When an eSIM goes wrong: what is refundable and what is not
The line falls between a profile that has been used and one that has not, and on which side the fault sits.
Quick answer
- A profile that has not been installed and has not expired has the best chance of a refund.
- If the device is unsupported or carrier-locked, that is a device-side condition and often falls outside refund cover.
Refunding an eSIM differs from returning a product, because once a profile is issued and installed the network-side cost is already incurred. Terms therefore hinge on the profile's state rather than on how many days have passed.
Cases that usually qualify
- The profile could not be issued after payment
- The QR failed and a re-issue also failed
- The wrong destination was bought and nothing has been installed
Cases that usually do not
- The plan has been installed and partly used
- The device does not support eSIM or is carrier-locked
- The profile was deleted by the customer before use
- Travel plans changed after the validity clock had started
What happens when you report one
- We check whether the profile was issued and whether it has been installed
- If the fault is ours, we re-issue or refund under the policy
- If it is device-side, we help troubleshoot and suggest a workable alternative
Why an eSIM refund is not a product return
When something we bought disappoints us, we assume returning it settles the matter, because the item still exists and can be sold again. An eSIM does not work that way. What you bought is not an object but a right to use a network, reserved for you the moment the system issued the profile. Once that profile has been issued and installed on a device it cannot be pulled back and sold to somebody else; the network-side cost has already been incurred. Refund terms therefore hinge on the state of the profile rather than on how many days have passed since the order.
Understanding this saves time on both sides, because the first question the team has to answer is not how long ago you bought it but what state the profile is in. If the answer is that it has never been installed and has not expired, the odds of the case ending in a refund are at their highest. If the answer is that it was installed and data has already flowed, the conversation shifts to fixing the problem or finding a better-suited alternative.
The line that matters is the profile's state
The table below describes the states a single profile can be in and what each one means for the assessment. It does not replace the terms attached to the plan you bought, but it lets you predict where your case is likely to land before you spend time writing a long explanation.
| State of the profile | What it means | Effect on the assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Never issued after payment | Payment was taken but nothing was delivered | The most straightforward case: we re-issue or refund under the policy |
| Issued but never installed | The profile is ready but has never been added to any device | Of the successfully delivered cases, this has the best chance |
| Installed but no data used | It sits on the device but has never connected at the destination | Depends on that plan's terms; it has to be checked case by case |
| Partly used | It has connected and consumed data | Pro-rata refunds are generally not available, though a fault on our side is still assessed separately |
| Expired | The plan's validity window has passed | Outside the criteria whether or not it was used |
These states can be checked in the system, so neither side has to rely on memory.
The second question: on whose side the fault sits
Once the profile's state is known, the next question is where the cause lies, because those two factors together decide almost everything. A problem created by our systems or by an incomplete delivery is ours to put right. A problem created by the condition of a device or by a buyer's decision belongs to a different category, and it usually falls outside refund cover even when we help fix it thoroughly.
| What you experience | Where the cause usually sits | The usual outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Paid but no QR or email arrived | Our side, or an email that never landed | We check and resend; if it truly failed to issue, we refund |
| The QR reports that it has already been used | Usually a second scan, or an install that already succeeded elsewhere | We locate the profile and advise how to carry on |
| The device says eSIM is not supported | Device side, depending on the model and the market it came from | We help diagnose, but this generally falls outside refund cover |
| Installed but no signal at the destination | Needs checking: settings, the local network, or the profile itself | We troubleshoot in order; if it is our side we re-issue or refund |
| Bought the wrong country or the wrong dates | Buyer side | If nothing is installed there is room to fix it; once used, usually not |
Before you ask for a refund, try these four steps
The sequence below covers most causes of no data at the destination. Follow it in order and do not skip: doing several things at once leaves you unable to say what actually helped. And if you do end up reporting the problem, being able to say what you already tried moves the case along considerably.
- 1Confirm the profile is on the device and selected for dataOpen the SIM or mobile network settings and check the plan's profile is present and set as the data line. Where these menus live differs by manufacturer and OS version, so look in the relevant section rather than following a path memorised from a different phone.
- 2Turn on data roaming for that profileMany travel plans work over partner networks at the destination, so data roaming has to be enabled for that profile before it can connect. This is one of the leading causes of 'installed but no data', and the switch applies only to the profile it belongs to.
- 3Cycle aeroplane mode, then restart onceWait a moment after leaving aeroplane mode so the handset can search again, and if it is still stuck, restart once. Between them these clear most symptoms caused by a phone still holding on to the network it knew before.
- 4Try selecting a network manuallyIf the phone still will not latch on, open network selection and choose manually from the list. This helps where several networks overlap. If the first choice fails, try another entry before concluding the plan is dead.
If all four fail, that is the moment to report it, not before. Say what you have already done and the team can skip straight past the checks you have covered.
What to have ready before you report a problem
The difference between a case that closes quickly and one that drags is usually just the quality of the first message. If it contains everything on the list below, the team can check the status immediately instead of asking follow-up questions. That matters most when you are in a different time zone from us, because a single round trip can cost half a day.
