eSIM On The Go

eSIM is not an Apple-specific feature, although Apple's push motivated mobile carriers to properly support it. It can be used as a regular SIM card, but without the physical SIM. The installation process, rather than using a paper clip to open the SIM card tray, is to use the system feature or an App.

In my example I have been using an eSIM from Truphone, which is supported by a very convenient app. But maybe before we dive into the details - what is the problem eSIM is solving? Well, it allows to buy a SIM card without buying a (physical) SIM card. And that makes things super convenient when, while traveling, you want to buy a local SIM card to have inexpensive internet access. Data roaming charges are still a nightmare, especially as the speeds reach hundreds of Megabytes per second. That is very often $50 or more PER SECOND for Internet access (and you thought your hotel's WiFi at $9.99 per day was expensive...). That is why people swap SIM cards before landing on international flights. With eSIM you don't need to swap anything.

Of course most carriers offer now better or worse global data plans, but they are still way more expensive compared to local data. And the global plans are typically capped at low (by today's standards) capacities - 2GB may be enough for occasional email checks but not for streaming Spotify music and navigating Google Maps while driving a rental car. So activating an eSIM to augment / expand the existing data plan is also a good idea.

Buying an eSIM always involves a payment (of course) so for frequent travelers to many destinations it is convenient to have an eSIM provider which is global - offers local data at local prices globally. Truphone is one such example, I have been using with great results.

They have the Truphone App (iOS, Android) which makes things super easy (but of course your phone must support eSIM in the first place). The app uses geolocation to present the available plans. Typically there are local (country), regional (like the entire EU in any European country) and global (most expensive). Pick what you want, pay. The first time it takes a bit longer (it goes through the process of installing the eSIM) but subsequent purchases are almost immediate.

I'd say - if you travel - eSIM-enabled phone will pay for itself very quickly. iPhones support eSIMs since iPhone X. iPads since the 1st gen Pro 11. Androids - not an easy answer, as there are many manufacturers, but many newer models do.