Yes, most modern phones can hold two eSIMs at once, but there is an important distinction: your phone can STORE many eSIM profiles (often eight or more) while only a limited number can be ACTIVE at the same time. On the majority of phones that means one active eSIM plus your physical SIM. On newer iPhones it can mean two active eSIMs simultaneously. Knowing which of those your phone supports is the whole game, and a data-only travel plan like the one from £2.59 slots neatly into either setup. eSIMpass sells eSIMs for 200+ destinations; the US plan is used here as a worked example.
This guide is about running two eSIM profiles - two travel plans, or an eSIM-only phone with no physical SIM. If you only want the usual home SIM plus one travel eSIM, the dual SIM setup guide is the simpler read. Below is the honest, model-by-model picture, plus exactly how to switch between stored profiles and which combinations are worth setting up.
Store Many, Run Few: The One Rule to Remember
Every eSIM-capable phone works the same way at heart. Installing an eSIM writes a small profile into a chip called the eUICC. You can save a whole stack of these profiles - a US plan, a Japan plan, a spare work line, last year's Europe trip - and they just sit there dormant. iPhones can typically store eight or more; most Android phones store several too.
What is limited is how many run at the same time. An active eSIM is one that is switched on, registered to a network, and able to use data or (if it is a network line) make calls. Storing profiles costs nothing; keeping them active is where the ceiling sits.
So the real question is never "how many eSIMs can I install." It is "how many can be active together, and can I mix an eSIM with my physical SIM." Those answers depend on your exact phone.
What "Dual SIM" Actually Means on Your Phone
Dual SIM just means two lines usable at the same time. It comes in three flavours, and eSIM changes which one you get:
- Physical SIM + eSIM: the most common. Your home network stays in the physical tray; a travel eSIM becomes the second active line. Supported by nearly every eSIM phone.
- eSIM + eSIM (dual eSIM): two eSIM profiles active together, no physical SIM needed. Available on newer iPhones and some Android models, not all.
- Two physical SIMs: older style, not relevant to eSIM and increasingly rare on flagship phones.
For a traveller, the first option covers almost every case: keep your number, add data. The second matters mainly if your phone has no physical tray at all, which is now true of US iPhones.
iPhone: What Apple Actually Supports
Apple's support is broad but easy to overstate, so here is the careful version.
- iPhone XR, XS, and newer broadly support Dual SIM using one eSIM plus the physical SIM active at the same time.
- iPhone 13 and later add Dual eSIM, meaning two eSIM profiles can be active at once without a physical SIM.
- On those models you can also store multiple eSIMs (eight or more) and switch between them, even though only two run simultaneously.
- US iPhone 14 and later have no physical SIM tray at all, so on those, dual SIM always means eSIM + eSIM.
To add a plan: Settings > Mobile Service (called Mobile Data in some regions) > Add eSIM > Use QR Code or Enter Details Manually. After install, label the line clearly ("US Travel", "Home") under Settings > Mobile Service > [line]. For a deeper walkthrough see eSIM for iPhone.
Android: It Depends on the Model
Android is where overstating support gets you in trouble, because it varies by manufacturer and even by model year. The safe summary:
- Most eSIM Android phones support one active eSIM plus one physical SIM.
- Two active eSIMs at once is not universal on Android. Some recent flagships allow it; many do not. Do not assume it without checking your specific model.
- Storing multiple eSIM profiles and switching between them is widely supported even where two-active is not.
Paths differ by brand. On Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM. On Google Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Download a SIM (or the +). Full brand-by-brand steps live in eSIM for Android. If in doubt about your model, eSIM Compatible Devices lists what is supported, and dialling *#06# shows an EID number if your phone has eSIM hardware at all.
The Two Combinations Worth Setting Up
There are two setups that genuinely help travellers, and each solves a real problem.
