When does my eSIM plan actually start counting?

Common confusion: customers install the profile a week before they fly, see the countdown nowhere, then panic at the airport.

Here's the rule

The validity period (the "7 days", "15 days", etc.) starts at the moment your phone first registers with a partner network in the destination country. Not at purchase. Not at install. Not at scan.

What this means in practice

• Buy + install a week before your trip → no clock ticking.
• Land in Tokyo, the phone scans local networks, attaches to KDDI/au → clock starts.
• Travel offline on the plane → no clock ticking.
• Layover in a country your plan doesn't cover → no clock ticking either.

A few specific cases

• Multi-country regional plans: the clock starts at the first partner-network attach inside the coverage area.
• Data-only plans: same rule. Voice and SMS aren't relevant.
• Unlimited plans: same rule for the validity window, but the daily fair-use cap (where applicable) resets on a local-time calendar boundary.

How to confirm it has started

• iPhone: Settings → Cellular → tap profile → if "Cellular Plan" shows a status bar at top with signal, you're attached.
• Android: Settings → SIMs → tap profile → "Signal strength" appears.
• Both: open a maps app and pan around. If tiles load, data is live.

If 5 minutes pass after landing and nothing is working, see the "No data after install" wizard on our support page.