First eSIM, first trip: a calm setup guide

By Gabenley Bien Aime · ChatRefill

The first eSIM is the only one that feels technical. The second one is muscle memory. This is the first one, written slowly.

Before you pay

Unlock the phone if it is carrier-locked. Check that Settings has an Add eSIM or Add cellular plan row. If it does not, stop. ChatRefill cannot put a software SIM on a phone that refuses one.

Charge the battery. Sit on Wi-Fi. Do not start this in a moving car.

On ChatRefill

1. Go to www.chatrefill.com and choose the eSIM for the country you will enter.
2. Complete checkout. You will get a QR code or manual activation details.
3. On iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Use QR Code. On Android look for SIMs / eSIM / Add.
4. Give the line a name you will recognize in a week: “Canada trip,” not “Secondary.”
5. Set the new line as data when you arrive. Keep your Haiti or DR line for voice if you still need those calls.

The two mistakes that look like “it doesn’t work”

You installed it and expected data in Haiti. A US or Europe plan does not magically work in Port-au-Prince. Turn it on in the country it was sold for.

You left the old line as the data line. The eSIM is there. The phone is still politely using Digicel roaming. Switch the data line. Turn roaming off on the home SIM.

If the QR will not scan

Use the manual SM-DP+ address and activation code from the email. Hold the phone still. If it fails twice, contact support from the ChatRefill account with the order in front of you.

You need the plan attached, named, and off until you land. That is a successful first setup.