Does my phone support eSIM?

Most phones sold since 2019 do, but two things block it even on a supported model: the phone is locked to a carrier, or it is a regional variant without an eSIM chip. The quickest way to be sure is to check on the phone itself, which takes about a minute.

iPhone

1. Open Settings › General › About.
2. Scroll down. If you see Available SIM or Digital SIM with an EID number under it, the phone supports eSIM.
3. Still in About, look for Carrier Lock. It must say No SIM restrictions. If it says “SIM locked”, a travel eSIM will not work until your carrier unlocks the phone.

Every iPhone from the XS / XR (2018) onwards has eSIM, except some models sold in mainland China. iPhones bought in the United States from the iPhone 14 onwards have no physical SIM slot at all and rely on eSIM entirely.

Android

1. Open Settings › Network & internet › SIMs (on Samsung: Connections › SIM manager).
2. If there is an Add eSIM or Download a SIM instead? option, the phone supports eSIM.
3. Alternatively dial *#06#: a phone with eSIM shows an EID next to the IMEI.

Google Pixel 3 and later, Samsung Galaxy S20 / Note 20 / Z Flip and later, and most recent flagship models from other makers support eSIM. Budget models and some regional variants of the same name do not, so the on-phone check is the one that counts.

Carrier lock

A phone bought on a contract is often locked to that carrier. Locked phones accept only that carrier’s SIMs, physical or eSIM, so a travel eSIM will install but never connect. Ask your carrier to unlock it before you travel; in the UK, phones sold since December 2021 must be sold unlocked.

If it is not supported

We cannot deliver to a phone without eSIM, and we do not sell physical SIM cards. If you buy and then find the phone cannot install it, an eSIM that has never been installed is refunded in full — see the refunds page.

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