination directory lists around 150 eSIM destinations one by one, so you can confirm yours is covered before you buy anything.
- Check your handset before you pay: the compatibility checker lists the supported models brand by brand.
- QR code by email straight away: it arrives as soon as the payment clears, with nothing to post, collect or queue for once you arrive.
- Install at home, activate on landing: the profile sits dormant on the phone until it first connects abroad, so the plan is not running while you are still packing.
- Data only, hotspot included, rechargeable: every plan leaves your own number free for calls and texts, shares the connection with a laptop or tablet, and can be topped up from your doctorSIM account without reinstalling anything.
- Rated 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 27,000 reviews (August 2026).
Travel eSIM, local SIM or roaming on your own network?
The real difference is timing. The eSIM is set up before you fly, a local SIM card cannot be bought until after you have landed, and roaming is instant but it is the one option where you find out the total after the trip instead of before it.
| What matters | Travel eSIM | Local SIM card | Roaming on your own network |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it is ready to use | Installed before you fly; live the first time it connects abroad | Only once you have landed and found a shop | Immediately, with nothing to set up |
| Do you keep your number? | Yes, it runs alongside your usual line | No, you get a local number instead | Yes |
| What you do on arrival | Switch the eSIM profile on and allow data roaming for that profile | Find a shop, buy the card and deal with the paperwork | Nothing |
| What happens at a border | It works in the destinations the plan lists and stops outside them | Tied to the country that issued it | Carries on if your contract covers the next country |
| Do you know what you are buying up front? | Yes, you choose the plan before travelling | Only once you are at the counter | Usually when the bill arrives |
What you need before you buy
- A phone that supports eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 3 or newer, and most higher-end Android handsets from 2018 onwards. The quickest test is to dial *#06# in the phone app: if a code labelled EID appears next to the IMEI, the handset supports eSIM.
- A handset that is not locked to a network: a locked phone refuses an outside eSIM profile even when the hardware supports the technology.
- Wi-Fi for the installation: you need a connection to download the profile, which is exactly what you will not have as you step off the plane.
- Your destination on the provider list: an eSIM only works where the plan says it works, so open the destination directory before you pay rather than after.
How do you install a travel eSIM?
Install it at home and switch the data on after you land, not the other way round. The installation needs an internet connection, and a connection is precisely what you are missing at the airport.
- Buy the plan for the country you are travelling to and open the email with the QR code. Save it so that it opens without a connection.
- Install the profile at home over Wi-Fi: open Settings, go to Mobile Data or Connections, add an eSIM and scan the QR code.
- Leave the new profile’s data switched off, so the plan does not start counting before you travel.
- Once you land, switch the eSIM profile on and turn on data roaming for that profile. This is the step travellers miss: without it you stay offline even though the installation went perfectly.
- Set the eSIM as the default line for mobile data and leave your usual SIM on for calls and texts, so you stay reachable on your own number.
Which plan should you pick?
Pick the destination first and the size of the plan second. Most destinations offer both unlimited plans and fixed-data plans, and several countries also have regional or Global plans that cover more than one destination on a single eSIM. Unlimited plans carry a fair use policy: 1 GB a day at full speed, then the connection continues at 512 kbps, enough for messaging, maps and email. What is on sale, including the exact allowances and validity, changes from one country to the next, and the plan cards on each destination page are the only place with the sizes and the validity that apply today. Start from the list of eSIM destinations, open the country you are travelling to and compare the cards there.
27,000 reviews of doctorSIM
unlock code came through fast
I used doctorSIM to unlock a Galaxy S22 that was still tied to AT&T and the code came through in about 40 minutes, way faster than the 24 hours the confirmation email warned about. The steps were simple and the phone took the code on the first try. Only annoying part was checkout kept trying to add extra services I didnt want so I had to uncheck a couple boxes before paying. Still came out cheaper than the other unlock sites I looked at.
Hassle Free & Super Fast Top-ups.
We have been using DoctorSIM for topping up our SIM cards for many years now, and we have consistently had an excellent experience.
The service has always been fast, reliable, and professional, with very reasonable rates and an impressive range of networks available globally. This is a real advantage compared with many other providers in the same business.
On one occasion, we accidentally entered an incorrect SIM/telephone number when making a top-up. As the funds could not be applied, DoctorSIM promptly processed a full refund back to the card we had originally used for the payment. Their response was quick, professional, and hassle-free.
And our most recent experience says it all: we topped up a SIM just a few moments ago, and the funds were credited within approximately three seconds. You simply cannot ask for much better service than that.
All in all, DoctorSIM has consistently delivered a first-class service over the years. We have no hesitation in recommending them 100% and will certainly continue using their services.
i love dr sim
i love this system its fast, user friendly, ive never come across any problems with it and honestly its just so useful and practical, i use it to buy my friend data every so often to help him out, but theres so many other features its so cool!! and i trust that they wont steal my info and sell it or anything too i love dr sim!!!!!!
Travel eSIM questions, answered
What is a travel eSIM and how does it work?
A travel eSIM is a mobile data plan that downloads onto your phone as a digital SIM profile, so there is no plastic card to fit. You buy the plan for the country you are visiting, a QR code arrives by email and you scan it from your phone settings over Wi-Fi. The profile then sits alongside your usual line until it connects at your destination. With doctorSIM the QR code is emailed as soon as the payment clears, so the phone can be ready well before you fly.
How do I know if my phone supports eSIM?
Dial *#06# in the phone app: if a code labelled EID appears next to the IMEI, your handset supports eSIM. As a rule of thumb that means iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 3 or newer and most higher-end Android models released from 2018 onwards. The phone also has to be unlocked, because a handset tied to one network will refuse an outside profile. doctorSIM has an eSIM compatibility checker that lists the supported models brand by brand if you would rather look yours up.
When should I install the eSIM, and when does the plan start counting?
Install it at home while you still have Wi-Fi and leave the data switched off until you land. The plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination, not when you buy it, so setting it up early costs you nothing. The step travellers most often miss is turning on data roaming for the eSIM profile itself after landing: without it the phone stays offline even though the profile installed correctly.
Need help with your eSIM?
Installation guides, compatibility, issues and refunds in our help centre.
Scan it with your cell phone
Most frequently sent top-ups
Most desired gift cards
More unlocked phones
All about doctorSIM
Select your language