A data-only eSIM gives you mobile internet and nothing else: no phone number, no regular calls and no SMS. A phone plan gives you a phone number with calls, texts and usually data too. Most travel eSIMs are data-only, while the plan from your carrier at home is a phone plan. The good news: you don't have to choose. Most phones that support eSIM can keep your home number for calls and texts while a travel eSIM handles your data. This guide explains the difference, when each one fits your trip, and how to stay reachable on your own number.
What does "data-only eSIM" mean?
An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone (Apple: Set up eSIM on iPhone). The plan you put on it decides what you can do. "Data-only" means the plan gives you internet access, but no phone number.
What works on a data-only eSIM
- Browsing, maps, email, social media and streaming.
- Rideshare, banking and booking apps.
- Calls and messages in apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessage, Messenger, Zoom or Google Meet. They keep using your usual account and number.
- Sharing your connection with a laptop or tablet through a hotspot, if the plan allows it.
What doesn't work on a data-only eSIM
- Regular phone calls from the Phone app.
- Normal SMS text messages.
- People reaching you on a number, because the eSIM doesn't have one.
So "data only vs voice and data eSIM" comes down to one question: do you need a phone number on that eSIM? If you keep your home line on your phone, often you don't.
What is a phone plan (or cellular plan)?
A phone plan is a service from a mobile carrier that comes with a phone number. You can make and receive calls, send and receive texts, and use mobile data. "Cellular plan" is the name your iPhone gives to any plan on a SIM or eSIM, in Settings > Cellular. A cellular plan can be a full phone plan or a data-only plan.
A phone plan can sit on a physical SIM card or on an eSIM. Having an eSIM doesn't make a plan data-only. If your carrier at home moved you to an eSIM, it still has your number, calls and texts. See SIM cards vs eSIM for the difference between the two formats.
eSIM data plan vs phone plan: the main differences
Phone number, calls and texts
- Data-only eSIM: no number. You call and text through apps over the internet.
- Phone plan: a number with calls and texts, plus data in most cases.
How you pay
- Data-only travel eSIM: usually prepaid. You pay once for a set amount of data and days. No bill, no contract.
- Phone plan: prepaid or postpaid. Postpaid means a monthly bill, sometimes with a contract.
Where it works
- Travel eSIM: made for the country or region you visit, so you use local networks there.
- Phone plan: made for your home country. Abroad, it roams on partner networks, at your carrier's roaming rates.
Which devices use them
- Data-only plans are common for tablets, laptops, hotspots and smartwatches, and for travel.
- Phone plans are for your phone and your everyday number.
Prepaid vs postpaid eSIM for travel
When you travel, the difference between prepaid and postpaid is about how roaming gets billed.
- Postpaid eSIM (your home plan): if you use it abroad, calls, texts and data are charged at your carrier's roaming rates or through a roaming add-on, and show up on your next bill. Check your carrier's rates before you go.
- Prepaid travel eSIM: you pick the data and the days before you fly and pay once. When the data runs out, you top up or stop. There's no bill waiting for you at home.
Many travellers combine both: the prepaid travel eSIM for data, and the postpaid home line kept on for calls and texts, with data roaming turned off. Traveling with family? Read how an eSIM makes a trip with kids easier.
Which one do you need for your trip?
A data-only eSIM is enough if
- You call and message mostly on WhatsApp, FaceTime or iMessage.
- Family and friends should keep reaching you on your usual number.
- You need maps, messaging, rideshare apps and browsing.
- You travel to the USA, Canada or Asia and want local data without roaming charges.
Travelling from Canada to the US, or from the Philippines around Asia? A data-only eSIM for your destination covers maps, messages and app calls, and your home number stays on your phone. Studying abroad? See our guide to eSIMs for students abroad.
Data-only plans · USA, Canada and 26 countries in Asia and the Middle East, including the Philippines · USA · Canada · Asia · Find your destination
A plan with a phone number makes sense if
- Hotels, tour guides, restaurants or delivery drivers need to call or text you on a local number.
- You need to call local numbers yourself.
- You'd rather not give out your home number, which can cost you roaming fees when it rings.
