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You've just touched down at Narita Airport in Tokyo, it's 11pm, your hotel is a 45-minute train ride away, and Google Maps needs a data connection to work. The two options in front of you are turning on international roaming and watching your Spark or One NZ bill accumulate roaming charges at $10–$15 per day in roaming fees or joining the queue at a SIM card kiosk, hoping someone speaks English and that your phone accepts an unfamiliar nano card. Neither is a great start to a trip.
There's a third option most Kiwi travellers still aren't using, despite eSIM NZ availability growing rapidly, eSIM New Zealand plans now covering hundreds of destinations: an eSIM, downloaded before you left home.
What is an eSIM and how does it work?
What is eSIM? An eSIM is a SIM card built directly into your phone — no plastic, no tray, nothing to insert or lose. Instead of swapping physical cards, you activate an overseas data plan by scanning a QR code or tapping through an app. The whole process takes under two minutes and can be done from your couch before you pack.
Unlike a physical SIM, an eSIM doesn't replace your existing New Zealand number. Most phones support two active lines simultaneously: your Spark, One NZ, or 2degrees SIM stays in the phone handling calls and texts on your NZ number, while the eSIM runs the data in whichever country you're travelling in.
Which phones support eSIM? iPhone XS and later (every model from 2018 onwards), Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, and most recent Google Pixel models including the Pixel 7 and 8 series. If you're unsure whether your specific handset is an eSIM-compatible device, and want a list of compatible phones, the manufacturer's website lists eSIM support in the technical specifications or you can check a compatibility database before purchasing a plan.
Why eSIM makes sense for New Zealand travellers
The cost difference compared to standard international roaming is the most immediate argument. Spark's international roaming add-on for Japan costs around NZD $10 per day for 200MB, that's $70 for a week, with a data cap that runs out during a single afternoon of maps and Instagram. A 7-day international data plan for Japan through a travel eSIM provider costs around NZD $15–18 for 1GB to 3GB of data, or roughly $25–30 for unlimited. You're paying less and getting more.
For Kiwi travellers who do multi-destination trips like Japan to Thailand to Europe in one go, a regional eSIM covering multiple countries makes even more sense. Many travel eSIM plans cover 190+ countries under a single purchase, the best eSIM for Europe trips, for example, covers the whole continent without switching plans, which means one eSIM handles Tokyo, Bangkok, and Rome without buying a new plan at each airport.
The other practical advantage is timing. You can activate the eSIM before your flight departs from Auckland or Christchurch. By the time the plane lands overseas, your phone is already connected. No hunting for a SIM vendor, no decoding a foreign carrier's prepaid packaging, no lost time on the first day.
How to get and use the Yesim app
The process is straightforward regardless of whether you're on iPhone or Android.
Download the Yesim eSIM app from the App Store or Google Play. It's free to download, you only pay when you purchase a data plan.
Create an account with your email address. This takes about 30 seconds.
Select your destination. You can browse by country or region if ,your trip covers multiple countries, look at the regional plans, which often work out cheaper than buying individual country plans for each leg. Plans are listed with data allowance, validity period, and price in USD (the conversion to NZD is straightforward at current rates).
Purchase your plan. First-time users get 10% off their first order, use promo code YESODTNZ10 at checkout.
Install the eSIM. On iPhone, go to Settings → Mobile Data → Add eSIM, then scan the QR code displayed in the Yesim app. On Android (Samsung Galaxy S24 as an example): Settings → Connections → SIM Manager → Add mobile plan, then scan the same QR code.
The profile downloads and installs in under two minutes. eSIM activation is complete, you've successfully activated eSIM on your device.
Set the eSIM as your data line. To activate eSIM for data, select it as your mobile data source. Keep your NZ physical SIM as the default for calls and texts — just switch the mobile data source to the eSIM. You'll find this under Settings → Mobile Data on iPhone, or Settings → Connections → SIM Manager on Samsung.
Activate when you're ready. You can leave it dormant until you land, then turn it on, the validity countdown only starts once the plan is active on a local network.
Practical tips for first-time eSIM users
Setting up an eSIM is genuinely straightforward once you've done it once, but the first time, there are a handful of things that catch people out and turn a five-minute setup into a frustrating hour at the airport. None of the issues below are serious, and all of them are avoidable if you sort them out before you leave New Zealand rather than after you land.
Check your phone is unlocked. If you bought your phone on a plan directly from Spark, One NZ, or 2degrees and never unlocked it, it may only accept that carrier's SIM profiles. Contact your carrier to confirm — most NZ carriers will unlock a phone that's been active for six months or more, often at no cost.
Install while you're on Wi-Fi. Downloading the eSIM profile requires an internet connection. Do it at home before you leave, or at the airport on the free Wi-Fi — not on the plane.
Keep your NZ SIM in the phone. On any phone that supports dual SIM (one physical, one eSIM), both lines run simultaneously. Calls and texts on your New Zealand number work normally while your overseas data runs through the eSIM. You won't miss a message from home.
If data doesn't connect on arrival, toggle aeroplane mode. Switch it on for ten seconds, then off. This forces the phone to re-register on the local network and usually resolves any connection delay after landing. It's the first step to try before anything more complicated.
Watch validity windows. A 7-day plan starts counting from activation, not purchase. If you activate it two days before you land, you're using up your window. Either buy the plan in advance and activate it on arrival, or purchase it closer to your departure date.
The practical upshot
Sorting out mobile data used to mean one of three things: paying too much for roaming, spending 20 minutes at an airport kiosk, or going without until you found a café with Wi-Fi. A travel eSIM or eSIM New Zealand travellers use for international trips removes all three problems from the equation. The plan is bought, installed, and ready before you leave, which means the only thing waiting for you at baggage claim is your luggage.
