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Getting it working

The eight things people actually ask: whether your phone can take an eSIM, how to install it, why there is no data yet, when your days start, and how refunds work.

Last updated · 2026-08-28

01Will it work on my phone?

Two things have to be true, and they are the reason almost every travel eSIM disappoints someone:

  • The phone supports eSIM. Most sold since roughly 2019 do. On iPhone: Settings → General → About. If you see an EID number, the hardware is capable. On Android, look for "Add eSIM" or "Download a SIM" under network settings.
  • The phone is carrier-unlocked. A phone locked to a home network refuses another operator's profile whatever you paid for it. If you bought it on a contract and have not finished paying, assume it is locked until your carrier says otherwise.

Check both before you buy. If you already did and it turns out your phone cannot take it, section 06 gives you your money back.

02How do I install it?

Install on wifi before you fly, then turn Data Roaming ON for the JumboSIM line — it will not work without it.

Install at home on wifi, before you fly — you need a working connection to download the profile, which is exactly what you will not have at the airport.

  1. Scan the QR code Point the camera at it, or Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Use QR Code. Install it before you fly, on wifi — you cannot install it without a connection.
  2. Label the line Call it Travel or JumboSIM. You will be choosing between it and your normal line for the rest of the trip.
  3. Keep your usual line as Default Voice Your own number keeps working for calls and messages. Set Cellular Data to the new line.
  4. Turn Data Roaming ON for this line Settings → Cellular → tap the JumboSIM line → Data Roaming ON. Nothing will work without this, and it is the one step people miss. It costs you nothing: roaming charges come from your home carrier, and this is not your home carrier.
  5. Turn OFF Allow Cellular Data Switching Otherwise the phone quietly falls back to your home line and bills you for it.

Android wording differs by manufacturer, but the sequence is the same: add the eSIM, then turn roaming on for it.

03It is installed but there is no data

Almost always one of these, in this order:

  • Installed, but no data at all — Data Roaming for the JumboSIM line. This is the cause more often than everything else combined.
  • Still nothing after roaming is on — Airplane mode on, wait fifteen seconds, off. Forces a fresh attach.
  • Connected but pages will not load — Check the APN on the line matches the one on your order.
  • Your own number stopped working — Default Voice is on the wrong line. Set it back to your usual SIM; the eSIM is data only.
  • Data works but the bill from your home carrier looks wrong — Allow Cellular Data Switching is on. Turn it off — the phone has been using your home line.

If none of that does it, our contact form with your order link — we would rather hear about it while you are still travelling than after.

04When do my days start?

On the first connection, not at purchase. A 7-day plan bought three weeks before your trip still gives you seven days from the moment it first attaches to a network in the destination.

That is why installing early costs you nothing, and why a plan you never installed does not quietly expire.

05Calls, texts and my own number

JumboSIM plans are data only. No voice calls, no SMS, no phone number of their own. Calling and messaging work over data through WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal, Telegram and the rest.

Your own SIM stays in the phone and keeps your number. You choose which line carries data, so you can leave your home line on for calls while paying nothing for its roaming data.

One thing to plan for: a bank that sends login codes by SMS sends them to your home line. Keep it in the phone if you will need those codes.

06Refunds

Not installed it yet? Full refund, 30 days, no reason needed. Your trip changed, you bought the wrong destination, or the phone turned out to be locked — all covered.

Installed but it will not connect? Work through section 03 first, then tell us. If we cannot make it work we will replace the profile or refund you.

Already used the data? That is not refundable — a prepaid plan is consumed as it is used.

The full policy is in the Terms, section 05.

07I lost my order link

Your order page holds the QR code, the activation code and the install steps, and it keeps working. It is the link in the delivery email we sent when you bought — search your inbox for JumboSIM, and check spam.

Still nothing? Put in the address you bought with and we will send the link straight back to it.

We send the link to that address and show nothing here — the order page carries your activation code, so it is not something to hand to whoever asks.

If the address itself is gone, our contact form and tell us what you remember: roughly when you bought, the destination, and the last four digits of the card. We will work it out with you.

08Still stuck

our contact form and a person will read it. If you have an order, open the form from your order page — it carries the details with the message, so we can start on the problem rather than asking which order you mean.

We answer to the address you give us, usually within a day.