How Do eSIM Plans Work?
Step 1: Purchase Your eSIM Data Pack
You'll receive an email with your eSIM after purchase, no matter where you are in the world.
Step 2: Receive Activation Details
You'll get a QR code or manual installation instructions via email and WhatsApp to activate your eSIM.
Step 3: Install And Activate Your New eSIM
Set up your eSIM before your trip, and once you reach your destination, enable the data plan to start using the internet.
Is My Mobile Phone eSIM Compatible?
- iPhone XR, XS, XS Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd & 3rd gen)
- iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 13, Mini, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 14, Plus, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 15, Plus, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, Pro Max, 16e
- iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e
- iPhone Air (eSIM only, no SIM tray)
- iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max
- iPhone Duo (foldable, eSIM only, no SIM tray)
- iPad Pro 11″ (2018+) & 12.9″ (2018+)
- iPad Air (2019+)
- iPad (2019+)
- iPad Mini (2019+)
- iPad 10th Gen (2022)
*Two eSIMs can be active at the same time on iPhone 13 and later. *iPhones from mainland China do not support eSIM. *Hong Kong/Macao models (except 13 mini, 12 mini, SE 2020, XS) lack eSIM. *US models of iPhone 14 and later do not have a physical SIM tray. *iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are eSIM only in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Guam, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. *iPhone Air and iPhone Duo have no SIM tray in any country. They run on eSIM only.
Explore Niger
Who buys a Niger eSIM, and which plan they choose
Niger is not a holiday destination for most of the people who search for it. It is a posting, a project, an expedition or a family visit, and each of those uses data differently. The eSIM4 Niger eSIM is a prepaid tourist eSIM with no physical SIM card; it runs on the Celtel network from USD 9.98. It is high-speed mobile data only, it is emailed within minutes, and it is working the moment your phone finds a signal at Diori Hamani airport. Here is how the people who buy it tend to use it.
The NGO and agency staffer. Two to four weeks in Niamey with trips out to Maradi, Zinder or Tillabéri. Email, the field-team WhatsApp groups, the occasional video call to head office, and a security app that needs to stay online. 5 GB over 30 days at USD 24.98 covers the desk work; 10 GB at USD 43.98 covers the calls as well. A top-up lands on the same eSIM in a minute if the rotation runs long.
The contractor. Mining, energy, construction or telecoms, often a rotation of a fortnight or a month, often outside the capital. Coverage across Niger on the Celtel network follows the paved roads and the regional towns; on a remote site connectivity thins, as it does on every network, so save the offline map and the site documents in Niamey. 3 GB over 30 days at USD 16.98 is the usual choice, with a top-up if the month runs long.
The overlander and the expedition. The trans-Saharan route, the W National Park, Agadez and the Aïr. Connectivity is a town-to-town thing out there, so the value is in the towns: fuel, permits, the next guesthouse, a message home. 1 GB over 7 days at USD 9.98 or 2 GB over 15 days at USD 11.98 is plenty, because the maps are downloaded before you leave Niamey.
The family visit. A few weeks in Niamey with relatives, video calls to the rest of the family abroad every evening. Unlimited data from 3 days at USD 36.98 to 10 days at USD 95.98 means nobody watches the counter.
Whichever you are, the plan days start only when the eSIM first connects in Niger, so it can be bought as soon as the trip is confirmed and installed on Wi-Fi at home; switch on data roaming when you land and stay connected from the arrivals hall. Pay by card in USD, scan the QR code, and it is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Niger requires every local SIM to be registered in person against an ID document, which is the queue at the airport counter and the carrier shops in Niamey. The Niger eSIM is a foreign line roaming on the Celtel network, so the rule does not apply: nothing to show, nothing to sign, no physical SIM card to swap. Buy it at home, install it over Wi-Fi, and it is live when the phone finds a signal at Diori Hamani, from USD 9.98, with the pick-up driver already on WhatsApp.
Yes. WhatsApp voice and video calls, email, the field-team groups and the security app all run on the eSIM data in Niamey and in the regional towns along the paved roads, so the evening call to head office needs no guesthouse Wi-Fi. Tethering is included on every plan, so the laptop shares the eSIM when the office connection drops, and a top-up is a minute online if the posting runs long.
