Common questions

It needs all three: the model supports eSIM, the version sold in your country or region has eSIM, and the phone isn’t locked to a carrier. The model name alone doesn’t settle it: several iPhone models sold in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao take two physical SIM cards and have no eSIM, and a carrier-locked phone can’t use another carrier’s eSIM.

Check the model list and the carrier-lock steps on the device compatibility page. Buying a plan doesn’t add eSIM support to a phone that doesn’t have it.

Plan details show when validity starts: when the eSIM first connects to a network in the destination, when it’s installed, or at purchase. If the plan details don’t show a start rule, it hasn’t been confirmed, and checkout says so before you pay; ask us before buying if the timing matters for your trip.

Once validity has started, switching the line off doesn’t pause it. When does an eSIM start? explains the start rules and how days are counted.

Yes. Your order and delivery email show an “Install by” date when one applies. Install the eSIM before that date. It’s separate from the plan’s validity, which starts according to the plan’s start rule.

A total-data plan gives one allowance for the whole validity period; you can use it on any day. A daily plan gives a fixed high-speed allowance each day; you can’t use several days’ allowance at once.

When a daily allowance is used up, the plan either slows to the speed shown in its details or stops data until the next reset. The reset time is shown when the network has confirmed it. Daily or total data? compares them with examples.

Start from your own usage: your phone’s settings show mobile data used per app. Take a typical day without Wi-Fi, multiply by the days you need data and add a reserve. Video, video calls and sharing a hotspot use the most. How much data do you need? walks through the sum.

Either one multi-country plan whose coverage list includes every stop, or a separate plan for each country. A region name such as “Europe” doesn’t mean every country in that region is covered; check the list.

On a destination page, add the other countries on your route to see plans that cover the whole trip. Crossing a border doesn’t reset a shared allowance or restart validity.

No phone number and no calls: Simvito plans are for mobile data. You can call and message over the internet with apps such as WhatsApp or FaceTime.

Each plan’s details show its SMS capability. “SMS via API” means the eSIM can only receive service messages sent by the network platform. It doesn’t receive texts from other phones and isn’t for verification codes. For bank or app codes, keep your home SIM switched on; your home carrier sets the cost of texts abroad.

Yes, on plans that show hotspot support in their details. Laptops and other devices on your hotspot use the same allowance, so it runs out faster than on a phone alone.

After payment is confirmed, we email the eSIM to the delivery address you chose at checkout, usually within 5 minutes. The email has the QR code, one-tap install links for iPhone (iOS 17.4 or later) and Android, and the codes for manual entry.

The same details are in My eSIMs when you sign in with the account you bought with. If setup takes longer than 10 minutes, we email to tell you we’re working on it. If we can’t deliver, you get a full refund.

Check spam, junk and promotions folders, and check which address you chose at checkout: the delivery address can be different from your sign-in email. If it’s an Apple private relay address, email forwarding must be on in your Apple Account settings.

You don’t need the email to install. Sign in with the Google or Apple account you used to buy and open My eSIMs for the QR code, install link and manual codes. Can’t find the order there either? Contact us with the delivery address and purchase date.

Confirmation usually takes a few seconds, and the order page updates by itself. Don’t pay again while it’s being checked. If it takes longer, we keep checking and email you when it’s settled; you can close the page.

If your bank or wallet shows a charge but the order says the payment failed or was cancelled, contact us before paying again.

Yes. Check that their phone is compatible before buying, because the eSIM has to be installed on the phone that will use it. For an order with several eSIMs, the delivery email has a separate install link for each one; in the Simvito app, each eSIM’s menu has Share installation instructions. Send it only to the person who will install it, since each QR code installs once.

Connect to Wi-Fi, then add the eSIM in your phone’s settings and scan the QR code. iPhone: Settings → Cellular (Mobile Service in some regions) → Add eSIM → Use QR Code. Samsung Galaxy: Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM. Google Pixel: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add SIM, then download an eSIM. Menu names vary by software version.

Reading the email on the phone you’re installing on? Use the one-tap install link instead of scanning (iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later, or Android). Step-by-step guides: iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel.

It depends on the start rule. If validity starts at first connection in the destination, you can install at home on Wi-Fi and keep the line switched off until you arrive. If validity starts at installation, install when you’re ready to use it, and make sure you’ll have Wi-Fi at that point.

Phones bought in mainland China can’t install an eSIM from a carrier outside the mainland while they’re in the mainland; see the question about phones bought in mainland China below.

No. Each QR code can be installed once. If you delete the eSIM, erase the phone or move to a new phone, it can’t be installed again. Install it on the phone you’ll travel with, and don’t delete it to troubleshoot.

An eSIM that was deleted after it had connected isn’t refundable. If it never connected to a network, the refund policy for unused eSIMs applies.

Only some models. Apple lists eSIM support for these iPhones sold in mainland China: iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air. Apple says they can install an eSIM from a carrier outside mainland China only while outside the mainland, with Location Services on, and they hold at most two eSIMs.

Plan to install after you leave the mainland, on Wi-Fi, and check the plan’s start rule. For Galaxy phones sold in mainland China, see the device compatibility page.

