One of three things happens to the phone of a person going abroad. Either they leave roaming on and get a large bill when they come back, or they switch everything off and stay dependent on the hotel internet, or they queue at the airport and buy a local SIM. The fourth option is an eSIM, and it is set up with a few taps on the phone. Below I have compared the three.
What an eSIM is and how it works
An eSIM is a digital SIM card built into the phone. You do not buy a physical card; you simply take a package, scan the QR code and the number is activated on the phone. Your old number stays where it is, that is, you do not lose calls and messages.
There is one condition: the phone has to support the technology. Most models from the last six or seven years do, but check in the settings before buying. Do the activation at home, while you have internet, because being left without a network abroad makes installing it difficult.
Roaming, a local SIM and an eSIM compared
| Roaming | The most comfortable, the most expensive; daily packages 5–15 manats |
| A local SIM | The cheapest, but it needs a queue, a passport and a change of number |
| An eSIM | A middling price, works at once, the number does not change |
| Hotel internet | Free, but only in the room |
For a week-long European trip a five gigabyte package is usually enough and costs around ten dollars. Maps, messaging and transport apps eat little data, while video eats a lot. Loading the eSIM package that suits the country onto the phone a day before the flight is the most comfortable order of things.
Which countries an eSIM is particularly useful in
China is the clearest example of this. Many international services are blocked there, while an international eSIM routes the traffic outside the country and so removes the problem entirely. In Japan and South Korea the reason is different: buying a local SIM there involves a procedure.
If you are visiting several countries on one trip, a regional package comes out cheaper than separate country packages. One package for Europe covers twenty to thirty countries, and you do nothing at all when you cross a border.
Ways to save data
Download the map offline before the trip; that all but silences the app that eats the most data. Switch off the automatic uploading of photographs to the cloud, otherwise one day’s shooting swallows the whole package. Watch video only on the hotel internet.
Do not forget to turn off data roaming in the phone’s settings either, because while the eSIM is working the main number can connect in the background. Official information about operators’ international tariffs is published on the site of the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport.
In summary
An eSIM is cheaper than roaming and more comfortable than a local SIM, and it does not change your number. Check that your phone supports it, activate the package at home, download the map offline. To build the travel plan and the visa process together, fill in the application form.
Note: package prices and coverage vary by operator, so check the country list before buying.
