A no-expiry eSIM is a prepaid data plan with no validity period. The data stays on your eSIM until you use it, so one purchase can cover several trips. Spidot does not sell no-expiry data yet.
How no-expiry data works
Buy an amount of data.
Install the eSIM once and use it whenever you travel.
Whatever you do not use stays on the eSIM for your next trip.
No-expiry plans
Not available yet
We do not sell no-expiry data at the moment, so there are no plans to show here. Fixed data plans are available for 160 countries and Europe.
Which plan type fits your trip?
| PLAN TYPE | WHAT YOU GET | GOOD FOR | WHERE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed data | A set amount of data for a set number of days | One trip with known dates | 160 countries and Europe |
| Unlimited | Unlimited data by the day; speed may slow after heavy use | Heavy use for a few days | 36 countries |
| No-expiry | Data that stays until you use it | Several trips a year | Not available yet |
| Data + calls | Data with call minutes and SMS | Trips where you need to call | Not available yet |
Questions about no-expiry data
Does the data really never expire?
Can I add more data later?
Where does it work?
Do I need to use the data on a no-expiry plan within a certain time?
Can I leave the eSIM installed when I am at home?
Will my phone use no-expiry data while I am at home?
Is no-expiry data good for a single long trip?
Can I use no-expiry data in a country it was not bought for?
What happens if I delete the eSIM by mistake?
A practical guide to no-expiry eSIM data
Most travel data plans run against a clock: when the days are over, any data you have not used is gone. A no-expiry plan removes that clock. You buy an amount of data, and it stays on your eSIM until you use it, whether that takes a week or spans several trips.
This guide explains how no-expiry data works, who it suits, how to decide how much to buy, and how it compares with fixed data, unlimited plans, roaming and local SIMs. No-expiry plans are not offered for every destination, and availability can change. The plan list on this page, the destinations page and the prices page show what you can buy at the moment.
How no-expiry data works
A no-expiry plan has an amount of data but no validity period. You install the eSIM once, use some data on a trip, and whatever is left stays on the eSIM. On your next trip to an area the plan covers, you turn on the line and carry on where you left off.
The plan ends only when the data is used up. If you need more, you can add data to the same eSIM from My eSIMs, so there is nothing new to install. You can check your remaining balance at any time; see how much data is left.
Like the other Spidot plans, no-expiry data is for mobile data only. There is no local phone number, call minutes or SMS. Your own SIM continues to handle calls and texts on your usual number, and messaging and calling apps work over the Spidot data.
Where the data can be used
No-expiry data is tied to the destination or region you buy it for, just like other plans. Data bought for one country is for use in that country; data bought for a region is for use across the countries the region covers. When you buy, check that the destination matches the places you visit regularly.
Who no-expiry data suits
No-expiry data is designed for people who travel more than once, rather than for a single trip. It tends to suit:
- Frequent travellers who visit the same country or region several times a year, for work, family or holidays.
- Weekend and short-break travellers whose trips are too short to use a whole fixed plan before it expires.
- Cross-border commuters and visitors who need a little data on many separate days rather than a lot on a few.
- Light users who mostly rely on Wi-Fi and only need mobile data for maps, messages and the odd look-up.
- Anyone who dislikes waste and prefers to pay for data they will actually use, whenever they use it.
- People who want a backup line ready on their phone for unexpected trips.
Why it works well for frequent travellers
With a time-limited plan, a frequent traveller faces the same decision before every trip: how much data, for how many days, and what happens to whatever is left. Buy too little and you top up mid-trip; buy too much and the remainder expires. Over a year of short trips, those leftover gigabytes add up.
No-expiry data turns that into a single decision. The eSIM stays installed on your phone between trips, ready to use as soon as you land. Unused data from a three-day trip in spring is still there for a long weekend in autumn. You only top up when your balance gets low.
A simple routine between trips
- Leave the eSIM installed, but turn the line off or switch mobile data back to your own SIM when you are at home.
- Before each trip, check your balance in My eSIMs and top up if needed while you still have Wi-Fi at home.
- On arrival, switch mobile data to the Spidot line and turn on data roaming for it.
- When you get home, switch mobile data back to your own SIM so nothing is used by mistake.
