You ran the 30-second check, dialed *#06# and saw no EID. Your phone has no eSIM, and no update will add one: the chip is either soldered into the phone or it is not there. That rules out installing a travel eSIM on it, but not getting online abroad. Here are the five ways to do it, best first for most trips.
First, make sure it really has no eSIM
Two cases look like "no eSIM" and are not:
- The phone has one, but it is locked to your carrier. The EID shows, yet a travel eSIM would never connect. That is a lock, not a missing chip: ask your carrier to unlock it before you go. The phone check explains how to tell.
- Your model has eSIM in some countries only. Many phones sold in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao take two physical SIMs and no eSIM, while the same model sold elsewhere has one. Our compatible devices list says which models vary.
If the EID is missing and your model has no eSIM version where you bought it, read on.
1. Share a travel companion's eSIM
If someone you travel with has a recent iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy, this is the simplest answer. They install a travel eSIM, turn on their hotspot, and your phone joins it like any Wi-Fi network.
- iPhone: Settings > Personal Hotspot, then turn on Allow Others to Join.
- Google Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.
Two things to plan for:
- Data. A traveler using maps, messaging and photos uses about 1 GB a day, so two people sharing one plan need about twice that. An unlimited plan is the easy choice for two. Ours keep full speed for the first 5 GB each day, which covers two people's normal use.
- Staying together. The hotspot reaches a few rooms, not across town. When you split up for the afternoon, you are offline until you meet again, so download offline maps before you set off.
It also drains the sharing phone's battery faster. Carry a power bank.
2. Buy a local SIM card on arrival
Every phone with a SIM slot takes one, and in most countries you can buy one at the airport, after passport control.
- Bring your passport. Many countries require a SIM to be registered to the buyer's ID, and some, Mexico among them, now cut off lines that are not (Mexico's registration rule).
- Your phone must be unlocked, exactly as for an eSIM.
- You lose your home number on a single-slot phone. The local SIM replaces yours, so texts to your usual number, login codes included, wait until you swap back. Keep your home SIM somewhere safe; it is tiny.
- A local number is the upside. If you need to call restaurants, drivers or hotels in the country, a local SIM gives you a local number, which a travel eSIM does not.
On a phone with two physical SIM slots, which is common on Android phones without eSIM, you can keep your home SIM in the first slot and put the local one in the second. That is the closest thing to how an eSIM traveler works.
Would rather have the card before you leave? Travel SIM card or eSIM? covers travel SIM cards shipped to you before the trip, and how they compare with an airport SIM.
3. Roam with your home carrier
Your own SIM works abroad if your plan includes roaming. It costs you nothing to set up, and some plans include whole regions: many UK plans include the EU, and most big US plans include Mexico and Canada. Elsewhere the daily charges add up quickly. See what yours charges in travel eSIM vs international roaming, or our guides to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
For a short trip, or a country your plan already covers, roaming is often the right answer even with an eSIM phone.
4. Rent or buy a pocket Wi-Fi
A pocket Wi-Fi router takes a data SIM and shares it over Wi-Fi with any phone, tablet or laptop. You rent one at home or collect it at the airport, and return it at the end. It suits groups and families with several devices, but it is one more thing to charge, carry and give back. We compared the two in eSIM vs pocket Wi-Fi in Japan.
5. Use your next phone
If you are replacing your phone anyway, almost every phone sold in the last few years has eSIM, and you do not need a flagship:
- Google Pixel a series: every model from the Pixel 4a to the Pixel 10a has eSIM.
- Samsung Galaxy A: the Galaxy A55, A56 and A57 have it in every version; cheaper A models vary by country.
- iPhone: every model from the XS and XR on, including a second-hand one, as long as it is not a version sold in mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao.
Check the exact model in our compatible devices list before you buy. A second-hand phone must also be unlocked.
Which option fits your trip
| Your trip | Best option |
|---|---|
| Traveling with someone who has an eSIM phone | Share their travel eSIM by hotspot |
| Alone, a week or more, outside your plan's roaming zone | A local SIM, or a dual-SIM phone with your home SIM kept in |
| A few days, or a country your plan covers | Roam with your home carrier |
| A group or family with several devices | A pocket Wi-Fi, or one unlimited eSIM shared |
| You were going to change phones soon | Buy one with eSIM before you go |
Example: a week in Egypt with a phone that has no eSIM
Say you are flying to Cairo with an older Android phone, and your partner has a recent iPhone.
- Together most of the time: your partner installs a 7-day unlimited Egypt eSIM at home, and you join their hotspot. One purchase, no airport kiosk, and your own SIM stays in your phone for texts from home, with its data roaming off.
- Off on your own a lot: buy a local SIM in arrivals at Cairo airport, with your passport. Egypt charges customs duty on phones brought in from abroad since January 2026, but visitors are exempt for 90 days from arrival, so a holiday is not affected.
FAQ
Can I add eSIM to a phone that doesn't have it?
No. eSIM is a chip inside the phone, and no software update or app can add one. Some companies sell physical SIM cards that hold eSIM profiles, but they need their own app and do not work with every phone or every plan. For most travelers, sharing a companion's eSIM or buying a local SIM is simpler.
How do I know for sure my phone has no eSIM?
Dial *#06#. A phone with eSIM shows an EID, a long number, next to its IMEI. No EID means no eSIM. The 30-second check also covers carrier locks, which stop an eSIM from working even when the chip is there.
Can I use a travel eSIM through someone else's hotspot?
Yes. The eSIM stays on their phone and your phone joins its Wi-Fi hotspot, like any other Wi-Fi network. You both use the same data allowance, so pick a plan with enough for two, and stay within range of each other.
Is a local SIM cheaper than a travel eSIM?
Sometimes, per GB. But a local SIM takes your home SIM's place on a single-slot phone, often needs your passport to register, and is bought after landing, sometimes in a queue. A travel eSIM is set up before you fly. If your phone cannot take one, the local SIM is usually the best value for a trip of a week or more on your own.
Which cheap phones have eSIM?
Every Google Pixel a series phone from the Pixel 4a on, and the Samsung Galaxy A55, A56 and A57 in every version. Older and cheaper Galaxy A models have eSIM in some countries only. Check the exact model in our compatible devices list.
Facts checked on 14 October 2026.