Short answer: no. This is not a seller's policy but a limit of the eSIM standard itself.
Why it cannot be recovered
An eSIM QR code is not a file you download repeatedly. It is a single allocation: the operator's server holds one profile, and when your phone downloads it, the server marks it delivered and will not deliver it again.
There is a security reason — if a profile could be downloaded repeatedly, anyone who photographed your QR code could use it. The price of that is: deleted means gone.
All of these remove the profile permanently:
- Deleting the eSIM in settings
- Factory-resetting the phone
- Some hardware repairs that replace the mainboard
What about moving to a new phone
Also no. The profile is bound to the chip inside the old phone. There is no way to transfer it.
If you plan to change phones mid-trip, you will have to buy a new plan for the new phone.
Will an iCloud or Google backup restore it
No. Backups do not contain eSIM profiles. Restoring will bring back your apps and data, but not the eSIM.
How to avoid it
Do not delete an eSIM until you are certain you are done with it. An expired eSIM sitting in your phone costs nothing — it just occupies a slot in a list. There is no need to tidy up.
Label your eSIMs. The phone lets you name them during install. Use something clear like "Japan Oct 2026" so you do not later delete the wrong one.
Before a factory reset, remember the eSIM goes with it. If you are mid-trip, do not factory reset.
When the phone runs out of eSIM slots
Phones store a limited number of eSIM profiles — usually eight to ten. When full, you must delete an old one before installing a new one.
At that point, delete one that has definitely expired and that you will not use again. Check the expiry date before deleting.
If you have already deleted it
There is no way to get it back, and that plan is not refundable — because we paid our supplier the moment the profile was downloaded to your phone.
The only thing you can do is buy a new plan. If you are abroad and need data urgently, the shop is reachable over hotel or café wifi.