eSIM for rides and meeting people at the airport

Install the profile at home, because that step needs the internet. When the validity clock starts depends on the terms of the plan you bought: some begin at first network connection, some on a date you choose. Read that plan's conditions before you travel.

It depends on whether the validity has started. If you have not activated it, the clock generally has not begun; once it has, the days run whether you use them or not. If you know the schedule might move, check the supplier's activation policy before you switch it on — and ask us if it is not clear.

Most ride apps work on your existing account over data. Some apps, or some countries, may still ask for an SMS verification, and that goes to your existing number rather than to a data-only eSIM. The safe approach is to keep the home SIM able to receive texts and to sign in to the apps you will need before you leave.

Agree the channel in advance — a messaging app you both use — along with a clear meeting point and a fallback for the case where you cannot reach each other. If the car comes from a hotel or a company, get the driver's name and plate before you fly and store them offline on the phone.

The most common cause is that mobile data is still pointed at the home SIM whose roaming you turned off. Next most common is that the eSIM profile is not enabled, or that data roaming on that profile is not switched on. Work through the ordered list above and resist changing several things at once, or you will never find the cause.

If you are leaving the airport for a night you do need data in that country, but the volume is small — mostly maps and messaging. The smallest plan covering that country is usually enough. What to check is that the plan covers the country where you actually leave the terminal, not just the final destination on the ticket.