Get clear on mobile connectivity.
Find answers about eSIM plans, supported devices, installation and ongoing service. Use the topic guides to prepare your next step with Bird.
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eSIM and mobile connectivity FAQs
What can we build with Bird eSIM?
Add mobile data to a travel app, customer account or employee program. Purchase packages through the dashboard or API, share installation links, and offer compatible top-ups or automatic renewal where available.
Is an eSIM the same as a mobile plan?
An eSIM is the digital profile installed on the device. A data package defines coverage, allowance, validity and price. A recurring subscription purchases packages on an accepted schedule.
Does every offer work in every country?
Coverage and service capabilities belong to the selected offer. Review the included destinations and network terms rather than relying on a global label.
Can we offer our own branded experience?
Build offer selection and account management into your app through the API. Bird provides private hosted installation links; your app handles customer authentication and any customer payment. Your organization wallet funds the Bird purchase.
Can customers keep their existing phone number?
On a compatible dual-SIM device, customers can keep their existing line for calls and messages and use Bird for mobile data. Bird eSIM does not transfer their number or import their existing profile. Check the selected offer to see whether calls or SMS are included; a displayed phone number alone does not confirm this.
Should I sign up or contact sales?
Get started to browse the eSIM catalog and purchase from your organization wallet. Contact sales to discuss your destinations, expected usage, integration or employee rollout.
Does every travel eSIM include a phone number?
No. A data package can provide internet access without normal mobile calls or SMS. Check the specific plan’s included services; use a mobile plan when the customer needs a number and calling service.
Can a traveler install before departure?
Follow the package’s activation and validity rules. Installation and first network use are different events, and the point that starts the allowance period belongs to the plan terms.
Will a top-up work on the existing eSIM?
Use the compatible offers for that profile. A top-up must match the allocated service and its supported package behavior; another package in the catalog is not automatically compatible.
Is Bird the right choice for a single personal trip?
This product is designed for businesses offering or managing connectivity. Start with a specialist to define the travel proposition, destination coverage and customer journey.
Can I enable renewal on an existing eSIM?
Yes, when a compatible recurring offer is available. Assign the person using the eSIM, review the recurring terms, then enroll. Enrollment purchases the first period immediately, even if an existing package still has data.
Who pays for recurring packages?
Your organization wallet funds purchases; the assigned person has no separate wallet. Keep sufficient funds for renewal. A changed published price requires new acceptance, and an unfunded renewal stops future purchases.
Can I switch an active subscription to another plan?
The eSIM API does not support switching an active subscription to another plan. Review the current subscription and cancellation date before considering a new enrollment.
Does canceling renewal remove the eSIM or unused data?
Canceling renewal preserves the installed profile and delivered packages, which keep their own validity. Check when cancellation takes effect and which billing periods you still need to pay for. Deleting the profile from a phone does not cancel renewal.
Can we buy one-time and recurring employee data packages?
You can purchase a one-time package and choose automatic renewal where the offer and profile support it. Renewal requires an assigned person and organization wallet funds. Review coverage, price, cadence and package validity before enrolling.
Does assigning an employee send installation instructions?
No. Send the private installation link by email or SMS after the purchase completes. The employee can open it without workspace access; assignment itself does not grant that access.
Can we transfer an assigned eSIM to another employee?
No. The assigned person cannot be changed. Purchase a new eSIM for another employee. The subscriber association also prevents deletion of the contact after service ends, so account for that retention in your employee process.
How do we end an employee’s service?
Cancel automatic renewal to stop future purchases; delivered packages retain their validity. Release permanently retires the profile and forfeits remaining data without a refund. Confirm the available action and its outcome. Removing company access or deleting the profile from the phone does not cancel renewal.
Can we use our own checkout and app?
Yes. Your server uses the eSIM API while your app handles customer authentication, checkout and any payment you collect. The Bird purchase is funded by your organization wallet. Track customer payments separately from Bird wallet charges, and link both to the same customer order.
Do we need to build an eSIM installation page?
Bird provides hosted installation links with device-specific instructions. Create a link for your own delivery flow or send it by email or SMS. Recipients can open it without a workspace login. Anyone with the link can access the installation details until it expires or is revoked.
Who handles customer identification requirements?
