Yes, usually. Deleting an eSIM takes it off your phone, and your provider can often send a new QR code or let you reinstall it from its app.
Whether the same QR code works a second time depends on the provider, so check your provider’s app or support before you buy a new plan. One wrong tap in Settings and the line you meant to land on is gone. The flight does not wait for you to sort it out.
Is a deleted eSIM gone for good on an iPhone or Android?
The eSIM is gone from your phone, but the plan behind it usually isn’t. What you lose is the old QR code. Simfinity’s 2026 help page puts it flatly: “No. In most cases, a deleted eSIM cannot be installed again with the same installation link or QR code.”
Apple says the same thing from the phone’s side. If you erase an eSIM, you need to contact your carrier to get a new one. Apple’s UK guide adds that if you erase your iPhone or restore it from a backup and accidentally delete your eSIM, the phone may lose its cellular connection until your provider restores it.
Apple also warns against erasing an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless your carrier tells you to. If the eSIM was set up with iPhone Handoff, you must contact your carrier to turn Handoff off for it, and your carrier may keep charging you until you ask.
Simfinity’s page says what to do next. Contact support with your order email, device model, destination country and ICCID if you have it. The provider checks whether any option is available, though Simfinity says reinstalling is usually not possible.
Getting a new eSIM or QR code from your carrier is the first step Apple lists for adding it back. Then Apple’s Set up eSIM on iPhone page runs like this:
- Contact your carrier to get a new eSIM or QR code.
- If your carrier provided a QR code after setup, open the Camera app and scan it, then tap the Cellular Plan Detected notification when it shows up.
- On an iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later, if the QR code arrives in a default email app or browser, tap and hold it. Then tap Add eSIM.
- Tap Continue at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Add Cellular Plan.
How do you reinstall a deleted travel eSIM from the provider’s app?
Open the provider’s app first. Most travel eSIM providers keep your plan in your account, and the app is where a fresh install starts. That beats scanning an old code that has already done its one job.
Take GigSky. Its Help Center says to reinstall like this:
- Open the GigSky app and go to My Plans.
- On your active plan, tap Get new eSIM.
- Select the reason your original eSIM was deleted, then tap Submit.
- You’ll be taken back to My Plans. Tap Install eSIM.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
GigSky adds that you can request a replacement eSIM up to two times this way. If you’ve hit that limit, you contact GigSky support.
With Maya, you log in to your Maya Mobile account and click My eSIMs. Click Install eSIM under your plan, then click Manual Activation Code, copy the code and enter it on your phone when prompted. After you remove a Maya eSIM from your phone, you can re-install it on the same device up to 4 more times, using the Maya Mobile app or the QR code in your order confirmation email. Maya’s help center says that after you buy, the QR code usually arrives by email within 5 minutes.
Each Maya eSIM installs on one device. If you have a lot of unused days and need to move your plan to a new device, a support agent can help.
How do you get a deleted carrier eSIM back from your mobile carrier?
Call or message your carrier and ask for a reissue. A carrier eSIM is tied to your phone number and account, so only the carrier can send you a new one. Have your account details in front of you before you ask.
MoneySavingPro’s 2026 guide says that for Android you contact your carrier for a free eSIM reissue and give your device’s IMEI. It also says to allow 24 to 48 hours for a reissue, and that reissue is free at most carriers. That wait matters if you fly tomorrow.
Carriers ask for different details. T-Mobile’s Prepaid eSIM page says to call 1-877-778-2106 to re-download a replaced or deleted eSIM, with your Prepaid eSIM phone number or OrderID and your account PIN code. Metro by T-Mobile says to have your IMEI and EID ready and give them a call, and you can find both by dialing *#06# on your phone.
US Mobile’s help center says that if you accidentally delete your eSIM, you can transfer your line to a new eSIM. You contact customer support to do it from your dashboard or app.
The pattern holds across all of them. You ask, they check, they send a new eSIM. Ask early, because this is the slow route.
What if your travel eSIM’s QR code only works once?
Then check your phone before you check anything else. An “already used” message often means the eSIM is already on your phone. Andalu’s help page says an eSIM QR code installs your plan on one phone, once, and tells you to check first whether the eSIM is already installed, because often it is.
Wanderly’s guide agrees. It says most travel eSIM QR codes are single-use, and that an “already used” message often means the profile downloaded during an earlier attempt. Look through every installed SIM or Cellular Plan for a new line, even if it is labelled Secondary, Business, Personal or Mobile Data. Wanderly says to turn that line on instead of scanning again, and not to delete the profile to start over.
If the eSIM really is gone, a second scan won’t fix it. Orange Travel’s help page says each eSIM QR code can only be used once and is valid for installation on one single device. Simfinity says the same, and tells you to check whether the eSIM is already installed before anything else.
