The SIM card that arrives in seconds.
An eSIM is the SIM card built into the phone. Nothing is mailed, nothing is charged for a kit, and a line can be live in a few minutes instead of a few days.
What an eSIM is
Every phone needs a SIM to prove to the network that it is allowed on. For twenty years that was a little plastic card. An eSIM is the same thing as a chip soldered into the phone, programmed over the internet instead of swapped by hand.
Practically, that means no waiting on mail, no tiny tray tool and no $9.99 SIM kit charge. It also means one phone can hold more than one line — a personal number and a work number, or a local plan while you travel.
Does my phone have one?
Almost every phone sold in the United States since about 2022 does, and many before that. Rather than trust a list, ask the phone:
- iPhone: Settings → General → About. If you see an EID near the bottom, the phone has an eSIM.
- Android: Settings → About phone (or Settings → Network & internet → SIMs). An EID entry means eSIM support.
- Any phone: dial *#06#. If an EID appears beside the IMEI, you have an eSIM.
Two other things have to be true before any SIM works: the phone must be unlocked from its old carrier, and it must support the bands our networks use. Our phone check confirms both from the IMEI before you pay a cent.
Finding your EID and IMEI
The IMEI identifies the phone; the EID identifies its built-in eSIM chip. We may ask for either.
- iPhone: Settings → General → About → scroll to IMEI and EID.
- Samsung and most Android: Settings → About phone → Status information → IMEI / EID, or Settings → Connections → SIM manager.
- Google Pixel: Settings → About phone → IMEI, and Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Download a SIM instead.
- Fastest: dial *#06# from the keypad — both numbers appear on one screen.
Activating a Mac Wireless eSIM
- Order the line at checkout and choose eSIM as the delivery. There is no kit charge for an eSIM.
- Watch for the email. It carries a QR code and an activation code, usually the same business day.
- Scan the code. iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Use QR Code. Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add eSIM / Download a SIM instead.
- Label the line when the phone asks (Personal, Work, Mac Wireless) and pick which line is used for calls, texts and data.
- Test it: make a call, send a text, turn Wi-Fi off and load a page. If any of those fail, restart the phone once before calling us.
Keeping your number? Do not cancel the old carrier. Start the transfer with us and the number moves across — usually the same day. Cancel first and the number is gone for good.
Questions
Can I switch from a physical SIM to an eSIM later?
Yes. Call us and we issue an eSIM for the same line — the number does not change. Some phones can convert a physical SIM to an eSIM from Settings on their own.
Can I hold two lines on one phone?
On any phone with dual SIM — usually one physical SIM plus one or more eSIMs, and on the newest iPhones two eSIMs at once. You choose which line makes calls and which carries data.
What if I lose the QR code email?
Call us and we reissue it. An eSIM profile can only be installed once, so if it has already been used on another phone we cancel it and issue a fresh one.
Does an eSIM move to a new phone?
Not by itself. Some phones can transfer an eSIM over Bluetooth during setup; otherwise call us and we issue a new profile for the new phone, same number.
Is an eSIM less secure?
It is more secure in one way that matters: nobody can remove it from your phone. It is still worth setting an account PIN so nobody can have it reissued elsewhere — see the cybercrime guide.
Call 866.729.9569, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Central, and a specialist walks through it with you.