Rogers and Fido look to have debuted the ability for customers to switch from a physical SIM to an eSIM online.
An eSIM, or electronic SIM, is a digital version of the traditional SIM card, that allows users to activate a mobile plan without a physical SIM card. The Rogers eSIM FAQ page says you still need to acquire an eSIM voucher in-store.
For devices that support Dual SIM functionality, eSIMs offer the advantage of accommodating multiple lines on a single device at the same time.
One of the primary benefits of eSIM is the flexibility it offers especially when you’re travelling. By using an eSIM, mobile users can free up their device’s physical SIM card slot, allowing them to access local wireless rates and avoid costly roaming fees. Canadians know all too well about how much cheaper it is to pop in a local SIM card during their travels abroad. iPhones can store eight or more eSIMs and use two phone numbers at the same time.
If you log into the Rogers online portal and head over to Wireless Usage, then the Manage SIM section, there is an option there to ‘Change SIM’. It says you can change your current SIM to an eSIM or physical SIM for your existing number. As you begin the process to download the eSIM, it says you need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network before proceeding. Once you’ve downloaded the eSIM, you can then enable the toggle that says you’ve done so and continue to the next steps.
Back in March, Telus added support for the ‘convert to eSIM’ feature built into iPhones, allowing users to switch to eSIM right on their devices.
We’ve reached out to Rogers for comment on when this feature was added specifically and will update this story accordingly.
Update Nov. 2, 12:35pm PT: “Rogers and Fido customers can now self activate e-sim on supported devices digitally through their account apps (MyRogers and My Account),” confirmed a Rogers spokesperson to iPhone in Canada.
Thanks Kris
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Can I have my $10 back that I had to pay in September to get one at a Fido store?
Freedom has been able to do this for sometime now. Switched to esim last year. It was a simple online process and it was free.
When trying to change sim on an iPad, you have no way of receiving the sms verification. I understand this is for security but they don’t give you another way to verify without sms.
“you still need to acquire an eSIM voucher in-store.” Sooo, what’s the point then?