Don’t keep scanning the same code or try it on another phone. Go to the provider’s app or support and ask for a new code. That’s the move.
Which travel eSIM do you buy if you have to start over?
Buy the one you only have to install once. Maya is one eSIM for 165+ countries, priced flat by trip length at USD 9.99 for 3 days, USD 19.99 for 7 days, USD 27.99 for 14 days and USD 49.99 for 30 days.
Maya is priced by trip length with one eSIM, while each of the other four sells plans per country and per region beside a global plan of its own.
| Travel eSIM | How plans are sold | Unlimited plan allowance, as published |
|---|---|---|
| Maya Mobile | One Global eSIM for 165+ countries, unlimited data at a flat price by trip length: USD 9.99 for 3 days, USD 19.99 for 7 days, USD 27.99 for 14 days, USD 49.99 for 30 days | A daily high-speed data allowance (the Daily Quota) at up to 4G LTE or 5G where local networks offer it, reset every 24 hours; unlimited data at standard speed once the Daily Quota is used |
| Airalo | Per country, per region, or one global plan; priced in USD | Our unlimited data packages don’t have a fixed total data cap. However, to keep the network running fairly for everyone, when you use more than 3GB in a day, we’ll slow down (or “throttle”) your internet speed to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day. |
| Holafly | Per country, per region (Europe, Latin America, Cruise plans), and unlimited monthly/annual global plans | Unlimited data means there is no fixed limit on the amount of data you can use. However, some network operators may temporarily reduce your speed after a certain amount of high-speed data usage, as explained above. |
| Saily | Per country and per region, plus one global plan; by the gigabyte, unlimited, or both | The Unlimited plan gives you 5 GB per day at full 4G/5G speed, then keeps you online at 1 Mbps for the rest of the day — fast enough for navigation, messaging, and standard browsing. |
| Nomad | Per country, per region and global plans; by the gigabyte | For most plans, the high-speed data cap is set at 2 GB per day. You can continue to use your data at a throttled speed of 512kbps after you’ve used up your daily allocation. |
The Maya Mobile row describes Maya’s own plans, and each rival’s row gives that provider’s published wording or a short summary of it.
How Maya’s install-once eSIM keeps one wrong tap from costing you a trip
Maya is installed once and stays on your phone permanently. Every trip after that, you buy a new plan. You don’t reinstall anything and you don’t start over.
A plan ends, the eSIM stays, and we recommend you keep it installed so it’s ready for your next trip. When you land, switch on your Maya eSIM and select it for Cellular Data.
Maya plans are one-time purchases. They end when their days end, and there’s no automatic recurring charge unless you turn on Auto Top-Up. Service in a specific country isn’t guaranteed and can vary for reasons outside our control, and no speed is guaranteed. Pick your days and install once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting an eSIM cancel my plan or just remove it from my phone?
It removes the eSIM from your phone and leaves the plan alone. aloSIM says removing an eSIM only deletes the profile off your phone and doesn’t cancel the plan, and your number stays active as long as the plan hasn’t been cancelled or expired. RedPocket Mobile says that once an eSIM is deleted it cannot be reused or restored, though you can request a replacement online for a fee. Vuoly says deleting an eSIM does not pause or refund the plan.
Will my remaining days and data come back if I reinstall a deleted eSIM?
Data does carry over on some providers. Nomad’s help center says that if you install your Nomad eSIM on a new device, your remaining data will carry over so you can keep using your existing plan. Vuoly’s help center says reinstalling does not reset your data allowance. Ask your provider’s support before you count on it.
What happens to my eSIM when I reset or update my phone?
It stays unless you tell the phone to erase it. On an iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings lets you choose to erase your eSIM or keep it, and if you erase it you need to contact your carrier to reactivate your plan. Xfinity’s guide says a Google Pixel factory reset retains your eSIM automatically unless you select the option to delete it. AT&T says the separate Erase eSIMs option on a Pixel deletes all eSIM profiles, and you’ll need to re-download them.
Is it safe to screenshot or share my eSIM QR code?
Don’t share it. O2’s guide says: “Important: Never share your QR code with anyone and keep it somewhere safe.” O2 also says you can only download your eSIM once using a QR code, and Orange Travel says each code is valid for installation on one single device.
Where are the eSIM settings on Android after I delete one?
Google’s Pixel help page puts them under Network & internet. Open Settings, tap Network & internet, then SIMs, then Add SIM and Set up an eSIM. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Maya puts one eSIM on your phone once and keeps it there between trips, so a wrong tap in Settings stops being a trip-ending problem.
