No data abroad: fix it in ten minutes and get back online

This guide is for any traveller who lands abroad with no data, loses a phone, or faces a roaming bill, at any time of year and in any country. In the next ten minutes you can get online with a data only eSIM bought over airport or hotel Wi-Fi, and keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes. The steps below cover a lost or stolen handset, roaming charges, one-time bank codes, moving an eSIM and emergency numbers.

Landed with no data: get online in ten minutes

The fastest route back online is a data only eSIM bought and installed over airport or hotel Wi-Fi. The QR code arrives by email within minutes, and validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can also be bought at home before you fly.

Steps, in order:

1. Connect the phone to airport or hotel Wi-Fi.
2. Check the phone is unlocked and eSIM compatible; the compatibility guide at /guides/is-my-phone-esim-compatible sets out what to look for.
3. Buy the eSIM for your destination online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. For Europe, see /esim/europe.
4. Install it using the QR code email; the step by step install guide is at /guides/install-esim-iphone-android.
5. Turn off data roaming on the home SIM so it does not carry data, and leave the home SIM switched on for texts.
6. Set the eSIM as the line for mobile data. The network is chosen automatically for the best signal and cannot be picked by hand.

Slashtel eSIMs are data only: there is no local phone number and no calls or SMS, but WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Hotspot and tethering are allowed, so a laptop or a travelling companion can share the connection. More data can be added to the same eSIM later with no new QR code. If you are unsure how much you need, the calculator at /tools/data-calculator helps.

Lost or stolen phone abroad

Contact the mobile provider as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours, so the SIM can be barred and the handset's IMEI blocked. If the provider is not told straight away, the account holder may have to pay for unauthorised calls made before the report.

What to do:

1. Ask the provider to bar the SIM so no calls can be made on the account, and to block the handset's IMEI number so nobody else can use the phone.
2. Request a replacement SIM that keeps the existing phone number; this can be done without taking out a new contract.
3. Report the theft to the police. They will ask for the IMEI number, which can be shown by keying *#06# into the handset. Keep a note of it somewhere separate from the phone for future trips.
4. On an iPhone, the Find My app or icloud.com/find can locate a lost device, mark it as lost or erase it. Erasing cannot be undone.
5. On Android, Google's Find My Device can locate, lock or erase a lost phone that is signed in to a Google Account.

While you wait for the replacement SIM, a travel eSIM bought over Wi-Fi restores data on a spare or replacement handset. Keep the original QR code email: an eSIM can usually be moved to a new phone only by reinstalling or transferring it, as described at /guides/transfer-esim-to-new-phone.

Stopping a roaming bill

Turning off data roaming on the home SIM stops roaming data charges while a travel eSIM carries the data. Keep the home SIM switched on for incoming texts, which is how bank codes arrive, but make sure mobile data is set to the eSIM only.

Checks on the phone:

• In mobile settings, set mobile data to the travel eSIM line.
• Turn off data roaming on the home SIM line.
• Leave the home SIM enabled for calls and SMS if you need bank codes.
• Watch for apps that use data in the background; they will now use the eSIM allowance.
• On an iPhone the settings path is covered at /guides/international-roaming-iphone.

If a bill has already built up, ask the provider to explain the charges and confirm the roaming settings on the account. The exact terms depend on the operator, so the official provider site will confirm them.

Keeping bank codes and your home number working

Banks and apps send one-time codes by SMS to the home number, so the home SIM should stay switched on for texts while abroad. A data only eSIM cannot receive SMS, which is why the two lines work together: the eSIM for data, the home SIM for codes.

Practical points:

• Keep the home SIM in the phone and enabled for SMS; turn off its data roaming.
• If a code does not arrive, check the home line is still active and has signal, then ask the bank to resend it.
• Prepaid home numbers in many countries expire if they are not recharged within the operator's validity period. A small top-up keeps them active; see /keep-number-active/india and /keep-uae-number-active for examples of how this works.
• Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered to the number in minutes, which family at home can use or which keep a home line active; the options are at /recharge.
• The wider relationship between calls, texts, codes and eSIM data is explained at /guides/calls-texts-otps-data-esim.

If a bank app insists on a code to a number that is no longer active, contact the bank directly; only the bank can confirm alternative verification.

Flight cancelled or stranded

If a flight is cancelled or you are stranded, the priority is data for rebooking and messages, then a working number for the airline and your bank. A travel eSIM bought over airport Wi-Fi restores data within minutes, and the home SIM stays on for calls and codes.

What to do:

1. Join airport Wi-Fi and buy or install the eSIM for the country you are in; the QR code arrives by email within minutes.
2. Message the airline and your bank over WhatsApp or another internet call, which works over the eSIM data.
3. Keep the home SIM enabled for SMS so one-time codes still arrive.
4. If you need to stay longer, add more data to the same eSIM later; no new QR code is needed.
5. If your phone is lost in the disruption, follow the lost phone steps above and ask the provider for a replacement SIM that keeps your number.

Slashtel support is on WhatsApp and email if the install does not go through. Destination plan pages are listed at /destinations.

Moving your eSIM to a new phone

An eSIM can usually be moved to a new phone only by reinstalling or transferring it, so the original QR code email is worth keeping. If the old phone is lost or stolen, the transfer may depend on the eSIM still being removable from the old device, so act quickly.

Steps:

1. Find the original QR code email, or the eSIM details saved in your account.
2. Make sure the new phone is unlocked and eSIM compatible; check /guides/is-my-phone-esim-compatible.
3. Install the eSIM on the new phone following /guides/install-esim-iphone-android.
4. If the old phone is gone, contact Slashtel support on WhatsApp or email before buying again, so the same eSIM can be handled correctly.
5. Set the eSIM as the data line and keep the home SIM on for texts.

The full transfer walkthrough is at /guides/transfer-esim-to-new-phone.

Emergency numbers abroad

112 is the European emergency number, free of charge from mobile and fixed phones in every EU country, and it works alongside national emergency numbers. It also works in the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Turkey, among other countries outside the EU.

Before you need it:

• Save 112 in the phone and note the national emergency number for the country you are in; the official local authority site will confirm it.
• An internet call over the eSIM data can reach family, insurers and your bank, but emergency calls should go through the phone's normal call function on the home SIM line where possible.
• Keep the IMEI number (key *#06#) and the provider's contact details somewhere separate from the phone.
• If the phone is stolen, report it to the police and ask for the report; they will ask for the IMEI.

For data before or after an emergency, a Slashtel eSIM for the country you are in can be bought over Wi-Fi and installed in minutes, with support on WhatsApp and email.

Find eSIM plans for your destination before you travel.

Sources

Event details come from the organisers and official sites below. Dates, venues and entry rules can change, so check them before you travel.

• https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/mobile-phones/lost-or-stolen-phone (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/what-to-do-if-your-mobile-phone-is-lost-or-stolen/ (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT210515 (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://support.google.com/android/answer/6160491 (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/112 (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://eena.org/about-112/whats-112-all-about/ (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://slashtel.com/guides/install-esim-iphone-android (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://slashtel.com/guides/transfer-esim-to-new-phone (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://slashtel.com/guides/international-roaming-iphone (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://slashtel.com/guides/calls-texts-otps-data-esim (checked 24 Oct 2026)
• https://slashtel.com/keep-number-active/india (checked 24 Oct 2026)