The profile is erased from your phone and in most cases it cannot be downloaded again with the same QR code. The plan you paid for is still there — your phone just can't reach it any more. Read this before you tap delete.
Profile erased from phone
The line disappears from Settings and the phone can no longer use the plan.
The plan is not cancelled
Remaining data and validity stay on the operator side. Deleting the profile does not cancel the plan or refund it.
The activation code is spent
The profile was released for one download. Scanning the same code again normally returns an error, not a reinstall.
An eSIM profile is released by the operator's SM-DP+ server for a single download. Once it has been installed on a phone, the server records the profile as delivered — and there is no standard mechanism to hand out the same profile a second time. That is not an eSIMfly policy, it is how the provisioning system works. Apple states the consequence directly: “If you erase an eSIM, you’ll need to contact your carrier to get a new one.”
What you keep
What you usually lose
Worth one try, not ten: open My eSIMs and attempt the install once from the stored QR code. A small number of operator profiles can still be re-downloaded by the same device. If you get an error saying the code is no longer valid, that is the final answer — repeated scans will not change it, and each failed attempt just costs you time you probably do not have.
If you just want the eSIM quiet — between trips, to save battery, to stop it grabbing data — switch the line off instead of deleting it. The profile stays installed and flips back on in two taps. There is no reason to delete for storage: Apple documents that an iPhone can store eight or more eSIMs, with one or two active at a time, so old travel profiles can sit there indefinitely.
iPhone
Settings → Cellular → tap the eSIM → turn off "Turn On This Line"
Pixel / stock Android
Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → tap the eSIM → turn off "Use SIM"
Samsung Galaxy
Settings → Connections → SIM manager → toggle the eSIM off
When deleting is completely fine: the plan is fully used or expired, you won't top it up, and it's clearly the travel profile — not your home line. The paths are Settings → Cellular → Delete eSIM on iPhone (with several plans installed, tap the plan first, then Delete Plan), and Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → pick the eSIM → Erase eSIM on Pixel and stock Android. Take five seconds to confirm which profile you're removing; if your home number is also an eSIM, deleting the wrong one turns a tidy-up into a call to your carrier and, on many networks, a fee for a replacement profile.
This is how most people lose a working plan. The phone shows no internet, deleting and reinstalling feels like the obvious reset — and then the code won't install. Apple's own guidance is to not erase an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless your carrier tells you to, for exactly this reason.
Nearly every “no internet” case is one of three settings, all fixable without touching the profile: data roaming switched off on the travel line, cellular data still pointed at your home line, or the phone camped on a network your plan doesn't include.
Wiping the old phone deletes the profile with everything else, and a deleted profile has nothing to transfer. Move it first, while it is still installed: eSIM Quick Transfer moves an eSIM from one iPhone to another without contacting the carrier when both devices run iOS 16 or later — on the new iPhone, Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Transfer From Nearby iPhone. Whether it is offered depends on the operator, so confirm the new phone is actually connected before you erase the old one. If transfer isn't available, the safe move is to leave the old phone alone until the plan expires.
Usually not. A travel eSIM profile is released once by the SM-DP+ server for a single download. After it has been installed on a phone, the same QR code or activation code normally returns an error instead of installing again, and there is no standard way to release the profile a second time. Apple states it plainly: if you erase an eSIM, you have to contact your carrier to get a new one. It costs nothing to try the QR code once from your eSIMfly dashboard, but plan for the answer to be no.
No. Deleting the profile does not cancel the plan and does not consume the data - Apple notes that erasing an eSIM does not cancel your cellular plan. The remaining data and validity stay on the operator side. The problem is access, not the balance: your phone has lost the credential it needs to use that plan, and without a downloadable profile the remaining data is stranded rather than destroyed.
No - turn the line off instead. On iPhone: Settings > Cellular > tap the eSIM > turn off "Turn On This Line". On Pixel and stock Android: Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network > tap the eSIM > turn off "Use this SIM". On Samsung: Settings > Connections > SIM manager > toggle the eSIM off. The profile stays installed and switches back on in two taps, which is exactly what you want between trips. Deletion is only the right move when the plan is finished and you are sure you will never need that profile again.
First, open your eSIMfly dashboard at /dashboard/esims - the QR code and activation details stay there for the life of the eSIM, so you do not need the original email. Try installing it once. If it fails with an error saying the code is no longer valid, the profile has been consumed and rescanning will not help. Contact support@esimfly.net with your order email or ICCID and we will check the profile status on the operator side. Be aware of the likely outcome: in most cases the fix is a replacement eSIM, which is a new purchase at the normal plan price, not a free re-issue.
No. Apple specifically warns against erasing an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless your carrier tells you to, because you may not be able to install it again. Almost every "no internet" problem is data roaming being off, the wrong line selected for cellular data, or the phone sitting on a network the plan does not cover - all fixable in Settings without touching the profile. Work through a troubleshooting guide first and treat deletion as the last resort it is.
Not as a first step - transfer it instead, while it is still installed. eSIM Quick Transfer moves an eSIM from one iPhone to another without contacting the carrier when both devices run iOS 16 or later, and it only works if the profile is still on the old phone. Support depends on the operator, so check that the transfer succeeded before wiping the old device. If transfer is not offered, keep the old phone unwiped until the plan has expired rather than deleting a profile you cannot re-download.
Storage is almost never the reason to delete one. Apple documents that an iPhone can store eight or more eSIMs, with one or two active at a time, so you can keep old travel profiles parked indefinitely. Deleting one eSIM does not affect your other lines - but check twice which profile you are removing. If your home number is also an eSIM, deleting the wrong one means a call to your carrier and, on many networks, a fee for a replacement profile.
Menu paths and device behaviour checked against Apple Support (“How to erase an eSIM on your iPhone or iPad”, “Set up eSIM on iPhone”, iPhone User Guide), Google Pixel Help and Samsung Support. Last reviewed 2026-09-12.