Home number + travel data. Keep your everyday SIM (physical or eSIM) active for calls and texts on your normal number, and add a travel eSIM purely for data. You stay reachable on your usual number - bank codes, two-factor texts, family calls - while browsing, maps, and streaming all run on the cheap local-rate travel plan. This is the setup 90% of travellers want.
Two travel eSIMs for a multi-country trip. Heading US then Canada, or across a border mid-trip? Install both eSIMs before you leave. On a phone that supports two active eSIMs you can have both ready; on any phone you can at least store both and switch in seconds when you cross over. No shop visits, no hunting for a new QR on the road.
How to Switch Between Stored eSIMs
Switching an active line takes seconds once profiles are installed. The key idea: you choose which line handles data, and separately which handles calls and texts.
On iPhone:
- Open Settings > Mobile Service.
- Tap Mobile Data and pick the line you want for data (your travel eSIM).
- Tap Default Voice Line and keep your home line for calls and texts.
- Turn Data Roaming ON only for the travel eSIM line (Settings > Mobile Service > [travel line] > Data Roaming), and leave it OFF on your home line to avoid bill shock.
- Leave Allow Mobile Data Switching OFF if you want to be certain data never falls back to your expensive home line.
On Android (Samsung/Pixel wording varies): open SIM manager or SIMs, then set Mobile data to the travel eSIM and Calls/SMS to the home line. Toggle Data roaming per line the same way.
A data-only travel eSIM has no phone number - it exists solely to carry data - which is exactly why pairing it with your home line for calls is the natural combination.
Pricing Example: A US Travel eSIM as the Data Line
Here is what the data line in that home-plus-travel setup looks like in practice, using the US plan as the example:
| Data | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3GB Data | 15 Days | £3.60 |
| 5GB Data | 30 Days | £5.39 |
| 10GB Data | 30 Days | £9.71 |
| 20GB Data | 30 Days | £17.47 |
| 50GB Data | 30 Days | £39.32 |
| 1 Day | 1 Day | £2.59 |
| 2 Days | 2 Days | £5.19 |
| 3 Days | 3 Days | £7.78 |
| 4 Days | 4 Days | £10.20 |
| 5 Days | 5 Days | £12.93 |
| 6 Days | 6 Days | £15.67 |
| 7 Days | 7 Days | £18.41 |
| 8 Days | 8 Days | £19.78 |
| 9 Days | 9 Days | £21.83 |
| 10 Days | 10 Days | £23.20 |
| 11 Days | 11 Days | £25.25 |
| 12 Days | 12 Days | £27.30 |
| 13 Days | 13 Days | £28.67 |
| 14 Days | 14 Days | £30.04 |
| 15 Days | 15 Days | £32.09 |
| 16 Days | 16 Days | £33.46 |
| 17 Days | 17 Days | £34.15 |
| 18 Days | 18 Days | £35.51 |
| 19 Days | 19 Days | £37.57 |
| 20 Days | 20 Days | £38.94 |
| 21 Days | 21 Days | £40.30 |
| 22 Days | 22 Days | £40.99 |
| 23 Days | 23 Days | £41.67 |
| 24 Days | 24 Days | £42.36 |
| 25 Days | 25 Days | £43.04 |
| 26 Days | 26 Days | £43.73 |
| 27 Days | 27 Days | £44.41 |
| 28 Days | 28 Days | £45.09 |
| 29 Days | 29 Days | £45.78 |
| 30 Days | 30 Days | £47.15 |
Not sure how much data to put on your travel line? Estimate it here:
Installing a Second eSIM Without Losing the First
A few practical guardrails so a second profile does not cost you the first:
- Install over Wi-Fi. Adding an eSIM needs an internet connection to download the profile, but the download itself does not consume your plan's data.
- A profile installs once. Re-scanning the same QR code after it is already installed usually fails. If you delete a profile and need it back, you generally need a fresh one from support, not the old QR.
- Deleting can be permanent. Removing an eSIM can wipe it for good. Before you delete anything to make room, be sure you will not need it, or that you can get a replacement.
