Why roaming has to be on

A travel eSIM is not your home carrier. At the destination it registers on a local partner network. Phones treat that as roaming, even though you already paid for the travel plan.

If Data Roaming is off on the eSIM, the phone keeps the profile but will not send data. That looks like “installed, signal maybe, no internet.”

This is not the same as roaming on your home SIM, which can bill you at retail rates. Leave home-SIM data and home-SIM roaming off.

Checklist when there is no internet

  1. Airplane mode is off.
  2. The travel eSIM line is on.
  3. That eSIM is selected as the default mobile data line.
  4. Data roaming is on for the eSIM only.
  5. Mobile data (and data roaming) are off on the home SIM.
  6. Automatic data switching is off, so the phone cannot fall back to the home SIM.
  7. You are in a country the plan covers, and the plan has started (some plans wait for first connection at the destination).

If the QR never installed, use the installation guide instead.

iPhone

  1. Open Settings › Cellular (or Mobile Data).
  2. Under Cellular Data, choose the travel eSIM — not the primary line.
  3. Tap the travel eSIM, turn Turn On This Line on, then turn Data Roaming on.
  4. Open the primary (home) line and turn Data Roaming off. Turn off cellular data for that line if the toggle exists.
  5. Turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching.

Open Safari on cellular (Wi-Fi off) to test. If there is still no data, wait a few minutes, toggle airplane mode, or restart.

Android (Pixel and Samsung)

Menu names differ, but you need the same three facts: eSIM on, eSIM selected for mobile data, roaming on for that SIM.

Pixel

  1. Settings › Network & internet › SIMs.
  2. Tap the travel eSIM. Turn Use SIM on.
  3. Turn Mobile data on for that SIM.
  4. Turn Roaming on.
  5. Open the home SIM and turn mobile data and roaming off.

Samsung

  1. Settings › Connections › SIM manager.
  2. Set Mobile data to the travel eSIM.
  3. Open the travel eSIM and enable Roaming (or Settings › Connections › Mobile networks › Data roaming while that SIM is the data line).
  4. Confirm the home SIM is not selected for mobile data.

Still no internet

  • Confirm the plan includes this country and has not expired.
  • Do not change the APN unless the provider gave you one.
  • Restart the phone once after roaming is on.
  • Hotel Wi-Fi plus a screenshot of SIM settings is enough for support — do not send the QR code.

Related: common eSIM setup mistakes and keeping your home number with dual SIM.