Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you order
Q. Will my phone work with your eSIM?
A. Your phone needs to support eSIM and must not be locked to a carrier. Most iPhones from the XS onward and most recent Android flagships support eSIM. If you are not sure, contact us before you order. On an iPhone you can check under Settings > General > About, where an EID is listed for eSIM-capable models.
Q. Where can I use it?
A. We offer a Japan eSIM, a North America eSIM (United States, Canada and Mexico), and a World eSIM, all data-only. We also offer a U.S. Phone Number eSIM, which gives you a real American phone number. For the World eSIM you choose your destination from the list on the product page, and the plan is issued for that destination.
Q. How soon can my plan start?
A. You can start today. If you choose today as your start date, we send your activation details straight away — usually within minutes for a data eSIM. For a future start date we send them the day before, so they are easy to find when you need them.
Q. How are the days counted, and what is the day-11 discount?
A. You choose a start date and the number of days you need, and the plan runs for that many days from the start date. Day 1 through day 10 are charged at the full daily rate; from day 11 onward each additional day is charged at half the daily rate. The total is shown on the product page before you add the plan to your cart.
Q. How much data do I get?
A. The daily data allowance depends on the destination and the length of your plan. It is shown on the product page for the destination and number of days you selected, before you add the plan to your cart.
Installing the eSIM
Q. Should I install it before I travel? Will that waste my days?
A. Please do install it before you travel — it costs you nothing. Your days start when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination, not when you install it. Setting it up at home means one less thing to do after a long flight.
Q. Is there a deadline for installing it?
A. Yes. Please install within 30 days of receiving your QR code. The activation code has a validity window, and after it passes the code stops working and has to be reissued. Installing early and connecting later is fine — the deadline applies to the installation, not to your travel.
Q. How do I install it?
A. Your email gives you three ways, and you only need one of them:
- Tap to install (iPhone, iOS 17.4 or later). Open the email on the iPhone you want to use and tap the install button. No QR code needed.
- Scan the QR code. Open the email on another screen, such as a computer, a tablet or a second phone, and scan the attached QR code with the phone you want to use.
- Enter it by hand (Android and manual setup). The email lists the SM-DP+ address and the activation code. Enter them under your phone's "Add eSIM" and "Enter manually" option.
Q. I only have one phone. Can I still scan the QR code?
A. You cannot scan a QR code shown on the same screen you are reading it from, which is why the email leads with the one-tap install for iPhone and always lists the SM-DP+ address and activation code you can type in by hand.
Q. Nothing happens when I arrive. What should I check?
A. Make sure the eSIM line is switched on and that mobile data is turned on for that line. If it still does not connect, reply to your activation email and we will help.
Q. Can I delete the eSIM when I have finished with it?
A. Yes. Once your plan has ended, you can remove it under Settings > Cellular to keep your phone tidy. Please do not delete it while you are still using it: an eSIM cannot be reinstalled from the same code once removed, so a new one would have to be issued.
The U.S. Phone Number eSIM
Q. When do I get my number?
A. Once we have your device details (see the next question), we activate the line and email you the number. If you choose today as your start date, that is usually within 1–2 hours of you sending them. For a future start date we activate the line on the morning of that day and email you then. We cannot issue the number earlier, because the days are counted from activation.
Q. What do you need from me?
A. Two numbers from the phone that will use the eSIM: its EID and IMEI. You do not need them when you order. Straight after your order we email you a link, and you open that link on the iPhone you will use. The page shows you where the two numbers are (Settings > General > About), and on an iPhone you can touch and hold each value, tap Copy, and paste it in — nothing to write down. It takes about a minute. If two IMEIs are shown, use the first one, labelled simply IMEI.
Q. I cannot open the link, or I am not sure what to paste. Can you help?
A. Yes. Reply to that email, or call us, and we will take the details from you and enter them ourselves.
Q. Is there a QR code for this one?
A. No. The U.S. number eSIM installs itself: connect to Wi-Fi and restart your phone, and a "Set Up Cellular" prompt appears. The email walks you through it.
Q. How long does the number stay active, and can people call me back on it?
A. The number works for the period you booked. Switching it off afterwards is done by hand at the carrier, so it can stay live for a few days past your end date, and we cannot promise exactly when it stops. If you plan to give this number out and receive calls back on it — a hotel, a tour operator, a clinic — please keep that in mind and do not rely on it beyond your booked period.
Pocket WiFi rental
Q. How does it reach me, and when should I set my start date?
A. We ship it by USPS Priority Mail, flat $13.50 anywhere in the United States. Please choose a start date at least 5 days after your order so the router arrives in time.
Q. How do I return it?
A. Put the router and the charger back in the box, attach the prepaid tracked label we include, and drop it at any USPS location. There is nothing to pay and no appointment to make.
Q. Where can I use it?
A. We are starting with Japan and adding countries as we go. If your destination is not on the list yet, please contact us and we will tell you where we stand.
Q. How many devices can connect?
A. Up to five at once — phones, laptops, tablets. Just switch it on; there is nothing to set up.
Q. What does it cost?
A. $9.90 per day, and from day 11 each extra day is half price. Shipping is $13.50.
Q. Should I choose a pocket WiFi or an eSIM?
A. If your phone supports eSIM and one device is enough, an eSIM is usually simpler — nothing to carry and nothing to return. A pocket WiFi suits you better when several devices need to be online, or when you would rather not change anything on your phone. One common case: tickets bought in Japan for a game or a theme park often have to be shown live in an app at the gate rather than as a screenshot, and roaming does not always connect on arrival — with a pocket WiFi you connect the same phone that holds the tickets.
Changes, cancellations and refunds
Q. Can I cancel?
A. Yes, as long as we have not yet issued your activation details. Once the activation QR code or the U.S. number has been issued, the plan cannot be refunded, because it is issued to you personally and cannot be re-sold. Same-day starts are issued immediately, so please contact us before ordering if you are unsure.
Q. Can I change my start date?
A. Contact us before your activation details are sent and we will change it. For a future start date that means before the day preceding your start date; for a same-day start the details go out immediately, so there is no window.
Getting help
Q. How do I reach you?
A. The quickest way is our contact form, or simply reply to your order or activation email — both reach the same place. You can also call us at 213-624-2496 (Mon–Sat 9:00–17:00, Los Angeles time). We answer in Japanese and English.