Using eSim in Europe

Hi, geraldine,

I have used Airalo eSIMs in the past, and found them very easy to install and activate. Every company is a little different, though, so it pays to look at the instructions for each one. With Airalo, you have to download the app, purchase the eSIM and then install it one of several ways (using a QR code, manually and so on). And it's also easy to top off but with Airalo, the eSIM must be rechargeable, so make sure you check that before you purchase.

Which eSIM are you planning to use?

Hello Mardee,
Thank you for your reply. I plan to use Vodafone which I have used in the past using the regular SIM. I feel better knowing that your experience using eSim seems to have been easy. The instructions are straightforward quite like you described it. Again, thank you!

thanks for posting this. i too buy their physical sim cards on my trips. didn't know vodaphone offered esims. i looked at their website and learned only data is available, no calls or texts. that's a deal breaker for me because i need to communicate with my airbnb hosts as i move from one place to the next.

geraldine, glad it helped you! Sorry, I just now saw that you mentioned Vodafone in your initial post. Good luck with it and have a great trip!

alomaker, that is true of many eSIMs, although there are some that offer a phone number. I have found that most Airbnbs and other places in Europe use WhatsApp, which you can call from for free.

Thank you Mardee! Update: I just purchased and installed the Vodafone eSim. It was seamless. The customer support using the Chat option was also very helpful to ensure I did everything right and the person reinstated on how to activate once I land in Europe. I will update once I have done it.

While most Airb&bs use WhatsApp, some don’t as we learned on our recent trip. We were able to communicate through the booking.com app. In smaller towns we found there was no Uber and no taxi app so we were unable to call for a ride. Luckily the apartment hosts made the calls for us since we were in the historic district pedestrian streets with no roving taxis. So there can be a downside to data only.

I was also wondering about how to call for emergency services in the unlikely event they would be needed.

Nomad, a supplier of data-only eSIMs, has an excellent blog on emergency calls when one uses their (or other similar) products: https://www.getnomad.app/blog/emergency-calls-data-only-sim

Update: activating Vodaphone eSIM here in Iceland was seamless. Any questions you can always email customer service and they responded quickly.

Hello there,
Since my last reply in March, I have actually used Airalo for my Europe trip. It has been very easy to install plus topping off when I needed to extend my coverage. Very, very satisfied and I will continue to use Airalo Esim for my future travels outside the USA.

thanks for coming back on that, Geraldine

Interesting discovery yesterday. I've been using an eSIM that I bought before leaving the US; my home cell plan uses a hard SIM. We stopped into a Vodafone store in London to get a month plan for my wife's iPhone, and discovered that, as her US plan uses an eSIM, she needed to get a physical SIM rather than an eSIM in order for her texts to come through on her US number. Basically, on both her iPhone and my Android, the phone can use one physical SIM and one eSIM simultaneously, with one selected as primary. As I understand it, an iPhone that has no tray for a physical SIM can use two eSIMs simultaneously, but my wife's phone does have a SIM tray.

Hope this finding is useful for someone.

@jphbucks - your post was extremely helpful. I've helped two visitors with local eSIMs this spring - one was a pain and the other was seamless. Turns out it was exactly as you described - the physical SIM had to be removed for the eSIM to work for the first friend, and the double-eSIM phone worked perfectly right away. Now I understand why. Thanks

A few more UK SIM discoveries.

1. Mobimatter eSIM obtained online is crap. Data availability is essentially limited to GPS usage. I can't get reliable internet connection anywhere in Bristol.

2. Don't count on getting an eSIM after you arrive in UK. The major companies won't sell a prepaid eSIM plan, and most require a local residential address to even sell you a hard SIM plan. Apparently the Vodafone rep who sold us the SIM plan for wifey's iPhone violated company policy to help us out.

3. If you want giffgaff, again, you need a UK address in your name, and that's the only place they'll send a SIM. You'll need the physical SIM before you can convert to an eSIM.

Frustrating.

jphbucks, recently, for a trip to Ireland, I bought a GiffGaff sim card on Ebay. I think it shipped from Paris, and it took 2 weeks to arrive. But it was only $ 1.37 (really), and came with £5 free bonus credit. It was a pay as you go card. No problem activating it in the U.S., and when we arrived in Ireland, it worked, but I got a message that said since it had never been used in the U.K., that after two weeks of use in Ireland, it would then revert to international roaming, and data and calls would be very expensive. I think I made a short voice call to the U.S., and it was charged at $3. So there were complications with that sim plan.

A few thoughts on giffgaff:

1. Jphbucks says "If you want giffgaff, again, you need a UK address in your name, and that's the only place they'll send a SIM. You'll need the physical SIM before you can convert to an eSIM."

This is actually not correct - I live in Singapore and ordered direct on giffgaff's website site, and they posted one to me. I just checked the site to see if that had changed, and it still gives the option of selecting your country, noting five days delivery time for addresses outside the UK.

1. Travelerguy notes "but I got a message that said since it had never been used in the U.K.". They're clear in their terms and conditions that the free roaming is intended for customers who live in the UK and make short trips to the EU: "Members who live in the UK and have frequent UK usage will get EU roaming for up to 63 days. Provided that they've used giffgaff in the UK in the 63 days before arriving in an EU or EEA country. If you stay abroad for longer, we’ll send you an SMS to let you know that roaming will be switched off."

I have used roaming in the EU without any issues, including going directly to an EU country, but I am in the UK often enough to qualify under the 63 day rule. It's basically because UK carriers are no longer part of the EU roaming agreement.

Hope that clarifies.

This is actually not correct - I live in Singapore and ordered direct on giffgaff's website site

I should have clarified that my comment holds if you're already in the UK. Giffgaff does indeed send their physical SIMs to foreign addresses.

jphbucks - that makes sense - got it.

I recently traveled across several European countries and used my iPhone with an eSIM through the Toosim app. The experience was pretty smooth overall. Setting up the eSIM before departure was straightforward—I just followed the instructions, and it activated right away once I landed at my first destination.

Coverage was generally excellent, though it varied a bit from country to country—big cities like Paris and Berlin had flawless service. At the same time, in some rural areas, the connection was spotty. As for extending coverage, the app made it super simple to add more data when needed, which was handy since I found myself using maps and translation apps constantly. One funny mishap was in a small Italian village where I got lost because I hadn't topped up my data!

The most important thing is to remember to turn on mobile data and roaming before you start using your eSIM, especially after arriving in a new country. I spent $27 for 20 GB, which was quite reasonable compared to buying local SIMs in each country. Overall, I'd recommend going the eSIM route if your phone supports it.