What is an eSim?

jbrassy

I just read the Guardian article you mentioned. I don't think esims are the problem per se. The issue was that someone was able to steal someone else's personal information and use it to order a replacement sim from O2. It just happens that the fraudsters ordered an esim rather than a physical sim (probably because a physical sim would be sent to an address). They then used the esim to get verification code messages for online banking and steal money. 

Here is the article for anyone interested: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/feb/19/sim-swap-how-your-bank-account-can-be-emptied-by-phone

Having read the article, the person says she believes her ID was stolen through people hacking her email (she didn't have 2 factor authentication). I think the takeaway is to make sure you have strong passwords for sensitive websites (like email accounts and online banking) and use 2 factor authentication (preferably with an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator). Another thing which may help is setting up a PIN for your sim card which I believe can help reduce the likelihood of fraud.

Going back to esims, the MSE article talks about using them when travelling abroad. If you use one of the reputable companies listed in the article, you should have no worries. Using esims for travel and having your ID stolen are unrelated. 

GeoffPierce

I have just returned from a 3 week trip to Japan where I used an eSIM for the first time. I was slightly nervous of the whole idea, so went with Airalo who are one of the big providers. I bought a 10Gb 30 day ‘Moshi Moshi’ Japan eSIM on their App for US$15 (£12 total), which compares fabulously with the £8.60 or so per day that my UK network provider, EE, wanted to charge as an add-on.
It was a bit fiddly to download and install, even after reading and rereading all the instructions and watching the guidance videos, and it does require some confidence in being able to go into your phone ‘settings’ and making the necessary changes, such as selecting which line is your ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ etc, but it’s fairly obvious and the instructions do make it clear.
On arrival in Nagoya Japan, as my plane taxied to the gate, I switched off ‘airplane mode’ on the phone, and it instantly connected to a Japanese network and started downloading messages etc.
It continued to work flawlessly as I travelled around Japan for the next 3 weeks. When I left Japan, I had only used 3.7Gb of the 10GB I had purchased. The Airalo App usefully shows you how much of your data is remaining.
Having now used it once, I would have no hesitation in buying another eSIM when I next travel outside Europe.

sue.lewis

I travelled out of Europe for 6 months and used Airalo eSIM in all 16 countries, from Bolivia to Indonesia. Worked perfectly every time, and ease of use far outweighs the possibility of not finding a physical SIM at unsocial hours to see if it’s cheaper - it never was, I stopped checking after the first 4 countries. Only not available in Cook Islands as it’s so remote they only have one provider. 

airmyncat5151

I’m travelling to USA and  Carribean, would I need 2 separate eSIMs for both countries?

flaneurs_lobster

airmyncat5151 said:

I’m travelling to USA and  Carribean, would I need 2 separate eSIMs for both countries?

The Caribbean is 16 countries and another dozen dependencies, you need to be a little more specific.

alanjones60

Iv got a firsty e sim, you can select by country, e u,or global,but it is data only. 

saraburke

Please add eSim as a field to the best sim only deals filter (possibly other filters as well!). I have an iphone 12 and can only use an esim for my second line. It's really tricky working out which providers offer esims every time I need to find a new deal! Thanks