Phone not eSim compatible: should I purchase a Swiss sim card instead?
Denny is planning a trip to Switzerland and is unsure whether to get a Swiss SIM card for his old phone, which doesn’t support eSIM. He is looking for advice on the best options since they will have Wi-Fi at their lodgings.
- Consider getting a physical SIM card if your phone is unblocked since eSIM may not work with older phones.
- Be cautious when purchasing SIM cards like Lycamobile, as some plans may not work in Switzerland.
- Look for local retailers for competitive prices on SIM cards and verify the coverage before buying.
- Wi-Fi is widely available in accommodations and many public places, which can be a good alternative for internet access.
AI-generated summary-
My phone is too old to use E-sim card? Should I get a swiss sim card and use an unblocked phone when I get there? We will be staying in lodgings with WIFI. Thoughts please? Denny
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I would just like to tell about my very bad experience at buying SIM card in Switzerland. I tried first to buy one at Swisscom, I gave them all my personal data, then I learned they had problems with their system for a few hours already and cannot sell me the card and connect it that day. Later I bought another SIM card from Lycamobile, they also took all my personal data and gave me the card into my phone with assurance that it works. I was trying to connect to internet without success, so I phoned to Lycamobile customer service, where I was told that I got a SIM plan for abroad that doesn’t cover Switzerland!? They assured me that they will fix the problem and exchange to data plan that covers Switzerland as soon as possible. They never did that – I phoned them every day for four days. So be prepared before trying to buy a SIM card in Switzerland, Lycamobile practically steals money from tourists, they told me I will not get the refund, because I didn’t buy the card at official shop eventhough Lycamobile officially sell SIM cards at local retailers!
Best regards, Pina
Hi Denny,
Yes, older phones may not support eSIM. But if it’s unblocked you can use a regular (physical) SIM as you suggested. You’ll find them here under “Option 2”: https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/mobile-internet/
Hi. We were there in May for 34 days and we used local SIMs.
On day 1 when we went hunting for Lyca mobile (since we had done our research and found the best rates), we couldn’t find any vendor selling those. I settled on a Sunrise SIM, for almost CHF 50 for the month. We then hunted further online and found several small stores (primarily Asian stores) selling Lyca mobile. So then my husband got a Lyca mobile SIM for a month for CHF 30.
The Sunrise SIM gave us unlimited data and unlimited local calls but only within Switzerland.
The Lyca Mobile SIM gave umlimited data, unlimited local calls + some amount of data for outside Switzerland which was useful when we went to Germany for a few days.We also found that paying by card for the Sunrise SIM, they have your details and if we forget to cancel for the next month, the card would automatically get charged for renewal of the plan.
My husband paid cash for the Lyca mobile, so automatic renewal was not a worry at all.Hope this helps you in making your decisions,
Firuzi
Hi Denny,
since I didn’t have any working SIM in Switzerland (due to problems described above), I can also answer you how to “survive” without. With my phone I could connect free to wi-fi at apartments and also on trains (I think roaming network was Swisscom). In restaurants I usually had to ask for wi-fi password, but could also connect without. Some restaurants had problems with network that wasn’t accessible.
Best regards, Pina
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