Your first eSIM bought with Bitcoin: a calm, step-by-step walkthrough

Buying a travel eSIM is one of the more practical things to spend Bitcoin on: the product is digital, it is delivered by email, and you usually want it sorted before you board a plane. The process is simple, but paying with Bitcoin has a few moments where it helps to know what to expect. This walkthrough covers the order from start to finish, including the parts people most often get stuck on.

1. Check your phone before you spend anything

An eSIM only works on a phone that supports eSIM and is not locked to another carrier. Check both requirements regardless of how you pay. Before choosing a plan, read our device checks — it takes about two minutes. If your phone was bought on a contract or from a carrier store, pay special attention to the unlock check.

2. Choose a plan in dollars, not in sats

Every plan on this store is priced in US dollars. That is the authoritative price. When you pay in Bitcoin, the payment invoice converts the dollar total into BTC at the moment the invoice is created, using the payment provider's rate. We deliberately don't show you a BTC figure on product pages unless it's backed by a live, timestamped rate, because a stale estimate is worse than none.

Compare plans on three things: data allowance, validity period (how many days the data lasts after activation), and coverage (one country or a region). Read the activation policy on the plan page — some plans start their validity when the eSIM first connects to a network in the destination, others when installed.

3. Enter the email that will receive your eSIM

Your eSIM is delivered as a QR code and a manual activation code, sent to the email you provide at checkout. Use an address you can open on a second device — you'll scan the QR code with the phone that will use the eSIM, so it's easiest if the code is displayed on a laptop or another screen. Enter it carefully and check the address before continuing.

4. Pick “Bitcoin & supported crypto” and open the invoice

Choosing crypto sends you to a hosted payment invoice. The invoice is where you'll see which coins and networks are available for your order, the exact amount to send, the address or payment request, and a countdown. Treat the invoice as the source of truth — not a screenshot, and not an amount you calculated yourself.

• Send the exact amount shown. Wallets that subtract the network fee from the amount you type can leave a payment short.
• Send on the network the invoice specifies. Sending a token on the wrong network can mean the payment is not detected.
• Pay before the countdown ends. If the timer expires, the rate is no longer locked and the invoice may close.
• Don't reuse an old invoice address for a new order.

5. Wait for confirmation — and don't panic

An on-chain Bitcoin payment needs to be seen and confirmed by the network before an order is treated as paid. Depending on network conditions and the fee your wallet used, this can take from a few minutes to longer. While it's pending, our payment page will say so plainly. It won't tell you the order succeeded until the backend confirms the payment, because a page that says “success” for a payment that later fails is a broken promise.

If you're returned to the store and the status says pending, you can leave the page open — it re-checks automatically — or save the private status-page link and return later. Once your eSIM is issued, you can also use the email and order number in order lookup.

6. What if something goes wrong?

• Underpaid: the invoice received less than required. The order isn't fulfilled automatically; contact support with your order number rather than sending a second payment to the same address.
• Expired: the payment window closed. If you already sent funds, check the saved status page and contact support before paying again. An expired invoice does not prove that no funds were sent.
• Cancelled: you returned from the payment page. Check the saved payment status before retrying; returning to the store does not prove that no payment was made. Your basket stays saved on this device.

7. Receive, install, travel

After payment is confirmed, we request your eSIM from the provider. When it is ready, the QR code and installation instructions appear on your order and email delivery is attempted automatically. You'll also see them on the payment status page and in order lookup. Install the eSIM while you have Wi-Fi, keep the line turned off for data until you arrive if your plan starts on first connection, and switch data to the eSIM when you land.

A note on privacy

Paying with Bitcoin does not make a purchase anonymous. Bitcoin transactions are recorded on a public ledger, payment providers may apply their own checks, and an eSIM is a mobile network service. We collect what we need to deliver and support your order, as described in our privacy notice. If you choose Bitcoin, choose it because it's how you prefer to pay — not because of a promise nobody can honestly make.