When should you activate the eSIM?
Install it before you fly, on Wi-Fi, and activate it when you land. They're not the same thing: installing downloads the profile and needs a connection; activating switches the line on and uses nothing until it connects to a network at your destination. The days start counting from that first connection, not from buying or installing.
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The doubt shows up the night before, phone in hand, with the order email open. “What if I install it now and my days get used up?” They don't. But the question is so reasonable it deserves a clear answer instead of small print.
Installing and activating are not the same thing
| Installing | Activating | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Downloads the profile to the phone | Switches the line on |
| Needs internet | Yes | No |
| When to do it | At home, on Wi-Fi, before you fly | When you land at your destination |
| Uses up plan days | No | Only on connecting to a network at the destination |
This is the confusion that makes people arrive without data: believing that installing uses it up. It doesn't. You can buy it and install it weeks ahead without anything starting to count.
The right order
- At home, on Wi-Fi: scan the QR and install the profile. Leave it switched off.
- Before take-off: turn off data roaming on your Spanish SIM, so it doesn't kick in by itself when you land.
- When you land: switch on the eSIM line and set it as the default data line.
- Check that you have network. From there the days start counting.
Step two is the one that saves the most money and the one most often forgotten. Plenty of apps sync on their own the moment the phone picks up signal after landing, and that's enough to trigger your operator's roaming rate before you reach the baggage belt.
What if I activate it early by mistake?
Switching the line on while you're in Spain doesn't start the days counting, because the plan counts from the first connection to a network in the destination country. What can happen is that the phone tries to use it and you're left without data until you set your own line as the main one again.
Can I buy the eSIM weeks in advance?
Yes, and it's the recommended thing to do. The days don't start counting until it first connects to a network at your destination, so you can buy it and install it well ahead without using anything.
When exactly do the days start counting?
From the first connection to a network in the destination country. Not from purchase, not from installation, not from when the plane takes off.
Can I install it at the destination airport?
You can, but it's a bad idea: installing needs internet, and depending on the Wi-Fi of a packed airport after a long flight is exactly the problem the eSIM came to solve.
Do I have to take out my Spanish SIM?
No. It stays in to receive calls and SMS on your number. You just have to turn off its data roaming and set the eSIM as the default data line.
Something off, or a price changed? Write to ayuda@zasesim.com and we'll fix it. Data when you land.