When does the countdown start?
For most plans, the moment the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination. A 7-day plan you connect on Monday afternoon expires the following Monday afternoon. A few plans start on installation instead; the plan page tells you which. See When to buy, install and switch on.What if I never switched it on?
A plan that’s never used still has a deadline: the Activate by date on your plan page. If you haven’t connected by then, the plan expires unused. It’s typically months after purchase, so it only bites if a trip is postponed a long way.Can I extend it?
Before it expires, yes, if the plan supports top-ups: a top-up sets a new expiry counted from the day you top up. See Top up your eSIM. After it expires, no. An expired plan can’t be reactivated or topped up; the answer is a new plan.What about the eSIM on my phone?
It stays there, harmlessly, until you remove it. Either:- Leave it. It won’t connect to anything or cost anything.
- Delete it from your phone’s SIM settings to keep the list tidy. Remember an eSIM can only be re-added to the same phone, and an expired one has no reason to come back.