Wondering why you can't find an "Activate" button in the holiday.com app after landing? Don't worry—you don't need one!
Your eSIM is designed to connect automatically once you reach your destination. If you haven’t arrived at your destination yet, please note that your eSIM will not work until you’re in a location covered by your data plan. If you have already arrived and your data hasn't kicked in yet, you likely just need to tweak a few quick settings on your device. This guide will walk you through exactly what to check so your data plan can activate and you can get online.
In this guide, you'll learn how to:
- Activate your eSIM after you land in your destination
- Configure the required device settings for your data plan to start working.
- Start using your eSIM for mobile data when you arrive at your destination, provided you have the correct data plan for that destination.
As soon as you see the "Installed" label in the app, your holiday.com eSIM is successfully installed on your device. From there, you simply need to buy a data plan/bundle and activate it to get up and running. Your data connection will establish automatically when you arrive at your destination, provided the following steps are complete:
iPhone:
- Go to Settings > Cellular or Mobile Service. Under SIMs, tap holiday.com’s eSIM and ensure Turn On This Line is toggled ON. On the same page, scroll down and toggle ON Data Roaming.
- Go back to the Cellular or Mobile Service page. Tap on the Cellular Data option. Select the holiday.com eSIM as your Primary data source/line.
Samsung:
- Go to Settings > Connections > SIM card manager. Toggle ON the holiday eSIM > Scroll down and under Preferred SIMs, tap Mobile Data and select your holiday.com eSIM.
- Next, go to Connections > Mobile networks and look for Access Point Names or APN. In the APN field, enter globaldata and save the change.
- Return to Mobile networks, then turn Data roaming ON. Your device should automatically connect to a supported network upon arrival at a supported destination for your chosen data plan.
Google Pixel:
- Go to Settings > Tap Network & internet > SIMs, select the holiday.com eSIM, and turn on Use eSIM (or Use this SIM), Mobile data, and Data roaming.
- Under the same eSIM menu, scroll down to Access Point Names (APN), add or edit the APN to globaldata, save it, and then go back to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile data to tap and select the holiday.com eSIM as your primary choice.
Other Android Devices:
- After arriving at your destination/plan’s coverage area, go to Network Settings, then tap Network & Internet > Mobile network (or SIMs, if you have multiple SIM/eSIMs), select your holiday.com eSIM, then scroll down to Access Point Names or APN, enter globaldata, and save the change. Completing this step earlier may result in an error or early activation of your plan/bundle.
- Select the holiday.com eSIM as your Mobile Data preference.
- Toggle the following settings ON: Use eSIM, Mobile data, and Roaming. Your device should automatically connect to a supported network upon arrival at a supported destination for your chosen data plan.
After completing the required configuration above, you should see LTE/4G/5G in your device’s signal status, indicating that your data connection is successful.
While it generally may take up to 5 minutes, your data carrier and other environmental factors may affect how long it takes for your eSIM to activate and connect to the internet.
If you’re still experiencing difficulty connecting to the internet after 15 minutes, please get in touch with our support team through the help button in the holiday.com app or by sending an email to support@holiday.com.