- Label everything. With several profiles stored, clear names ("Home", "US Travel") prevent you from roaming on the wrong, expensive line by accident.
For step-by-step first-time setup, see eSIM Installation and Activation. For the deeper dual-line configuration, our dual SIM setup guide walks through the toggles line by line, and the data roaming setting explained covers the one switch that trips people up most.
Keeping Your UK Number On While a Travel eSIM Does the Data
This is the set-up most British travellers want: your EE, O2, Vodafone or Three line stays switched on for calls and the texts your bank sends, and the travel eSIM carries all the data. The UK networks are openly fine with it. O2 says an eSIM lets you "add a dedicated travel eSIM if your device supports it"; Vodafone suggests making your original SIM the default for calls and texts and the other eSIM the data line; Three sells two-line use as "perfect for business or travel". The one limit is giffgaff's: an account can only have one SIM or eSIM at a time, so the second line must come from another provider.
Your phone has to be unlocked, and most are: UK networks have not been allowed to sell locked phones to consumers since December 2021, and Three, Sky and Tesco say their handsets are sold unlocked. If yours is an older locked O2 phone, ask O2 to unlock it before you go - O2 only does it while you are in the UK.
On iOS 26, when you add a travel eSIM your iPhone asks whether to use the Travel eSIM Only or the Travel eSIM and Current eSIM. Choose both to keep your UK number; Apple's own wording is that the travel eSIM is then used for data, but "you might still incur roaming fees from your home eSIM" - which is why data roaming stays off on the UK line.
What your UK line costs to keep on depends on the network. Receiving texts abroad is free on Three in every destination band. On O2, receiving calls and texts is included in its Europe Zone, and its £7-a-day O2 Travel pass is not triggered by receiving anything - only by making a call, sending a text or using data. Vodafone passes on any fee a foreign network charges it for delivering a text to you. One thing you cannot fall back on: EE, O2, giffgaff, Tesco, Sky and iD all say Wi-Fi Calling does not work outside the UK, so a call you answer on your UK number abroad is a roaming call, even over hotel Wi-Fi.
Sources: each network's own help pages and price guides, and Apple's UK support pages, read on 9 October 2026. Networks change these processes; check yours before you rely on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use two eSIMs on any phone?
You can store two on almost any eSIM phone, but running two active at the same time is only guaranteed on newer iPhones (iPhone 13 and later support dual eSIM). Many Android phones allow one active eSIM plus a physical SIM, not two active eSIMs. Check your exact model on eSIM Compatible Devices.
Will my home number keep working with a travel eSIM?
Yes. Keep your home SIM or eSIM as the active voice line and add the travel eSIM as the data line. Calls and texts stay on your usual number while data runs on the cheaper travel plan. Just turn data roaming off on the home line so it never quietly racks up charges.
Can I keep my UK number for bank texts while using a travel eSIM?
Yes. Leave your UK line switched on with data roaming off, and make the travel eSIM the data line. Texts still arrive on your UK number; Three, for example, does not charge to receive texts anywhere. Wi-Fi Calling does not work abroad on most UK networks, so calls you answer on that line are charged as roaming.
Does a travel eSIM have its own phone number?
No. A data-only travel eSIM carries data only and has no phone number, which is precisely why it pairs so well with your existing line for calls and texts.
How many eSIMs can my iPhone store?
Recent iPhones can store eight or more eSIM profiles and switch between them freely. Only up to two can be active at the same time (dual eSIM on iPhone 13 and later); the rest sit dormant until you switch to them.
If I delete an eSIM to add a new one, can I get it back?
Not automatically. Deleting an eSIM can be permanent, and re-scanning the original QR code usually will not work once a profile has been installed. You would need a fresh profile from the provider. Only delete a profile you are certain you no longer need.
Which line uses data when I have two active?
Whichever you set as the data line. On iPhone that is Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data; on Android it is the Mobile data choice in SIM manager. Set it to your travel eSIM, keep roaming off on the home line, and your data always runs on the plan you intend.
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