An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. Instead of swapping a plastic card, you scan a QR code, or tap one link on a recent iPhone, and the plan installs in about a minute alongside your existing SIM. Your home number stays exactly as it is, and you can switch between plans in Settings whenever you like.
You pay once, from a few dollars, instead of a daily roaming charge, and there is no airport kiosk, no ID check and no card to swap. Buy it at home, install it on Wi-Fi, and you land with maps, ride apps and WhatsApp already working in the arrivals hall. If plans change, every eSIM tops up online in about a minute.
As a guide: 1 GB covers a week of maps, messaging and a few photos a day; 5 GB over a month suits social media and daily browsing; 20 GB or unlimited suits streaming, video calls and working on the road. If in doubt, start small: every plan tops up online in about a minute, so you never pay for data you will not use.
Yes. Our regional plans cover many destinations on one eSIM, so a multi-stop trip needs nothing new at each border: Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, Oceania and a World eSIM for trips that cross regions. The countries included are listed on each regional plan page, and you can combine a regional plan with a country plan for the best value.
No. Most people are done in under two minutes: scan the QR code from the activation email, or on iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later simply tap the Direct Installation link in the same email and the eSIM installs itself. Step-by-step guides are here for iPhone guide and Android guide, our support team is on hand, and a refund guarantee covers you if the eSIM cannot be installed on your device.
Most phones from the last five years support eSIM, including every iPhone from the XR onwards and recent Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel models. Check your model in our compatibility guide before you buy. If your phone was bought on a carrier contract it may need to be unlocked first, which your carrier can do.
Open the activation email, then on iPhone go to Settings, Cellular, Add eSIM and scan the QR code, or tap the Direct Installation link on iOS 17.4 or later. On Android go to Settings, Connections, SIM Manager and scan. Most phones can scan the QR code straight from a screenshot in your photo gallery, so no second phone is needed. Once the eSIM appears in your cellular settings it is installed and ready. Full walkthroughs: iPhone guide and Android guide.
Install it any time before you travel, on Wi-Fi at home: the eSIM does not expire while it sits on your phone. When you land, switch it on and enable data roaming, and your days start counting from that first connection abroad, not from the day you bought it. You can also install on arrival, as long as you have Wi-Fi to download the eSIM.
Yes. Your phone runs as a dual SIM, with your home SIM and the travel eSIM side by side, and most phones store several eSIMs at once with one active for data at a time. Keep a plan for each country on your trip and switch between them in Settings as you cross borders.
Yes. Tethering is included on every plan, so your laptop or a second phone can share the connection whenever you need it.
Your connection pauses rather than charging you more. Top up online in about a minute using the link in your activation email, or in the Yabb app, and you are back online with the same eSIM.
The activation email includes a link to a live usage page for your eSIM, so you can see exactly how much data is left at any time and top up before it runs out.
Top local carriers at up to 5G speeds. The network for this destination is shown above the plans on this page, and the eSIM connects to it automatically when you land.
Choose a 90-day plan where one is offered, or top up your existing plan as you go. Either way the eSIM stays on your phone for the whole trip.
Travel eSIMs are data only, which is exactly why there is no ID or address check to buy one. Everything you normally use runs on the data: WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessage, Uber, maps and your bank app. If you want a real phone number for calls and SMS abroad, our Yabb app gives you calls, texts and a temporary local number without roaming charges. In a few countries we also sell plans that include a local number, minutes and texts, shown in the plan name; those minutes and texts are for local calls and local texts within that country only.
Yes. WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal stay on your existing number with every chat intact; there is nothing to re-register. The eSIM simply supplies the data they run on.
Yes, with your home SIM left in the phone. The eSIM carries all your data, and most carriers deliver incoming text messages to your home number abroad at no charge, so one-time codes from your bank, Google, Airbnb and the rest arrive exactly as they do at home. Keep the home SIM switched on with data roaming turned off, and only the eSIM uses data. Two things to know before you fly: making a call or sending a text from the home SIM is what triggers roaming charges on most carriers, so leave calling and texting to WhatsApp and the like, and a few carriers do charge for incoming texts or block them abroad, so a quick check with your carrier before you leave settles it.