eSIM instead of a plastic card: How to switch plans in minutes

Recently in an email to our editorial team: "I ordered a new plan, but no SIM card arrived. My customer account just shows a QR code. What am I supposed to do with that?" The short answer: congratulations, you got an eSIM – and just saved yourself three days of waiting for the mailman. The long answer is this article.

An eSIM is nothing more than a SIM permanently built into the phone that gets programmed via software. Instead of fiddling a piece of plastic into a slot, you load your plan profile onto the device digitally. Practically all smartphones from the last five or six years support this – from the iPhone to Samsung Galaxy to Pixel, and by now many mid-range devices too. The fact that the plastic card is on its way out was already a mobile plans 2026 topic; in the US, Apple has long been selling its iPhones entirely without a SIM slot.

Activating an eSIM: the guide

The process differs in detail depending on the provider, but the basic pattern is always the same:

1. Select "eSIM" when ordering. Most providers ask during the ordering process whether you want a classic SIM or an eSIM. If not: in your customer account, the plastic card can almost always be converted into an eSIM afterwards free of charge.
2. Retrieve activation data. You get a QR code – by email, in the customer portal, or in the provider's app. Some providers instead send an activation directly to the app, in which case the code is skipped entirely.
3. Load the profile onto your phone. On the iPhone: Settings, Mobile Service, "Add eSIM", scan the QR code. On Android it works essentially the same way, only the menu items are named differently depending on the manufacturer. Important: you need Wi-Fi for this, since mobile service isn't working yet.
4. Wait – but only briefly. The profile registers on the network, which usually takes one to five minutes. Afterwards, check the status bar at the top: signal bars there, network name there? Done.
5. Make a test call. Sounds trivial, but it saves you nasty surprises. Make one call, test mobile data once (turn off Wi-Fi briefly to do so).

That's it. No letter, no paperclip, no "your SIM card will be delivered in 3–5 business days." If you order a plan on a Friday evening, in the best case you'll be making calls with it that same night.

One special case deserves its own paragraph: switching with number porting. Here you get the eSIM profile immediately, but your old number only moves over on the porting date. Until then you're using a temporary number – fully usable, just not yours. On the switchover day, the profile automatically loads the ported number; usually restarting the phone is enough. If you know this, you won't be surprised; if you don't, you'll be calling support in a panic.

Why it's worth it

The speed advantage is obvious, but there are subtler reasons too. With dual SIM, you can run two plans in parallel on the same device – your private number on the classic SIM, plus a cheap data deal as an eSIM. Or you can try out a new provider for a few weeks without touching your main number. Especially with cheap discount plans, this is an elegant way to check network quality at your own address before switching. You can see which plan is suitable as a second SIM in our plan comparison – and if you're torn between two candidates, put them side by side in the Side-by-Side Comparison comparison.

The eSIM also shows its strength while traveling: a local data package for your holiday destination is installed within minutes, while your German number remains reachable in parallel. And you can't lose an eSIM either – if your phone is stolen, the profile can be blocked without anyone being able to put the card into another device.

Then there's the smartwatch. If you own an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch with cellular, you need an eSIM solution – usually as a so-called multi-SIM, which lets the watch use the same number as the phone. Here too it's worth checking the fine print: the major network providers offer this, usually for around €5 extra per month, while many discounters don't offer it at all. If the watch needs to go jogging without the phone, this can determine which plan you choose.

The pitfalls

Well, this brave new world isn't entirely without its snags. These five points cause the most support calls in practice:

• The QR code only works once. Once the profile is installed and later deleted, it's gone – then you have to request a new one in your customer account. So: don't casually delete the profile from the device, for example when resetting the phone. That's exactly when it happens most often.
• Switching phones isn't (yet) a smooth process everywhere. Apple and newer Android versions can transfer eSIM profiles directly from device to device, but not every provider supports this. When in doubt, it means: delete the old profile, request a new one. Plan for this before selling your old phone.
• Very old or very cheap devices can't do eSIM. Before switching plans, briefly check the settings (keyword "Add eSIM" – if the menu item shows up, you're safe) or look up the EID number.
• Branded devices and leftover SIM locks. Rare, but it happens: a device originally subsidised by a provider locks itself against third-party profiles. Checking beforehand saves frustration.
• Not every discounter offers eSIM. The major network operators, yes, and most well-known discounters by now too – but there are still plans that only come with a plastic card. If eSIM matters to you: check before ordering, not regret it afterwards.

Our recommendation

If your phone can do eSIM – and it probably can – there's hardly any reason left in 2026 to insist on the plastic card. Switching is faster, more flexible, and on top of that the more environmentally friendly option, even though we don't want to overplay the eco argument here: it's about a few grams of plastic. The real win is time. Order a plan at the kitchen table, and twenty minutes later you're on the new network – something that was simply impossible with the yellow postal service.

One last tip from our editorial team: keep your provider's customer account login details somewhere safe. The eSIM shifts everything into the digital realm – including the moments when you suddenly need to remember a password from two years ago.