A data-only eSIM gives you mobile internet, but no phone number for regular calls and texts. You can still make phone calls with it. Call over the internet with apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime, use Wi-Fi Calling on your home number, or keep your home line on next to the eSIM. If you need a real local number, pick an eSIM that includes calls and SMS. This guide explains what "data only" means and how each option works.
What does data-only eSIM mean?
A data-only eSIM is an eSIM plan with mobile data and nothing else. There's no phone number you can use, so you can't make or receive regular calls or SMS on it. At SimOptions, you can see this in each plan's details: data-only plans show Calls & SMS: No and eSIM Number: No.
Here's what that means on your phone:
- Works: anything that uses the internet. Maps, browsing, email, and calls and messages in apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage.
- Doesn't work: calling a number from your phone's dialer, sending regular SMS, and receiving calls or texts on the eSIM. People can't reach you on it because it has no number.
Your usual SIM keeps its own number. On a dual SIM phone, both can be on at the same time. Not sure what your eSIM includes? See how to find your eSIM phone number.
Can you make calls with a data-only eSIM?
Yes, but not with the eSIM's own number, because it doesn't have one. You have four options:
- Calling apps: free calls to other app users over your eSIM data.
- Wi-Fi Calling on your home number: calls and texts from your usual number over Wi-Fi, if your carrier supports it abroad.
- Your home line next to the eSIM: regular calls and texts on your usual number, at your carrier's roaming rates.
- An eSIM with a phone number: a local number with calls and SMS included.
You can mix them. A common setup: the eSIM for data and app calls, the home line on for texts and security codes.
1. Call over the internet with apps
Calling apps use Voice over IP (VoIP): your voice travels over the internet instead of the phone network. They work on any data connection, including a data-only eSIM.
Call other app users
WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal and Messenger let you make voice and video calls to people who use the same app. The call itself is free. It only uses your data. Both of you need the app and an internet connection.
Keep your usual number in WhatsApp and iMessage
Your apps keep using the account and number you already have. You don't need a new number for them. On iPhone, check that your phone number is still selected for iMessage and FaceTime (Apple: Add or remove your phone number in Messages or FaceTime). More on texting: can I text with eSIM data?
Call a regular phone number
Apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime can't call a landline or a phone number outside the app. For a hotel, a taxi company or a bank, you need a paid calling service or a line with a real number. A few things to know:
- Google Voice gives you a US number for calls and texts over data. If you call with your US number from another country, Google charges international rates (Google Voice: calling rates).
- Skype closed in May 2025. Microsoft moved users to Teams Free (Microsoft: Skype is retiring), so older advice to "use Skype credit" no longer works.
For a comparison of calling apps, see our list of Wi-Fi calling apps.
Tips for clear app calls
- Use a stable 4G or 5G signal, or good Wi-Fi. A weak signal means choppy calls.
- Voice calls use little data. Video calls use much more, so keep an eye on your plan on long video calls.
- Make sure the eSIM is your mobile data line and data roaming is on for it.
If app calls are all you need, a data-only eSIM is usually enough. Pick a plan for where you're going:
Data-only plans for Europe, Mexico and Asia · 20 GB each · Going somewhere else? Find your destination
2. Use Wi-Fi Calling on your home number
Wi-Fi Calling lets you call and text from your usual number over a Wi-Fi network. People see your normal number, and you can call real phone numbers, not only app users.
How to turn on Wi-Fi Calling
- iPhone: go to Settings > Cellular, tap your home line, tap Wi-Fi Calling and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone (Apple: Make a call using Wi-Fi Calling).
- Android: the Wi-Fi Calling switch is in your phone or call settings, often under the SIM of your home line. The name and place differ by phone and carrier, so search "Wi-Fi Calling" in Settings.
Do this before you travel. Verizon, for example, says an iPhone must be on its US network to turn Wi-Fi Calling on, and you can't turn it on once you've left the country.
What Wi-Fi Calling costs abroad
It depends on your carrier. Some examples from their own pages:
- Verizon: calling back to the US is free (Verizon: Wi-Fi Calling FAQs).
