eSIM with a phone number: which ones give you one?
Many travel eSIMs are data only: 7 of the 18 brands we checked. 6 give a real number on the eSIM, with calls and texts, but rarely one from the country you visit; 5 offer a number that lives in an app, sometimes for receiving texts only.
Checked on October 21, 2026 on the brands’ websites
Number on the eSIM
6
brands, with calls and texts
Number in an app
5
brands
Data only
7
brands, no number
Brands checked
18
on their official pages
A real number on the eSIM
Calls and texts on the eSIM line, like with a SIM card.
| Brand | Number | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Airalo | +1 (US) | Discover+: a US number you can use worldwide, with 10 to 200 minutes and as many texts depending on the plan (for example 1 GB, 10 minutes and 10 texts for 7 days). |
| Airalo | Local | Local eSIMs with a number from the country, minutes and texts, in the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and the Netherlands (out of the 30 country pages we read); local calls and texts only. |
| Lyca Mobile | Local | UK carrier: a UK number, unlimited calls and texts in the UK and 100 international minutes, 30 GB for 30 days at £10; activated once you are in the UK. |
| Nomad | Local | In the UK and the Maldives only: a local number with minutes and texts (UK: 5 GB, 100 minutes and 100 texts for 30 days at $13). Its other eSIMs are data only. |
| Orange Travel | +33 (France) | In France: a French number, unlimited calls and texts in the country and 30 minutes to the world, 20 GB for 14 days at $25.99; ID check. |
| Orange Travel | +33 (France) | Outside Europe: the same French number, with 15 to 60 minutes to the world; in the US, 20 GB, 15 minutes and 50 texts for 30 days at $28.99 (on sale the day we checked). |
| Sim Local | Local | Resells local carriers’ eSIMs with their number; for example Lycamobile in the US: 18 GB, unlimited local calls and texts for 30 days at $33, with a registration that asks for a US ZIP code. |
| Voye Global | +1 (US) | A US number with minutes and texts, in 125 countries (1 GB, 10 minutes and 10 texts for 7 days at $15). |
A number in an app
The number does not use the eSIM line: you need the brand’s app and a data connection.
| Brand | What is included |
|---|---|
| aloSIM | A free US or Canadian number with almost every data plan, in the Hushed app, with $3 of credit for calls and texts. |
| Holafly | With the Unlimited subscription only (€59.95 a month): a US or UK number to receive texts in the app; no calls, according to its help pages. |
| Jetpac | A temporary number to call abroad from its app, with no texts: minute packs from $1.99 for 5 minutes over 30 days. |
| Roamless | A number (US, Canada, UK, Australia) that works in its app: calls and texts over the internet, free to receive, paid from credit to send; $6.95 a month, with no ID check. |
| Yesim | A virtual number (US, UK, Netherlands, Canada) to receive texts such as login codes, at $7.20 a month, with no ID check; its eSIMs are data only. |
Data only: no number
To call: WhatsApp, FaceTime or Messenger; your usual SIM stays on for your calls and texts. Each name links to the page where the brand says so.
Before you choose
- 1
A number is not always a call
Holafly and Yesim only receive texts; Jetpac only calls out.
- 2
Rarely a number from your destination
Orange gives a French number everywhere, Airalo Discover+ and Voye Global a US number; a number from the country means a local plan.
- 3
Often a temporary number
Orange’s lasts as long as the plan; deleting the Holafly eSIM deletes the number too.
- 4
Your number stays reachable
With a travel eSIM, your SIM stays on: your usual calls and texts keep coming in, at your carrier’s rates.
The best eSIMs for a week in Thailand
Today’s podium for an everyday trip (6 GB); every destination is compared the same way.
1Ubigi
Unlimited · 7 days
- 25 GB at full speed, then reduced speed
- AIS · True
- Hotspot allowed
$22.00$3.14 per day
2Jetpac
10 GB · 7 days
- AIS
- Hotspot allowed
$9.50$0.95 per GB
3Nomad
50 GB · 10 days
- True
- Hotspot allowed
$15.00$0.30 per GB
Affiliate links
The most popular destinations
For each country, today’s podium and every plan we compare.
Your questions
Answered from our data.
Which travel eSIM gives you a phone number?
A real number with calls and texts: Airalo, Lyca Mobile, Nomad, Orange Travel, Sim Local, and Voye Global. A number in an app: aloSIM, Holafly, Jetpac, Roamless, and Yesim.
Can I call with a data-only eSIM?
Yes, over the internet: WhatsApp, FaceTime or Messenger. Your usual SIM stays on to receive calls and texts.
Where can I get an eSIM with a local number?
In local plans: Airalo in six countries (including the US and the UK), Nomad in the UK and the Maldives, Sim Local and Lyca Mobile.
Do I need ID?
Orange asks for an ID check; Sim Local, a registration; Yesim and Roamless ask for none for their number.
Can I receive texts with a data eSIM?
Yes on your usual line, if it stays on next to the eSIM: a data-only eSIM has no number.
Does WhatsApp keep my number with an eSIM?
Yes: WhatsApp stays tied to your usual number, even when the eSIM carries the data.
How do I make calls with a data eSIM?
Through apps that use the Internet (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype); regular calls stay on your usual line.
Does my usual line cost anything abroad?
Receiving calls can be billed depending on your plan; turn off its data roaming and let the eSIM carry the Internet.