How much no-expiry data to buy
Because there is no deadline, the question is not "how much will I use this week" but "how much will I use over the next few trips". A practical approach is to estimate one typical trip and multiply by the number of trips you expect before you would want to top up.
The usage figures below are rough approximations, and real usage varies with the app, video quality, network and phone settings:
- Messages and email: a few megabytes to a few tens of megabytes a day.
- Maps and navigation: often tens of megabytes per hour of active use.
- Browsing and social media: roughly 50–200 MB per hour, more with autoplaying video.
- App voice calls: in the region of 0.5–1 MB per minute.
- Video calls: often several hundred megabytes per hour.
- Video streaming: from under 1 GB per hour at standard quality to several GB per hour in high definition.
Rough examples
As an illustration only: a business traveller who makes several two- or three-day trips a year and uses data for maps, email, messages and a ride-hailing app might use a few hundred megabytes per trip. A modest no-expiry balance could cover several of those trips.
A family visitor who goes for a week at a time and makes daily video calls home could use a few gigabytes per trip. For them, a larger balance, or a fixed data plan per trip, may be the better comparison.
Start modestly
If you are new to no-expiry data, it is reasonable to start with a moderate amount and see how far it goes. Since you can add more data later, you do not need to buy a year's worth up front.
No-expiry compared with the other plan types
Each Spidot plan type solves a different problem. The comparison table on this page summarises them; here is how no-expiry data fits in more detail.
No-expiry or fixed data
A fixed data plan has a set amount of data and a set number of days. It is simple and well suited to one trip with known dates. No-expiry is better when your trips are short, frequent or irregular and you would otherwise leave data unused when a fixed plan runs out of days. For a single trip, compare the two on the prices page; a fixed plan may cost less for the same amount of data.
No-expiry or unlimited
An unlimited plan is priced by the day and suits heavy use over a short period; speed may slow after heavy daily use. No-expiry is the opposite approach: a balance you draw down slowly, at your own pace, with no daily cost and no deadline. If you stream or tether a laptop on most days of a trip, unlimited is usually the closer fit.
No-expiry or data + calls
A data + calls plan includes call minutes and SMS as well as data. If you need to call local numbers without an app, that is the type to look at. If you only need data, no-expiry keeps things simpler.
No-expiry data compared with roaming and local SIMs
For frequent travellers, the usual alternatives are roaming on their home plan or keeping a local SIM from a previous trip. Both can work, and both have trade-offs.
Roaming
Roaming needs no setup, and some home plans include allowances abroad. Many people with EU SIM cards can use their home allowance across the EU under the "Roam like at Home" rules, but these rules do not apply to everyone, and many non-EU operators charge daily or per-megabyte fees. Compare your operator's terms for the places you visit with the cost of a no-expiry balance that you draw down over several trips.
A local SIM you keep between trips
Keeping a local prepaid SIM can be convenient, but prepaid SIMs in many countries need regular top-ups or use to stay active, and you need to swap cards or have a dual-SIM phone. A no-expiry eSIM lives on your phone next to your own SIM, with no card to keep track of.
Installing once and using it for every trip
You install a no-expiry eSIM in the same way as any other Spidot eSIM, ideally while you are at home on Wi-Fi. First check your phone: it needs to support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Then follow the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel.
Because you will keep the eSIM for a long time, give the line a clear label such as Travel, and do not delete it between trips. A deleted eSIM usually cannot be scanned again. On each trip, choose the Spidot line for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it; the data roaming guide shows where the setting is. Keep data roaming off for your own SIM.
If you change phones
An eSIM is installed on a specific phone. If you plan to replace your phone, contact support@spidot.com before you reset or trade in the old one, so you know what your options are for the data still on it.
Travelling to several countries
If your regular trips take you to different countries rather than one, look at whether a regional plan fits. The Europe plan covers many European countries on one eSIM. You can see which plan types are offered for each region or country on its destination page.
If you mostly visit one or two countries, single-country pages such as Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland or the United Kingdom show the plans currently offered there.
Checking availability
No-expiry plans are offered for some destinations and not others, and the selection may change over time. If no-expiry data is not available where you are going, a fixed data plan sized for your trip is the closest alternative, and you can top it up if needed. Browse the destinations page or compare plans on the prices page to see what is on offer at the moment.