eSIM basics
eSIM for business trips: staying online, sharing with your laptop, and expensing it
On a business trip, being offline costs more than money. You miss the message about the changed meeting room, the call drops in the taxi, and your laptop can't reach the shared drive at the client's office. A travel eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, at a fixed price you can put on your expenses.
How much data does a work trip use?
Phones alone use little. Laptops are what eat data, especially video meetings.
| What you do | About how much data |
|---|---|
| Email, Slack or Teams chat | 50 to 150 MB a day |
| Video meeting on the phone | 300 to 600 MB an hour |
| Video meeting on a laptop | 0.5 to 1.5 GB an hour |
| Downloading files and slides | depends on the files, often 100 MB or more |
For a three-day trip with a couple of video meetings, 5 GB is comfortable. If you'll work from your laptop on mobile data every day, take 10 or 20 GB.
Working from your laptop
Turn on your phone's personal hotspot and connect the laptop. Hotspot is allowed on our plans, with no daily limit. Before you connect, set the connection as metered on Windows and pause cloud syncing, so the laptop doesn't download a big update in the background. Our hotspot guide has the details.
Mobile data is also safer than hotel or conference Wi-Fi for work email and company systems. Here's why.
Expensing your eSIM
After you pay, we email you a receipt with the plan and the price. Your orders are also listed in your account and in the Blue eSIM app, so you can find the receipt again later. Forward it to your expenses system as you would any other receipt.
If your company asks for a different document, contact us before you buy and we'll tell you what we can provide.
Tips for frequent travellers
- Keep one Blue eSIM account for all your trips, so your receipts are in one place.
- Install the eSIM the evening before you fly, on hotel or home Wi-Fi.
- If you visit several countries in one trip, the Europe plan covers 34 of them.
- Top up the same eSIM in the app if a trip runs longer than planned.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the eSIM data on my work laptop?
Yes, through your phone's hotspot. There's no daily limit on hotspot sharing.
Can I keep my work number?
Yes. The travel eSIM only handles data. Your work SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts, if your company allows roaming on it.
How do I get a receipt?
It comes by email after you pay, and your orders are listed in your account and the app.