A data eSIM for a long stay: 180 days, 365 days and top-ups
How to keep one travel eSIM going for months: the 180-day and 365-day plans, when the clock starts, how top-ups work, and when a local SIM still helps.
Most travel eSIMs are sold for a week or two. A semester abroad, a winter somewhere warm or a long work project changes the arithmetic: you want one line that lasts, and you do not want to install a new eSIM every month. There are three ways to get that, and they suit different people.
Three ways to cover months
One long plan. A 50 GB package valid for 180 days is on sale for 19 destinations as this is written, in October 2026:
- single countries: China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam;
- regions: Europe (42 countries), Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
The United States, Europe (42 countries) and the Global plan also have 20 GB for 90 days.
A shorter plan, topped up. Most fixed packages can be topped up: more data goes onto the same eSIM, with no new QR code. This is the flexible route when you cannot guess how much you will use.
Daily Unlimited for the heavy stretch. A day pass gives a full-speed allowance every day and slows down after it, without cutting off. It is priced per day and bought for a set number of days, from 1 to 365. It cannot be extended or topped up, so it suits a month of heavy use better than half a year of light use.
What the long plan costs
Where a destination sells 50 GB for both 30 and 180 days, the longer one costs only a little more. These were the prices in October 2026:
| Destination | 50 GB, 30 days | 50 GB, 180 days |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | $43.49 | $46.49 |
| Thailand | $85.99 | $89.99 |
| China | $87.49 | $92.99 |
| France | $47.99 | $61.99 |
| United States | $78.49 | $98.49 |
| Japan | $47.99 | $78.49 |
Prices move, and the destination page has today's. The pattern is the useful part: you are paying for the gigabytes, and the extra five months are close to free. If there is any chance you will stay longer, the 180-day plan is the safer buy.
How far 50 GB goes in six months
It works out at about 8 GB a month, or roughly 280 MB a day.
That is comfortable for messengers, maps, mail, browsing and music, which is what a phone does when home or the office has Wi-Fi. It is not enough to replace home broadband: video, video calls and a laptop on the hotspot are what use data up. If the eSIM is your only connection, plan on top-ups, or put a Daily Unlimited pass on the weeks you need it.
When the clock starts
You can buy well ahead. An eSIM has to be installed within 180 days of purchase, and for most plans the days start counting on the first connection at the destination, not at checkout. The plan card says so where it differs.
So buy and install at home, over Wi-Fi, and switch the line on when you land.
Keep the eSIM on the phone
A top-up goes onto the eSIM you already have. That only works while the eSIM is still installed, and a deleted eSIM usually cannot be downloaded again.
- When you leave the country for a while, switch the line off in the phone's settings. Do not remove it.
- To add data, open the Top up page and enter the eSIM's ICCID, which is on your order page. It lists the packs available for that eSIM.
- To see what is left and when the plan expires, use Check data balance.
- Keep the order link. It is the only way back to the QR code and the ICCID.
A year on one line
The Global plan has an unusual option: 1 GB valid for 365 days across more than 120 countries and regions. It is not for daily use. It is for someone who crosses borders often and wants maps and messages to work the moment the plane lands, before sorting out anything else. It can be topped up when a trip needs more.
Global does not mean everywhere. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Georgia, Russia and the Maldives are among the places it does not cover, so check the list on the page.
What a long stay needs that an eSIM does not give
A local phone number. These eSIMs carry data only. For a few weeks, messengers cover it. Over months, a bank, a landlord or a delivery app will want a local number, and that means a local SIM alongside. Most phones that take an eSIM run two lines at once.
A registered handset, in some countries. Turkey cuts off a phone used with a Turkish SIM for more than 120 days unless it is registered, and the fee was 54,258 lira in 2026. Indonesia registers the IMEI of every phone on an Indonesian SIM, and a tourist registration lasts 90 days. A roaming eSIM is a foreign line and is outside both rules. A local SIM bought for its number is not.
A local address on the internet. A roaming eSIM's traffic often comes out in another country, and websites see you there. Streaming catalogues and apps that check your location go by that address. Each destination page says where its plans come out.
Paying over months
If you expect to top up more than once, the esimker wallet saves a step each time. You fund a prepaid balance with crypto once, and each top-up after that is one tap, with no invoice to pay and no confirmation to wait for.
Before buying, check that your phone takes an eSIM on the compatible phones page.