At SimOptions, eSIMs with a phone number are only available for Europe. The Bouygues Telecom plans come with a French +33 number and unlimited calls and SMS within Europe, in 46 countries. All other SimOptions plans, including the USA, Canada and Asia, are data-only. If you're heading to Europe and want a number, Travel Basic+ covers trips of up to 15 days. More details in our guide to a Europe eSIM with a phone number.
How to keep your home number for calls and texts
A data-only eSIM doesn't replace your number. Here are three ways to stay reachable on it while you travel.
1. Keep your home line on with dual SIM
With dual SIM, your phone runs two lines side by side. Only one line can use mobile data at a time, so the travel eSIM handles data and your home line stays on for calls and texts (Apple: Use Dual SIM with an eSIM).
- iPhone: go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data and choose the travel eSIM. Label your lines, like "Home" and "Travel".
- Google Pixel: go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs and pick the SIM for mobile data (Google: Use dual SIMs on Pixel).
- Samsung Galaxy: go to Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
Then turn off data roaming on your home line, so it can't use data abroad. Calls and texts on your home line can still cost roaming fees, so check your carrier's rates. More in our guide to the correct roaming settings for an eSIM.
2. Use Wi-Fi calling on your home number
Wi-Fi calling lets you call and text from your home number over Wi-Fi. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular, pick your home line, then turn on Wi-Fi Calling (Apple: Make a call using Wi-Fi Calling). Set it up before you leave. What it costs abroad depends on your carrier. In Canada, for example, Rogers says Wi-Fi calls and texts from abroad to Canadian numbers come out of your plan's minutes and messages (Rogers: Wi-Fi Calling terms). Check your own carrier's rules.
3. Call and text with apps
WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over any data connection, including a data-only eSIM. They keep using your usual number. On iPhone, check that your home number is selected for iMessage and FaceTime (Apple: Add or remove your phone number in Messages or FaceTime). Skype is no longer an option: Microsoft retired it in May 2025 (Microsoft: Skype is retired). More tips: how to make phone calls with a data-only eSIM.
How to set up a data-only eSIM next to your home line
- Check your phone. It must support eSIM and be unlocked. See how to check eSIM compatibility.
- Buy the plan for your destination. Your QR code comes by email.
- Install it on Wi-Fi before you fly. On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM and scan the QR code. On Android, add it in your SIM settings.
- Label the lines "Home" and "Travel" so you can tell them apart.
- When you land, choose the travel eSIM for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it.
- Keep your home line on for calls and texts, with data roaming off.
FAQs
What does data-only eSIM mean?
It means the eSIM gives you mobile internet only. There's no phone number, so you can't make regular calls or send SMS from it. You can still call and message through apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime.
Are all eSIMs data-only?
No. An eSIM is only the digital SIM. Your carrier at home can put a full phone plan with your number on it. Most travel eSIMs are data-only, but some include a number, like the Bouygues Telecom plans for Europe.
What's the difference between data-only and voice and data eSIMs?
A voice and data eSIM has a phone number with calls and texts, plus data. A data-only eSIM has internet only. If you keep your home line on your phone, a data-only travel eSIM is often enough.
Can I use WhatsApp or FaceTime on a data-only eSIM?
Yes. WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over any internet connection and keep your usual number. Don't register WhatsApp again on another number unless you want to move your account.
Does an eSIM have a phone number?
It depends on the plan. Your home plan on an eSIM has your number. A data-only travel eSIM has none. You can find your eSIM phone number in your phone's settings if your plan has one.
Is a travel eSIM prepaid or postpaid?
Travel eSIMs are usually prepaid: you pay once for a set amount of data and days. Your home plan may be postpaid, and roaming on it is billed on your next bill.
Will I still get texts and security codes on my home number?
Yes, as long as your home line stays on and has a network abroad. Your carrier may charge roaming fees for calls and texts on that line, so check before you go.
Can I get a data-only eSIM for the USA or Canada?
Yes. SimOptions sells data-only eSIMs for the USA and Canada. They give you local data and work next to your home line.
