Choosing a plan
Family trip: one travel eSIM each, or one plan shared by hotspot?
How to choose between a travel eSIM on every phone and one plan shared by hotspot for a family or group trip, with the checks for each phone and the sizing that works.
The short answer
For a family or group, put a travel eSIM on every phone that will leave the group at any point, and share one plan by hotspot only for devices that stay beside the phone that carries it. A shared plan depends on one phone staying charged and nearby, which fails the first time someone wanders off. Run the phone check for each device separately, because eSIM support depends on the exact model.
The group arrives, and one person becomes the router. It saves money on day one. By day three that person's phone is on fifteen percent, they have gone to buy water, and the rest of the group is standing outside the museum with no tickets. The decision is worth ten minutes before you fly.
Who in the group needs their own eSIM?
Anyone who will be apart from the group with a phone they rely on. Teenagers. The partner who wants to run in the morning. The friend who lands on a different flight. Each of those phones needs its own line, because hotspot only reaches a few metres and only works while the host phone is awake, charged and nearby.
Give each of those travelers a plan sized for their own use. A child who watches video on the train needs more than a parent who reads maps. Our data guide shows how to estimate per person from the phone's own usage screen.
Who can share?
Devices that stay with the host phone. A tablet for the back seat of the rental car. A laptop that only opens in the apartment. A second phone that belongs to the same person. For those, one plan with hotspot included covers the lot, and the plan card states whether hotspot is included before checkout.
Size the shared plan for every device on it, not just the phone. A tablet streaming for two hours can use more than a day of everyone else's maps combined.
Can the phones even take an eSIM?
Check each one. eSIM support depends on the exact model and the regional version, and each phone must be unlocked. A family with four phones can easily have one that will not work. Run the phone check for every device, and read our compatibility guide for the older phones in the group.
Each eSIM is installed on the phone it belongs to, from that phone's own email. Apple's and Google's setup guides, linked below, show the steps; do them at home on Wi-Fi so nobody is installing at the gate.
What about the phone number question?
Everyone keeps their home number. On a dual-SIM phone the home line stays in for calls and texts and the travel line carries data. The group chat runs over data anyway. WhatsApp calls work over the eSIM data, so the "where are you" call works even though the plan has no phone number of its own. Our guide on keeping your number covers the settings.
Does a group need a regional plan?
Only if the group's route crosses borders. Then the check is the same for every phone: every country where that person will use data must appear in the plan's included-country list. The route guide explains it. A group where one person leaves early for a different country may need one different plan for that person.
The short version
One eSIM per phone that will ever be on its own. One shared plan for devices that never leave the host phone's side. Check every phone before you buy, install every eSIM at home, and nobody has to be the router.
Before you choose a plan
For an estimate based on your own phone use, read How much mobile data do I need for a trip?.
To plan setup and check when your plan’s validity starts, read When should you install your travel eSIM?.