No expiry
An eSIM that never expires
Almost every travel eSIM sells a bundle with a countdown attached, and whatever you don't use dies with the clock. Load a Silent eSIM instead and there is no clock. Your credit is US dollars sitting on the eSIM — and dollars don't rot.
What "never expires" actually means
It's a billing model, not a promotion that gets withdrawn next quarter. Five mechanics do all the work:
- You buy credit, not gigabytes. Your top-up lands on the eSIM as a USD balance. There is no allowance to run down and no bundle size to pick.
- Nothing starts a clock. The balance has no activation date, no validity window and no renewal. Installing the eSIM doesn't start one either.
- You're charged only while data is flowing. The network meters your usage and deducts it from the balance roughly every ten minutes, at the published rate for the country you're standing in.
- At zero, data pauses — it doesn't bill. There is no overage and no surprise invoice. Add credit and the same eSIM is back online in seconds. No reinstall, no new QR code.
- Leftovers survive the trip. Whatever you didn't spend in Lisbon is still there in Lima next February. One balance, every country.
What expires with a bundle — and what doesn't here
| What happens to it | Bundle eSIM | Silent eSIM balance |
|---|---|---|
| Unused data | Deleted when the validity window ends | Stays on the eSIM as credit |
| Validity window | Typically 7, 15 or 30 days from activation | None — there is no window |
| A trip that gets postponed | The clock may already be running | Nothing changes; the credit is untouched |
| Running out mid-trip | Buy another bundle at whatever it costs that day | Top up any amount at the same per-GB rate |
| Crossing into a second country | Often a second bundle | Same balance, that country's rate |
| Six months later | Start again from zero | Balance is exactly where you left it |
The maths on a 5GB, 30-day bundle
Bundles come in round numbers because round numbers sell, not because trips come in round numbers. Take a common one: 5GB, valid for 30 days from activation.
You land, the apartment has decent Wi-Fi, and you spend the week on maps, messages and the occasional video. You finish the trip on 2.6GB. The other 2.4GB — 48% of what you paid for — expires with the window. You didn't use it, and you don't get to keep it.
Run the same trip on a balance and you are billed for 2.6GB. At $1.50/GB, our lowest published rate, that is $3.90 of credit spent and every remaining dollar still on the eSIM. Rates differ by country — you can look up the published per-GB rate for your destination before you go — but the shape never changes: you pay for the megabytes that moved, and only those.
A bundle isn't always beaten on price per gigabyte. It's beaten on price per gigabyte you actually use, and that's the number that leaves your bank account. The same logic is why per-megabyte billing removes the guesswork from buying data.
Who a no-expiry eSIM suits
The once-a-year traveller
A bundle bought for one week in June is dead long before next June. A balance isn't.
The backup line
Keep a small balance on an installed eSIM permanently. It costs nothing to sit there, and it's already working on the day your main carrier isn't.
The multi-trip year
Four short trips to four countries used to mean four bundles and four expiry dates. Now it's one balance and one eSIM.
The hotspot household
Hotspot is enabled on every plan, so a laptop or a second phone draws from the same credit. Nothing is priced per device.
Anyone who hates a countdown
No renewal emails, no "your plan expires in 3 days", no auto-charge to keep something alive.
What we won't pretend is unlimited
"Never expires" is a claim about your credit. Four things it doesn't cover, said plainly:
- The $5 eSIM setup fee is one-time and charged on your first order only. Once the eSIM has been provisioned, that fee isn't refundable.
- Country rates can change. The balance doesn't expire, but what a gigabyte costs in a given country is whatever the rates page says on the day you use it.
- Unused balance is store credit. It never expires and you can spend it on any future trip, but it isn't paid back to a card or a crypto wallet.
- Your activation QR is single-use. Once it's installed on a phone it stays with that phone — moving to a new device needs a re-issue from support.
Frequently asked questions
Does the balance really never expire?+
Yes. There is no expiry date on the credit, no dormancy fee and no monthly charge. Use it next week or in two years — the amount sitting on the eSIM is the amount you left there.
Does the eSIM itself expire if I don't use it for months?+
The eSIM profile stays installed on your phone. Data pauses when the balance reaches zero and resumes the moment you add credit — same eSIM, same QR code, no reinstall.
What happens to my credit when I fly home?+
Nothing. Usage is only deducted while the eSIM is actually carrying data. Land, switch your phone back to your home SIM for data, and the remaining balance waits for the next trip.
Is there a monthly fee or a dormancy charge?+
No. There is one $5 eSIM setup fee on your first order, then per-megabyte usage at your destination's published rate. No daily fee, no monthly fee, and no charge for a balance that is simply sitting there.
Can I get unused balance back as cash?+
No. Unused balance stays on the eSIM as store credit rather than being refunded to a card or wallet — which is also the reason it never expires. It is spendable in any of the 200+ countries we cover.
What if I run out of credit while I'm abroad?+
Top up from any browser and the same eSIM is back online in seconds. Nothing is charged while you sit at zero — data just pauses until there is credit again.
Buy credit once. Use it whenever.
From $5, plus a one-time $5 eSIM setup fee. Card or crypto. No ID, no sign-up.
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