eSim or 2 phones?

Khaderbhai

Hi

Does anyone use an eSim to have a ‘work’ number and also keep their own personal number? Had a quick google and seems possible if you have a phone made in last few years. Does anyone have any experience using it? Specifically looking at how easy it is to switch between making calls from say work and then to personal, or if it’s just easier having a work phone separately? 

Thanks

Savvy_Sue

DH has had a 2nd SIM for a number of years, and has had no problems. It's easy to see which no. is calling, and he can switch work off if he wants to.

I've always had 2 phones. The big advantage of that is that you can go on holiday and leave the work phone to be dealt with by a colleague. It was easier to contain work: no random apps which only concerned work etc.

ChasingtheWelshdream

I do for my business and find it really easy. I can see whether a call is a business or personal, and I can choose which sim/number I want to make a call from.

I briefly had two phones but found it a pain so went down the e-sim route. My personal number is on e-sim with Tesco, my business is Asda PAYG and a physical sim in an iPhone 13.

savergrant

Khaderbhai said:

Hi

Does anyone use an eSim to have a ‘work’ number and also keep their own personal number? Had a quick google and seems possible if you have a phone made in last few years. Does anyone have any experience using it? Specifically looking at how easy it is to switch between making calls from say work and then to personal, or if it’s just easier having a work phone separately? 

Thanks

You can find out whether your phone is esim compatible in sim manager. If it is only used in work time it is quite easy to switch the sim too inactive. You can also select calls as 'ask always' so you can choose which sim to use for each call.

DullGreyGuy

Khaderbhai said:

Does anyone use an eSim to have a ‘work’ number and also keep their own personal number? Had a quick google and seems possible if you have a phone made in last few years. Does anyone have any experience using it? Specifically looking at how easy it is to switch between making calls from say work and then to personal, or if it’s just easier having a work phone separately? 

How it works will vary by operating system. With an iPhone you have a primary and secondary line, you can either set contacts to be either preselected to one or the other or alternatively use the last line used to call them. When calling a new number it will default to the primary but it's easy to switch it on screen before hitting the call button. 

I've played with it in the past, iPhones have supported them for 6 years, but too often forgot to switch lines and so the two got blurred. Secondly, I travel a fair bit and tend to use the second sim slot for an overseas card so doesn't support that. 

I was scarred a few years back where I had a work phone for calls, a personal phone, a work device for emails, a work device for mobile data and work laptop with most of them having a different charger. Whenever I was away for work or a working holiday ended up with a bag just for all that rubbish. Since then I have a single phone that I use for work and personal with 1 UK sim and one overseas sim. Thankfully the nature of my work isn't going to get me frequently receiving out of hours calls and as a contractor having prior clients being able to reach out to me after I've left has proved profitable a couple of times. 

Khaderbhai

Thanks all for comments, you have given me the confidence to try the eSim route

vacheron

We just tried the eSIM route as my wife needed to travel to two different non-eu countries, and data using her UK provider was £5+ per MEGAbyte! 

We got her a 30 day 10GB e-sim for each country for about £6 each, it was really easy to set up (just scan a QR code) and she could turn each of her 2x eSIMs and her physical SIM on and off individually in seconds while she was on the plane.

All worked faultlessly. 

Her iPhone 14 allows up to 5 e-sims to be "loaded" plus one regular SIM, but only two can be active simultaneously.

I'm now a willing convert!   

didibibim

I'm using eSIM along with a physical SIM card, so I have two SIM cards in my phone. It really saves me from carrying two phones...

(Just that my phone's battery runs out faster )