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on 11-12-2023 06:58 PM
I am thinking of swapping my physical SIM for an eSIM.
If I were to break or lose my phone abroad, is it possible to transfer the eSIM to a different phone whilst still abroad? I was reading on an O2 forum that for O2 the eSIM needs to activated in the UK as it needs a connection to the O2-UK network.
Thanks.
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on 11-23-2023 04:43 PM
Hi everyone,
Sorry for the delay there. Happy to correct my earlier answer, eSIM activation is supported abroad. 🙂
Thanks @littledesk for confirming that you've tested this too, always good to hear 1st hand confirmation too. I've not had a chance to get away for a while personally but I might take some time to swap SIM for research purposes next time I'm on holiday. 😂
Many Thanks,
Jonathan
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on 07-20-2024 04:26 PM
Hello.
Users above have confirmed already that they have had success in completing activations while abroad. Since you haven't been able to get it done, it's possible that the issue isn't due to the fact that you're abroad, it might be that there's an issue with the eSIM. It might be worth contacting the team to find out if you can get a replacement eSIM instead.
Pete.
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on 07-21-2024 09:35 AM
Thankyou for your reply. Three have sent replacement eSIM x4 but none still work .. we have come to a dead stop in any solution
on 11-20-2023 07:56 PM
Buy a SIM temporarily from the country you are visiting. It will be far cheaper than all the awful packages offered by Three. They just want all of your money for poor service.
on 11-21-2023 10:27 AM
Issthu,
Thank you for your advice. I do have a local SIM from the country I spend time in, but I am sometimes there for several months and do need my UK number.
on 11-13-2023 12:11 AM
Pretty sure you have to be in the U.K. to activate a three eSIM.
on 11-13-2023 11:31 AM
Thank you for the reply.
I have just asked the question using live chat and I was told it was posible to activate a new eSIM abroad. Of course that may be incorrect. It would be good to hear from someone who has actually done it.
on 11-16-2023 01:05 AM
I've done it. Works just fine. Great job to 3 UK on ensuring this is possible.
on 11-13-2023 05:58 PM
I went into the large Three shop on Oxford Street, London today and they said it was NOT possible to activate/transfer an eSIM whilst abroad.
One would have thought it was a simple question and one many Three customers would be interested in having a definitive answer, but apparently not.
on 11-16-2023 01:08 AM
What have we learnt here? Don't listen to sales reps in stores. If they were knowledgeable they wouldn't be working in a phone store. HTH.
on 11-15-2023 11:20 AM
Hi @andy12,
I'm sorry to hear you've received two contradictory answers about this. My understanding is that the eSIM needs to be activated whilst your device is in range of Three UK coverage, but I'll get this double checked and let you know.
Thanks,
Jonathan
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