For older iPhones, regional Android variants and second phones, in every country we sell to.

Using an eSIM on a phone that does not support eSIM

A removable eUICC card holds the eSIM profile and slides into an ordinary SIM tray. Your phone never needs to know what an eSIM is.

$25

A reusable eSIM card is a SIM-shaped chip that holds eSIM profiles and fits any SIM slot
Works with our UK +44 number and our travel data eSIM
Confirmed cards: eSTK.me, 9eSIM v2 and v3, eSIM.me - third-party hardware we neither sell nor support
eSTK.me and 9eSIM v3 can be managed from an iPhone; eSIM.me needs Android to download profiles
One card stores many profiles, one active at a time
It does not unlock a carrier-locked phone, and a VPN can block the install

Buy UK eSIM - $25 How it works →

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Most eSIM sellers answer "my phone has no eSIM" with "then you cannot buy this". That answer has been out of date for a while. A reusable eSIM card is a plastic card the exact shape of a normal SIM, with a programmable eSIM chip inside it. The profile is downloaded onto the card rather than into the phone, and the card then goes into any ordinary SIM slot.

To the handset it is simply a SIM. It does not need eSIM support, a recent Android version, or an EID of its own. That covers a large group of perfectly good phones: iPhones older than the XS, regional Android variants sold without eSIM, work phones, and the spare handset in a drawer that is about to become a dedicated verification device.

What a reusable eSIM card actually is

The chip inside is a eUICC, the same class of component that is soldered into an eSIM phone, except this one is removable. You install a profile onto it once, and from then on the card behaves like a SIM card carrying that line. Most cards hold several profiles, roughly thirteen to sixty depending on the model, with one active at a time, so a single card can carry a UK number and a stack of travel plans and switch between them.

Three cards are known to work with our profiles: eSTK.me, 9eSIM (v2 and v3) and eSIM.me. We do not sell them, we earn nothing from them and we cannot support them - they are named here because a reader needs to know what to look for, not because there is a deal behind it. Buy them from the maker or a reputable reseller.

How the profile gets onto the card

This is the part that decides which card to buy, so read it before ordering. eSTK.me and 9eSIM v3 can be driven from an iPhone through the card's own SIM toolkit menu, which means you can buy, install and use everything on one iOS device. eSIM.me is different: downloading a profile requires an Android phone or a PC card reader. Afterwards the card can be moved into an iPhone and the installed profile works normally, but you cannot add or delete profiles from the iPhone.

In practice: if the only device you own is an old iPhone, pick a card whose profiles can be managed from iOS. If you have any Android phone in the house, even one you no longer use, all three options are open. The installation itself uses the same SM-DP+ address and activation code that our order page shows, so nothing about the purchase changes.

The limits, before you spend money

A card does not defeat a carrier lock. If your handset is locked to an operator it will refuse a foreign profile whether that profile arrives by QR code, by hand, or on a card, and no adapter changes that. Check the lock before buying anything.

The download also needs a working internet connection, and a VPN can block the connection to the SM-DP+ server. That is worth stating plainly to our customers in particular, since many of you run one by default: turn the VPN off for the install, then turn it back on. And keep in mind these cards are third-party hardware. We can tell you our profiles install on them, and we can help with anything on our side, but we cannot troubleshoot someone else's card firmware.

Which of our products this applies to

Both. The UK +44 number and the travel data eSIM both install on these cards, and both keep every feature they have on a phone with built-in eSIM: the number still receives SMS and calls worldwide, the travel plan still carries data in its destinations.

The one difference is what a mistake costs. The UK number installs a single time and is never reissued, so the install you spend on a card is the one you get. Travel data can be issued a fresh QR if something goes wrong. Each product has its own page below with the details that actually differ.

Put an eSIM on a reusable card

1
Check the phone is not carrier locked
A locked handset rejects other operators' profiles no matter how they are installed. Ask your operator before spending money on a card.
2
Pick a card that matches the devices you own
Only an old iPhone in the house? Choose a card whose profiles can be managed from iOS, such as eSTK.me or 9eSIM v3. Any Android phone available? eSIM.me works too, with the profile downloaded on the Android device.
3
Order your eSIM as normal
Nothing about the purchase changes. Pay, and the order page shows the QR image plus the SM-DP+ address and activation code.
4
Install the profile onto the card, on Wi-Fi and with the VPN off
Follow the card app's flow and either scan the QR or paste the activation details. The card needs to reach the SM-DP+ server, which a VPN can block.
5
Move the card to the phone that will use it
Put it into the SIM tray like any SIM. The phone treats it as a normal SIM card and needs no eSIM support of its own.
6
Switch profiles later from the card app
A card holds several profiles with one active at a time, so the same card can carry your UK number and your travel plans.

Questions & answers

Can I use an eSIM if my phone does not support eSIM?

Yes, with a reusable eSIM card. It is a physical card shaped like a normal SIM with a programmable eSIM chip inside. The profile is downloaded onto the card, and the card goes into your ordinary SIM tray. The phone sees a normal SIM and needs no eSIM support at all.

Which reusable cards work with your eSIMs?

Our profiles install on eSTK.me, 9eSIM v2 and v3, and eSIM.me. We do not sell these cards, earn nothing from them and cannot provide support for them; they are named so you know what to buy. Note that no card maker publishes an operator compatibility list, so treat any other brand as untested by us.

Can I do everything from an iPhone?

With eSTK.me or 9eSIM v3, yes: those cards expose a SIM toolkit menu that works on iOS, so you can download and switch profiles from the iPhone itself. With eSIM.me you need an Android phone or a PC card reader to download the profile, after which the card works normally in an iPhone but cannot be managed there.

Does a reusable card get around a carrier-locked phone?

No. A locked handset refuses profiles from other operators regardless of how they are installed, and an adapter card changes nothing about that. Confirm your phone is unlocked before buying a card or an eSIM.

How many eSIMs fit on one card?

Depending on the model, roughly thirteen to sixty profiles, with one active at a time. That is enough for a UK number plus a collection of travel plans on the same card, switched from the card's app or menu.

Do I buy the eSIM differently if I am using a card?

No. The purchase is identical: pay, and the order page gives you the QR image, the SM-DP+ address and the activation code. The card accepts the same details a phone would. Turn any VPN off during the install, because it can block the connection to the SM-DP+ server.

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