- The order number, or the email address used at purchase
- The brand and model of the device, with its operating system version
- The country and city you were in when the problem happened
- A screenshot of the actual error message rather than a description of it
- A screenshot of the network settings showing the profile name
- What you have already tried, and what happened each time
- When it is convenient to reach you, since you may be in another time zone
Wrong destination, wrong dates, wrong size
Ordering mistakes are the commonest group and the one with the widest range of outcomes. The variable that decides it is whether you have installed it. If you have not, and it has not expired, report it the moment you notice rather than waiting for the departure date, because the remaining time is what makes a fix possible. Once it is installed and used, the options narrow sharply.
Two mistakes recur: destinations with similar names, and a layover city that is not part of the plan. The other is dates, where somebody buys months ahead alongside the flights and only later finds the validity does not cover the travel window. Both are checkable in thirty seconds before paying, and that check is always cheaper than a refund request.
When the device is the problem, not the plan
The group whose outcome most often disappoints is the unsupported or carrier-locked device, because those conditions sat on the hardware before the order was placed and were not created by what we delivered. We will check, explain exactly where it is stuck and offer a workable alternative, but this category generally falls outside refund cover.
A carrier lock is a matter between you and the operator that sold the handset; whether it can be released, and on what terms, has to be asked of them directly. eSIM support depends on the model, the production year, the market it was sold in and the software version, and it can always be checked in advance. Check before paying, especially for a second-hand handset or one bought abroad.
Is slow data or weak signal grounds for a refund?
This is harder to answer than it looks, because speed and signal strength depend on things a plan does not control: the local network, how many people are on it, the building, where you are standing and the handset itself. Sluggishness in a packed station at rush hour says nothing about the plan. No signal at all, across several days and several areas, is a different matter and should be reported.
What separates the two is evidence. Note where it happened, at what time and what the phone displayed. If somebody else in your group is on a different network, compare at the same spot at the same moment. That gives an investigation something to hold on to, unlike a report that simply says the data was slow, which is very hard to examine after the fact.
Once a case is open, how long does it take
We do not publish a fixed timetable, because cases genuinely differ. Checking a profile's state is comparatively quick. The step that takes time is confirming details with the network side when that is necessary. And once a refund is approved, the money reaching your card or account still depends on the payment provider's and bank's own cycles, which are outside our control.
Only a few things slow a case unnecessarily: sending information one piece at a time, opening the same case in several channels at once so the details scatter, and deleting the profile before we have looked at it. The last one matters most, because when a profile is removed some of the evidence used to check it goes with it.
How to almost never need this page again
Most refund cases are preventable at two moments: before paying and before leaving. The three highest-value habits are checking the device before buying, checking the destination and dates against the actual tickets, and completing the installation at home on Wi-Fi you trust. Together they take a few minutes and remove nearly every cause of a complaint.
- Confirm the device supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked, before paying
- Compare the country and dates on the order page against the tickets one more time
- Install at home on Wi-Fi you trust, not at the airport
- Keep the confirmation email and order number findable during the trip
- If anything looks wrong before departure, ask straight away rather than waiting until you land
When the answer is no
Some cases genuinely fall outside the criteria, and we will say so plainly with the reason it does not qualify, because vague encouragement wastes more of your time. What we can still do is find something that works for the rest of the trip: a plan suited to the device you actually have, or an approach that does not depend on the original profile.
If you disagree with the outcome, reply within the same case with information you have not sent yet, such as screenshots from the time the problem occurred or details of the location. Opening a fresh case does not speed anything up, because the team will still have to stitch the two together.
Časté otázky
Can I cancel halfway through?+
Roaming plans are not built for mid-term cancellation; once in use, pro-rata refunds are generally not available.
I have not installed it at all. Can I get a refund?+
A profile that has never been installed and has not expired is the case with the best prospect. Report it with the order number as soon as you notice, because the time left before expiry affects what options remain. The final outcome still depends on the terms of the plan you bought.
My plans changed halfway through. Can I get a pro-rata refund?+
Roaming plans are not designed for mid-term cancellation, and once in use, refunds proportional to the remaining data or days are generally not available. If the trip is postponed before you start, report it before installing or before the clock begins, because that state is treated very differently.
I bought a plan and then found my phone does not support eSIM.+
Send the model and the order number and we will confirm whether it is a genuine hardware limit or a settings issue that can be fixed. Hardware limits generally fall outside refund cover, because the condition existed before the order. If nothing has been installed, the case can still be looked at individually.
I paid but no QR arrived. How long should I wait?+
Check the spam folder and the address you typed at checkout first, because a mistyped email is a common cause. Then message us with the order number or that address and we will check whether the profile was issued. If it was, we can resend it; if it genuinely failed, it moves into the refund process under the policy.
I deleted the profile because I thought it was faulty. Can I get another?+
Most eSIM profiles install only once, so deleting one usually ends its usable life, and that generally falls outside refund cover. If you have just done it and told nobody, message us with the order number straight away and we will check what options remain, though we cannot promise recovery.
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