We No Longer Accept Crypto for eSIMs

2026-05-06 · 4 min read · updated 2026-10-09

We don't accept crypto. That means no Bitcoin, no USDT or USDC, and no other coin or network. You pay for an e-sim.net eSIM with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a credit or debit card, through Stripe. If crypto is where your money is, this page explains the options that still work.

What we accept

• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• A credit or debit card, typed in at checkout

That's the full list. We also don't take PayPal, Alipay or WeChat Pay. If an older page, a forum post or a cached search result says otherwise, it's out of date.

What a card or wallet payment means for you

Refunds without a wallet address

If the eSIM never connects, you get the full price back. The refund goes back to the same card or wallet you paid with, and how long it takes to appear depends on your bank. There's no address to send us, no risk of a typo, and no question of what a coin is worth on the day of the refund. Email hello@e-sim.net with your order id. Once the eSIM has connected, the plan counts as used. The refund page has the rule.

No network to pick, no amount to get right

On-chain payments can go wrong in ways a card payment can't: coins sent on the wrong network, an exchange fee that leaves the payment short, a confirmation that arrives after the checkout has closed. A card or wallet payment goes through in seconds, or tells you straight away that it didn't.

Privacy

Many people paid with crypto to keep their card number away from another shop. Stripe handles the payment, and we never see your full card number. With Apple Pay or Google Pay, your card details stay in your phone's wallet. On our side we keep an anonymous device id, your email if you give one for the receipt, and the order. The privacy page lists what we keep and what we share.

How paying works

1. Pick your destination on the eSIM page and choose a plan. The price is shown there before you pay.
2. Tap Apple Pay or Google Pay, or enter a card.
3. The install page opens straight away. On iPhone the eSIM installs from a link; on other phones you scan the QR code. Both are also in your receipt.
4. Install at home on Wi-Fi. The plan's validity starts when your phone first connects to a network in the destination, not when you pay.

If crypto is all you have

We can't take coins, but these routes may still work.

• A card that spends your crypto balance. Some exchanges and wallets issue a debit card linked to your balance. If yours does, it works here like any other card, and if the issuer supports Apple Pay or Google Pay you can add it to your phone's wallet. Your provider can tell you whether it offers either.
• Cash out first. Sell a small amount, withdraw it to your bank account and pay with your bank card. Check the plan price for your destination first so you only move what you need.
• Ask someone else to pay. Someone with a card or a phone wallet can buy the plan and forward you the receipt. The eSIM installs on whichever phone scans the QR code or opens the install link, and usually only once, so they should forward it without scanning or opening it themselves. You then install it on your own phone over Wi-Fi. If a refund is ever due, it goes back to their card or wallet.

Not sure how big a plan to buy? How much data you need has a table by trip length. Popular starting points are Europe, Japan and Global. If this is your first eSIM, how an eSIM works for travel covers the basics, and is an eSIM safe answers the security questions.

See Europe plans