- AT&T: all Wi-Fi calls to US numbers are free. Calls to other countries depend on your international option (AT&T: International Wi-Fi calls).
- Rogers: Wi-Fi calls and texts from abroad to Canadian numbers come out of your plan's minutes and messages (Rogers: Wi-Fi Calling terms).
Other carriers have their own rules. Check yours before you go.
Can Wi-Fi Calling use your eSIM data instead of Wi-Fi?
Sometimes. Some phones and carriers let your home line make and receive calls over the other line's mobile data. It's often called backup calling or cross-SIM calling. Whether it works depends on your home carrier, your phone and its software, so don't count on it. Test it on your first day, with Wi-Fi off, by calling a friend from your home number.
3. Keep your home line on for regular calls and texts
Your phone can run your home line and your travel eSIM side by side. Use the eSIM for data and keep your home line for calls, texts and security codes. Learn more about setting up a dual eSIM.
- iPhone: go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data and choose the travel eSIM. Give each line a label, like "Home" and "Travel" (Apple: Use Dual SIM with an eSIM).
- Google Pixel: go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs and pick the SIM for calls, texts and mobile data (Google: Use dual SIMs on Pixel).
- Samsung Galaxy: use 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 or travel pass first. See the correct roaming settings for an eSIM.
4. Need a real number abroad? Choose an eSIM with calls and SMS
Apps don't help when a restaurant, a tour guide or a rental host needs to call or text you on a normal number. In that case, an eSIM with its own number is easier.
At SimOptions, the Bouygues Telecom plans for Europe come with a French +33 number. Here's what the plan details say:
- Calls and SMS: unlimited within Europe.
- Data: 5G where available, in 46 countries, including the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
- Calls home: calls and texts to numbers outside Europe aren't listed, so use apps or Wi-Fi Calling for those.
- Top-ups: not available, so pick enough data and days for your trip.
Staying up to a month and want a number for local calls and texts? My European eSIM 30GB gives you 30 GB for 30 days with the same +33 number. For shorter or longer trips, compare all plans in our guide to Europe eSIMs with a phone number.
FAQs
What does data-only eSIM mean?
It means the eSIM gives you mobile internet only. It has no phone number you can use, so regular calls and SMS don't work on it. App calls and messages, like WhatsApp or FaceTime, work fine.
Does a data-only eSIM have a phone number?
Not one you can use. You can't give it to anyone or receive calls and texts on it. Your home SIM keeps your usual number.
Can you make calls on a data-only SIM or eSIM?
Not regular calls from the dialer. You can make internet calls with apps, use Wi-Fi Calling on your home number, or keep your home line on for regular calls.
Can I use WhatsApp or FaceTime on a data-only eSIM?
Yes. Both work over any internet connection, including a data-only eSIM. They keep using your usual number and account.
What's the best VoIP app for a data-only eSIM?
Use the app the people you call already have. WhatsApp works on iPhone and Android, and FaceTime works between Apple devices. To call landlines or numbers outside an app, you need a paid calling service or a line with a real number.
Can I still use Wi-Fi Calling if my travel eSIM data runs out?
Yes, as long as you're on a Wi-Fi network and Wi-Fi Calling is on for your home line. Wi-Fi Calling uses Wi-Fi, not your eSIM data.
Does using a travel eSIM for data turn off Wi-Fi Calling on my home number?
No. Wi-Fi Calling is a setting on your home line. Keep that line turned on in your phone's settings and Wi-Fi Calling stays available on Wi-Fi.
Can I receive SMS codes with a data-only eSIM?
No. Codes sent by SMS go to your home number. Keep your home line on, with data roaming off, so you still get them. Check your carrier's roaming rates for texts.
Can I make phone calls from my iPad?
Yes. Use FaceTime or WhatsApp over Wi-Fi or a data eSIM. If you have an iPhone, your iPad can also make and receive calls with your iPhone's number (Apple: Use iPhone to allow calls and text messages on your iPad).
Can I call emergency services with a data-only eSIM?
Don't rely on calling apps for emergencies. Dial the local emergency number from your phone's dialer. In the EU, 112 is free from fixed and mobile phones (European Commission: 112). More on emergency calls on iPhone.