Illustration generated with AI. Not a photo of a real airport or real travellers.
What you actually need when you land
When you arrive at an airport, you are usually trying to do a handful of things: find your hotel shuttle, book a ride, check a map, tell someone you have landed. Almost all of that runs on data. Very little of it needs a local phone number.
That is the useful way to think about it. The question is not "do I need an eSIM?" It is "how will I get data, and do I need a number as well?"
Data or a phone number?
Most travel eSIMs are data-only. They give you a mobile data plan for a country or region, but no local phone number for calls and texts.
For most trips that is fine:
- Calls and messages: WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage all work over data. Hotels, drivers and transfer companies in many countries will message you on WhatsApp.
- Your own number: keep your home SIM active as a second line. Bank and login codes sent by SMS will still reach you.
- When a number matters: a few situations still want a local number, such as some local delivery services or businesses that only call. If that is you, check what the provider includes before you buy.
On my last trip to Europe I just bought an eSIM that came with a phone number. Also set this up before I departed Australia for France. In the end I only used the data. Anyone who wanted to reach me found it easier to call over FaceTime or WhatsApp than to dial the number, so the number sat unused. If I did it again, I would pay for the data and skip the number.
Your options for getting data
Roaming on your home plan. Easiest, because there is nothing to set up. Cost varies a lot by provider and country, so check your plan before you go, and switch data roaming off if you do not want surprises.
A local SIM. Often good value, but you will need to find a shop, show ID in some countries, and swap your SIM, which means your home number goes offline unless your phone has two slots.
An eSIM. You buy a data plan online, install it on your phone with a QR code or in an app, and switch it on when you arrive. No physical SIM, and your home SIM stays in.
Wi-Fi only. Fine if you are staying put and mostly in hotels and airports. The gaps are the bits in between: the walk to the shuttle, the train ticket machine, the taxi you need to book.
When an eSIM makes sense
- A trip of more than a night or two, with time spent outside your hotel
- A layover where you want to leave the airport
- Several countries in one trip (look for regional plans)
- You want to keep your home number for bank codes
- You are arriving late and do not want to hunt for a SIM shop
If it is a short stop and you will be in the terminal or the hotel the whole time, airport and hotel Wi-Fi might be all you need.
What to check before you buy
- Does your phone support eSIM, and is it unlocked? Most recent phones do. A phone locked to your carrier may not accept a different plan.
- Local plan or regional plan? A plan for the country you are visiting is usually better value than a global one, but a regional plan is easier if you are crossing borders.
- How much data, for how long? Plans are sold by days, by gigabytes, or both. Maps and messaging use little. Video calls and streaming use a lot.
- Hotspot rules. If you want to share data with a laptop or another phone, check the plan allows it.
- Install it before you fly. You can usually install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi and switch it on when you land. That saves doing it at the baggage carousel.
- Refunds and top-ups. Look at what happens if you buy too little or too much.
Which provider?
There are lots of eSIM providers, from specialist travel eSIM companies to apps you may already use. We will compare them in a separate guide, country by country, because what works well in one place is not always the best choice in another.
Planning where to sleep near the airport? See our airport guides for hotels, terminals and how to get between them.
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