Stay on Wi-Fi and note the exact error. Check that the phone is carrier-unlocked and its software is up to date. If the download was interrupted, you can try again on the same phone.

If the phone says the code is invalid or already used, stop: don’t scan it on another phone and don’t delete anything. Contact us with the error message and a screenshot, and we’ll check the eSIM’s status with the network.

Switch the Simvito line on, select it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for the Simvito line. Simvito eSIMs connect abroad through partner networks, so the phone treats them as roaming and won’t load data with data roaming off. The plan is prepaid, so roaming on this line doesn’t add charges.

On your home line, keep data roaming off and turn off automatic data switching (Allow Cellular Data Switching on iPhone) so your home carrier doesn’t bill you for data. Then switch Wi-Fi off briefly and load a web page to test.

Check in this order: you’re in a covered destination; the plan hasn’t expired or run out of data; the Simvito line is on, selected for mobile data and has data roaming on. Then turn Airplane Mode on and off, or restart the phone. If your order shows an APN, check that it’s set for the Simvito line.

Still no connection? Contact us from where you are, with your order number, phone model and screenshots of the line settings. The troubleshooting checklist has the full steps.

Usually not; the APN is set automatically. If your order shows an APN and data still doesn’t work after the checks above, enter it exactly as shown for the Simvito line. iPhone: Settings → Cellular → the Simvito line → Cellular Data Network. Android: the SIM’s Access Point Names setting. When the order lists different APNs by country, use the one for the country you’re in.

First check whether you’ve used today’s high-speed allowance or the plan’s data. After that, the plan slows to the speed shown in its details or stops. Signal and the local network also affect speed; 4G or 5G in the plan details doesn’t guarantee a particular speed.

Some plans have app restrictions, for example TikTok not working on Android phones; these are shown before you pay. The plan details also show the IP location, which can be a different country from where you are, so some websites and apps may treat you as being in that country.

Yes, if your phone can use two lines at once: keep your home SIM switched on for calls and texts, and use Simvito for mobile data. Your home carrier decides what calls and texts abroad cost and whether they’re delivered while roaming. Keep data roaming off on the home line.

Open the eSIM in My eSIMs. Usage is shown when the network reports it, with the time it was last updated; it isn’t live. If usage can’t be checked, that doesn’t mean the data is used up. Your phone’s own data counter measures differently and won’t match exactly.

When the network reports usage, we also send a reminder when about 20% of the data is left, when it’s used up and about 48 hours before the plan ends.

When the allowance is used up, the plan either continues at a reduced speed or stops data. Each plan shows which, and the reduced speed, before you pay. When validity ends, the line stops working and unused data expires; it has no cash value.

It depends on the plan: some can add data within the current validity, some can add days, and some can't be topped up. The plan shows which before you buy. To top up, open the eSIM in My eSIMs or on its order page and choose an option; it goes onto the same eSIM, so there's nothing new to install. If no options are shown, buy a new plan.

Adding data doesn’t extend the expiry date. Adding days to a daily plan extends its validity at the same daily allowance; it doesn’t increase the daily allowance.

By card (for example Visa or Mastercard), Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device and currency support them, or a local wallet such as Alipay, AlipayHK, PayNow or GCash. Which methods appear depends on the currency you choose; checkout only shows the methods available for it.

You can also pay for a whole order with your Simvito balance. A balance payment covers the whole order; it can’t be combined with another method.

The currency you choose in the picker at the top of the page. Prices are converted from USD at the reference rate shown with your order, and checkout shows the exact currency and amount before you pay. If your card or wallet uses another currency, your bank or wallet provider may add its own exchange rate and fees.

If you haven’t installed the eSIM, or installed it but it never connected to a network, you can cancel within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. In an order with several eSIMs, each one is assessed separately.

Activated eSIMs can’t be refunded, except when a plan doesn’t work for a technical reason that we and our network partners can’t fix: then you get a full refund whether or not it was activated. Full details are in the refund policy.

Contact us with your order number and the email used at purchase; no form is needed. We reply within 24 hours and decide within three working days.

Approved refunds are submitted within three working days, to the original payment method, or to your Simvito balance if you paid with balance. Card and wallet refunds usually appear within 5 to 10 working days, depending on your bank or wallet provider.

Contact us before disputing it with your bank: a direct refund is almost always faster than a chargeback. Tell us the date, amount, currency and payment method of the charge. Never send your full card number.

Chat with our support team using the chat button on this site or in the Simvito app, 09:00-21:00 (UTC+8). Outside those hours, leave a message in the chat or email support@simvito.com. We reply to email within 24 hours.

Include your order number, phone model, the country you’re in and the exact error or a screenshot. Contact support has an email template for each type of problem.

Your eSIMs are kept in your account, so you can install, check usage and top up without the delivery email. You sign in with Google or Apple. The order page shows QR codes and installation details only to the account that bought them, even if someone else has the order link; an install link you share opens only that one eSIM.

Request it on the delete account page, or in the app under Account → Account and sign-in → More → Delete account. We process requests within 30 days and first check any balance, unused eSIMs and active plans with you.

Deleting your account doesn’t remove an installed eSIM from your phone; remove it in your phone’s settings.