Plans, usage and top-ups
Checking what is left, adding more data, and how validity and speed limits work.
Check how much data you have left
In the app Open the app and choose your eSIM. It shows the data remaining, the data used, and how long the plan has left to run. This figure comes from the network rather than from your phone, so it is the one to go by. Refreshing it Pull to refresh on the eSIM screen. Usage is reported by the network on its own schedule, so the number can lag behind what you have actually just used, particularly right after a large download. Your phone's own counter Your phone also counts data per line, in its cellular settings. It is useful for a rough sense between refreshes, but it counts differently from the network and it keeps counting until you reset it manually. Do not use it to decide whether you have run out. See "Why our usage figure differs from your phone's". Running low Top up before you hit zero if you are relying on the connection. Buying a top-up needs a connection of its own, which is much easier to do while you still have one. See "Top up a plan that has run out".
Top up a plan that has run out
A top-up adds data to the eSIM you already have installed. There is nothing new to install and no new QR code to scan. How to do it 1. Open the app and choose your eSIM. 2. Choose to top up. 3. Pick the amount of data you want. 4. Pay. The data is added to the same eSIM, usually within a couple of minutes. If you have already run out of data You need some connection to buy a top-up. Use Wi-Fi, or your normal home line briefly if you can afford the roaming. This is why topping up slightly early is worth the small waste. Paying without a bank in the way If you are on a weak connection, a card verification screen is the step most likely to fail. Paying from your SimFuse wallet avoids it entirely, which is a good reason to keep a small balance while travelling. See "What the SimFuse wallet is, and paying with it". Top-ups and validity A top-up adds data to the plan you have, and lives inside that plan's remaining validity. If the plan is close to expiring, check what is left before adding a large amount. See "Refunds on top-ups". If the data does not appear Refresh the eSIM screen. If the payment went through and the data is still missing after a few minutes, contact us with your order ID.
How validity periods are counted
A plan has two limits: the data on it, and how long it lasts. Whichever runs out first ends the plan. When the clock starts Validity starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination, not when you buy it and not when you install it. This is why you can buy well in advance and install at home without losing days. What that means in practice - Buy before you fly, install on your home Wi-Fi, and arrive with it ready. - Do not activate it deliberately before you travel just to check it works. Installing is enough of a check. - Once it connects, it runs continuously, including days you do not use it. Days rather than dates A plan measured in days runs from first connection, so a 7 day plan that connects on Monday afternoon runs to the following Monday afternoon. Seeing your dates The app shows how long your plan has left once it has started. Before it starts, it shows as not yet activated. When validity runs out with data left The remaining data goes with it. If you need more time rather than more data, buying a fresh plan is usually the right answer. See "What happens when your plan expires".
Why our usage figure differs from your phone's
Your phone and the network both count your data, and they will never agree exactly. Neither is broken. They measure at different points Your phone counts what the apps on it send and receive. The network counts what actually crossed it, which includes protocol overhead the phone does not attribute to any app. The network figure is the one your plan is billed against. They cover different periods Your phone's counter runs until you reset it manually, so unless you reset it when the plan started it is counting a different window than we are. Reporting is not instant Usage is reported to us by the network in batches, so a large download can take a while to show. Right after heavy use, our number is usually the lower of the two. Which one to trust Ours, for deciding whether you have data left. Your phone's, for a rough sense of which app is using it. See "Check how much data you have left" and "Top up a plan that has run out". When the gap is too large to explain If the difference is dramatic rather than a few percent, tell us. Send what the app shows, what your phone shows, and roughly what you have been doing. A genuinely wrong figure is something we want to find.
Can I use one plan on two devices?
No. A plan is installed as an eSIM profile on one device, and that profile cannot exist in two places at once. Even where a QR code can be scanned twice, the plan can only be active on one. What to do instead Share the connection. Use hotspot on the phone with the plan and connect your other devices to it. This is what most people want, and it works for a laptop, a tablet, or someone else's phone. See "Share your connection with hotspot or tethering". Buy a second plan. If both devices need to work independently, or you will be apart, buy a plan for each. You can buy both in one order. For a tablet or a laptop If the second device needs its own connection rather than yours, it needs its own plan, and it needs to support eSIM itself. Moving a plan between devices Moving is not the same as sharing. Whether a plan can be transferred depends on the eSIM, so check the app before you delete anything, and contact us if it is not clear. See "Deleting an eSIM, and when not to". Watch the data Everything a hotspot serves comes out of the same allowance, and a laptop can get through a lot without anyone noticing. See "Fair use and speed limits on your plan".
Set a data warning on your phone
Your phone can warn you at a threshold you choose, which is a useful backstop alongside the app's own low-data notification. Android 1. Open Settings, then Network and internet, then SIMs. 2. Choose the SimFuse line. 3. Open the data warning and limit settings. 4. Set a warning, and a limit if you want the line switched off automatically. iPhone and iPad iOS does not have a per-line data limit. What it does have is a usage counter per line in Cellular settings, which you can reset when your plan starts so the figure means something. A more useful habit Check the app rather than the phone. It shows what the network has counted, which is what your plan is measured against. See "Check how much data you have left". Turning off the biggest consumers - Turn off automatic app updates over cellular. - Turn off background app refresh for apps you do not need live. - Download maps and playlists before you travel. - Lower video quality in streaming apps, which is where most surprise usage comes from.