eSIM for iPad: your own data abroad, with no hotel Wi-Fi to trust
If your iPad is a Wi-Fi + Cellular model, it can take a travel eSIM. Install it at home, land, and the tablet has its own connection for maps, video and work. A Wi-Fi-only iPad cannot, and this page shows you how to tell which you have.
iPad eSIM plans for a trip
A region pack or a popular country, each showing its cheapest week-or-longer plan with room for a tablet's data use. Read live from the catalogue.
- France5 GB · 7 days$6.40
- Data
- 5 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Thailand5 GB · 7 days$7.00
- Data
- 5 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Japan3 GB · 7 days$8.40
- Data
- 3 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- United Kingdom5 GB · 7 days$8.50
- Data
- 5 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Europe5 GB · 7 days$10.60
39 countries
- Data
- 5 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- United Arab Emirates5 GB · 7 days$19.10
- Data
- 5 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
- Global5 GB · 7 days$30.50
149 countries
- Data
- 5 GB
- Validity
- 7 days
- Hotspot
- Included
Open a card to see every plan for that destination. A pack's page lists the countries it covers; for any country it leaves out, add that country's plan.
Why put an eSIM in an iPad
What it does for a tablet, and only what it does.
A connection of its own
A Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad with an eSIM gets data without café or hotel Wi-Fi, so maps, video calls and work carry on in a taxi or on a train.
Data only, which is all it needs
Most ZetSIM plans are data-only. A tablet has no calls to make, and WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessage, maps and email all run over data.
Installed in minutes, by email
The eSIM is emailed once payment clears. Open the email on the iPad, tap the iPhone / iPad button and the tablet's own eSIM setup opens.
A country plan or a region pack
Choose a country plan for one destination, or a region or global pack when the trip crosses borders. Each pack's page lists its countries.
Top up, do not reinstall
If you run low, top up the same eSIM from your account. There is no new QR code to scan and nothing to set up again.
Refundable until you activate
A plan you have not activated comes back at its full value, an incompatible device included. Check your iPad first and you will not need it.
Which iPads support eSIM
Only Wi-Fi + Cellular iPads. They carry the cellular hardware an eSIM needs; a Wi-Fi-only iPad does not, so no eSIM can be added to it, whatever an app or a seller says. Not sure which you own? Open Settings: a Cellular Data entry appears only on Wi-Fi + Cellular models, and Settings, General, About lists an EID on one that takes an eSIM.
Our compatible-devices list includes Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad and iPad mini models, each with the generation it starts from. Apple's own support page on which iPad models support eSIM is the authority, so check your exact model number there too (Settings, General, About).
The iPad must also be carrier-unlocked. One bought on a carrier plan may be locked to that carrier, so ask them before you buy.
Samsung Galaxy Tab and other Android tablets
Some Android tablets, Samsung's Galaxy Tab range among them, are sold in cellular versions that take an eSIM. Support varies by model, by region and by carrier version, and two tablets with the same name can differ.
Our compatible-devices list covers iPads for tablets, so it cannot confirm an Android one. Check the maker's specification for your exact model number, or message us the model before you buy.
Hotspot: when you need it and when you do not
A Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad uses the plan directly, so it does not need hotspot. Hotspot matters only if you want to share the tablet's connection onward, and the plan card says whether a plan allows it.
A Wi-Fi-only iPad can still go online abroad the other way round: put the eSIM on your phone and turn on its hotspot for the tablet. Pick a plan that allows hotspot for that.
Choosing a plan for a tablet
Tablets use more data than people expect: streaming, video calls, downloads and app updates. Choose a data size with headroom, or an unlimited plan where one is listed, and a validity that covers the whole trip. One country takes a country plan; several countries take a region or global pack.
Install an eSIM on an iPad
Check the iPad
Look for Cellular Data in Settings and an EID under General, About. Confirm the model against Apple's eSIM support page and make sure it is unlocked.
Buy a plan, open the email on the iPad
We email the eSIM as soon as you pay. Open that email on the iPad itself, on Wi-Fi, and tap the iPhone / iPad button.
Follow the iPad's own setup
Add the eSIM when the iPad asks. Reading the email on another screen? Scan its QR code from the iPad's camera, or add the eSIM from Settings.
Connect when you land
Turn the eSIM line on and allow data roaming for it. Validity starts when it first connects to a network abroad, not when you buy.
Which iPad can take an eSIM?
Check the model before you buy a plan.
| Wi-Fi-only iPad | Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad | Android tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can take an eSIM | Depends on the model | ||
| Own data plan abroad | If it takes an eSIM | ||
| Needs to be carrier-unlocked | Not applicable | ||
| Can use a phone's hotspot |
Questions before you buy
Still unsure? Our team answers on WhatsApp in minutes, in 11 languages.
Ask on WhatsAppWi-Fi + Cellular iPads, including iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad and iPad mini models from the generation Apple lists. Our compatible-devices page shows the starting generation for each, and Apple's support page is the authority, so check your exact model number there before you buy.
No. A Wi-Fi-only iPad has no cellular hardware, so an eSIM cannot be added to it. To get it online abroad, install the eSIM on your phone and share the connection with the iPad through the phone's hotspot, using a plan that allows hotspot.
Open the email we send you on the iPad, on Wi-Fi, and tap the iPhone / iPad button; the iPad's own eSIM setup opens. Or scan the QR code from another screen. Then turn the line on with data roaming allowed. The plan starts when it first connects abroad.
Not for a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad, which uses the plan's data directly. You need hotspot only to share the connection with another device, or to get a Wi-Fi-only iPad online through your phone. The plan card shows whether a plan allows it.
Some do, but support varies by model, region and carrier version. Our compatible-devices list holds iPads for tablets, so it cannot confirm an Android one. Check the maker's specification for your exact model, or message us the model before you buy.
Only if the iPad is carrier-unlocked. A carrier-bought iPad can be locked to that carrier's network, in which case a travel eSIM will not connect. Ask the carrier whether it is unlocked before you buy a plan.
Validity begins the moment the eSIM connects to a local network abroad, not when you buy it. Install at home over Wi-Fi and the profile sits dormant until you land.
Install it before you fly
Check the iPad, pick a plan, and set the eSIM up at home over Wi-Fi.