Bird publishes the selected offer’s identification requirements. Your own authorized process collects and validates the required information; Bird does not collect, verify or store those answers. Assigning a contact to an eSIM does not perform an identification check.
Can customers add data after their first purchase?
Yes, when compatible top-ups are available for their eSIM. Show the eligible offers and accepted terms in their account, then track the delivery status of their new package order. The top-up uses the installed profile, so the customer does not need to install another eSIM.
Does the recipient need a Bird account?
Recipients can open a private hosted installation link without a workspace login. Send it by email or SMS after the order completes, then check delivery status and expiry. Anyone with the link can reveal the credentials until it expires or is revoked.
Can a customer install with one phone?
Use a supported same-device installation path when available, with QR or manual setup as a fallback. The exact options depend on the device, operating system and provider.
Does installing an eSIM start the package?
The plan determines the activation trigger and validity period. Explain those rules before installation; do not apply one assumption across every package.
Should a customer delete an eSIM to troubleshoot?
Check the provider’s recovery rules first. Removing a profile can make recovery harder and does not itself cancel the underlying service.
What does an unknown installation state mean?
It means the system does not have that observation. Keep the state explicit and help the customer verify setup rather than inferring success or failure from missing data.
Is usage always real time?
Usage timing depends on the network and service. Show the latest observation time and treat an unavailable update as missing information, not zero use.
Can any package top up an existing eSIM?
No. Use the compatible offers returned for that allocated profile. Coverage overlap alone does not establish compatibility.
Does a top-up extend the current expiry date?
The offer’s validity and stacking rules determine what happens. Present the effective terms of the new package before purchase.
How should we prevent duplicate top-ups?
Follow the existing order to its outcome when a response is uncertain. Use the documented request identity and recovery behavior for your integration instead of creating another purchase blindly.
Can I transfer my existing mobile number to Bird eSIM?
Bird eSIM does not support mobile number porting or importing an existing profile. On a compatible dual-SIM phone, keep your current line for calls and messages and use a new Bird eSIM for mobile data.
Can I keep using my current number?
Yes, on a compatible device that can keep both lines active. Your number stays with your current provider, so keep that service active and check its roaming terms separately.
Does a Bird eSIM include calls and SMS?
Check the selected offer’s included service. A number displayed with an eSIM does not establish that ordinary calling or SMS is included. Keep your existing line for those services when using a Bird data package.
How do I check that the phone is using Bird data?
In a covered destination, select the Bird eSIM as the mobile data line and follow its roaming or APN instructions. Briefly turn off Wi-Fi and open a webpage to test the connection.
Is an order status the same as the device’s connection status?
No. An order can be fulfilled before the device installs or uses the profile. Keep purchase, installation and network observations distinct.
Can operators manage every service in the same way?
Available actions depend on the plan, allocated provider, state and workspace authority. Present the capabilities of that service rather than a universal set of controls.
What should an AI support assistant be allowed to do?
Give it the relevant information and a bounded set of authorized actions. The service owner must enforce access and report the outcome; the assistant’s wording does not establish that a change completed.
How do we investigate an uncertain purchase?
Find the existing order, financial record and provisioning evidence. Resolve that attempt before creating a replacement that could charge or allocate another service.
What can I build with the eSIM API?
Build offer discovery, data-package purchases, installation delivery and ongoing package management into your app. Customers can buy compatible top-ups and enroll in recurring purchases where available. Your application owns customer authentication and any payment it collects from them.
What do I need to make a purchase?
Use a Bird workspace, a server-side API key with the required eSIM permissions and organization wallet funds. Review the offer, checkout terms and identification requirements before buying. Reading credentials and creating or sending installation links require separate credential permissions.
How should I handle an interrupted purchase response?
Read the existing order if you have its ID. Otherwise, repeat the saved create request with its original idempotency key. Follow that order to completion or failure before creating a replacement that could cause another charge.
Does a completed order mean the customer is online?
A completed order identifies the purchased eSIM and package. The customer still needs to install the profile on a compatible device and test mobile data in a covered destination. Installation and balance reports can arrive after the device result.
Put it into practice.
Continue with the documentation, guides and examples for this topic.
Work through your connectivity requirements.
Bring travel data, mobile plans or employee connectivity into your business. Our team can help shape the plan, customer journey and operating model.