Keep your Indian SIM for OTPs while a travel eSIM runs your data
Keep your Indian SIM in the phone as a second line and run mobile data on the travel eSIM. Our eSIM carries data only, so bank OTPs still arrive as SMS on your Indian number. Whether that SMS reaches you abroad depends on your operator and plan. No page can promise that every OTP will arrive.
The Indian line keeps your number: OTP texts, and calls if your pack includes them. For SMS alone, Airtel and Vi prepaid both list a ₹118 option for 28 days with free incoming SMS. The travel eSIM handles data for maps, WhatsApp and rides. Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land abroad. It does not touch your Indian number.
We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The operator steps below apply whether you buy from us or not.
Set it up on iPhone: two lines, data on the travel eSIM
Set the travel eSIM as the line for mobile data and switch mobile data off on the Indian line. If both lines may use data, the phone can fall back to your Indian SIM at operator rates. Do it at home on Wi-Fi, before you fly.
- Install the travel eSIM from the QR code you receive after payment, and label the lines “Indian” and “Travel”.
- In the SIM settings, choose the travel line for mobile data.
- Turn data roaming on for the travel line only, and keep data roaming off on the Indian line.
- Switch off automatic data switching between lines, if your iPhone offers it.
- Keep the Indian line on, so SMS can still reach it.
Menu names change between iOS versions, so we print no menu path; Apple’s support page for your iOS version shows the current wording. Full steps are in the iPhone install guide. Check your model on the eSIM phone list first.
Set it up on Android: Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola
On Android, set three things: mobile data on the travel line, data roaming on for that line only, and the Indian line left on for SMS. Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus and Motorola word the menus differently and change them with updates, so use the maker’s help page for your model.
Two Android settings catch people out. Some phones have one screen for the data SIM and another for calls and SMS: set data to the travel line and leave calls and SMS on the Indian line. And an automatic data-switching option can move data to the Indian SIM when the travel signal dips, at roaming rates. Turn it off.
The Android install guide covers the QR scan itself. Look up your model on the eSIM phone list before you rely on this setup.
Will SMS OTPs reach you abroad? What Jio, Airtel and Vi publish
An OTP reaches you abroad only if your Indian line is registered on a foreign network, which needs international roaming switched on. Airtel and Vi prepaid list a ₹118 option for 28 days with free incoming SMS; a roaming pack also works. No operator promises every OTP. The rules below come from operator documents, checked on 12 Oct 2026.
Airtel prepaid. Switch international roaming on or off by SMS: “IRSTART” or “IRSTOP” to 121. Instead of a pack, Airtel’s T&C (dated 24 Sep 2026) list a ₹118 IR service activation, valid for 28 days, which “allows unlimited incoming SMS”. Calls and data are then charged at standard rates, as is every SMS you send. The same T&C say your regular prepaid pack must stay valid alongside it, and if your main balance runs short, “Only incoming SMS will be permitted.” Without an IR pack, Airtel bars data “to avoid any accidental usage”. You can book a pack up to 30 days before travel. Its validity starts when the phone latches on to a covered foreign network and makes chargeable usage. After a pack ends, the T&C list ₹10 per minute and ₹5 per SMS. Pack prices are on our Airtel roaming page.
Vi prepaid. Vi’s prepaid T&C list a ₹118 “Standard rates + IC SMS pack” for 28 days: incoming SMS are free; calls and data cost standard rates. Vi’s FAQ gives SMS “ACT IMRS” to 199 to activate roaming and adds that “standard roaming rates will apply”. Under RoamSafe, mobile data stays off without a pack; SMS “ACT IRDATA” to 199 turns it on for 2 days at standard rates. Vi’s prepaid T&C also state: “IR packs are not applicable for customers in J&K, Assam and North East”.
Jio. Jio sells the same roaming packs to prepaid and postpaid customers. Jio states: “Your plan validity begins only with your first usage—call, text, or data.” Packs carry an SMS allowance; the ₹951 pack, for example, includes 25 SMS. Jio also says: “International Roaming services do not work on JioFi & JioPhone device.” We hold no verified Jio statement on incoming SMS without a pack, so check the MyJio app.
Airtel international roaming SMS pack. No operator document we hold sells an SMS-only pack under that name. The ₹118 options above are the closest: they keep incoming SMS while roaming free and charge everything else at standard rates. Voice-and-data packs count outgoing SMS: Airtel’s ₹698 prepaid pack includes 10 SMS and its ₹4,999 annual pack 200 SMS (T&C of 24 Sep 2026).
What travellers report. One Reddit r/Airtel user wrote: “For me i only bought the 99 plan from airtel to keep sms active.” The ₹99 is that user’s word, not a price reference. Another on r/nri wrote in Aug 2026: “When I do 118 recharge, half of the time it just fails”. That is one traveller’s experience; check that roaming shows as active in the Airtel or Vi app before you fly.
Some postpaid and annual plans now bundle a few days of roaming — check your plan in the Airtel or Vi app before you travel.
| Operator | Switch or rule | What it controls | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airtel prepaid | SMS IRSTART / IRSTOP to 121 | Roaming on and off | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Airtel prepaid | IR activation without a pack, ₹118, 28 days | Unlimited incoming SMS; calls, data and outgoing SMS at standard rates | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Vi prepaid | Standard rates + IC SMS pack, ₹118, 28 days | Free incoming SMS; calls and data at standard rates | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Vi | SMS ACT IMRS to 199 | Roaming on, at standard rates | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Vi | SMS ACT IRDATA to 199 | Data for 2 days at standard rates | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Jio | Validity starts at first use | Pack clock | 12 Oct 2026 |
Source: Airtel roaming FAQ · Airtel T&C · Vi prepaid T&C · Vi roaming FAQ · Jio international services.
WhatsApp, UPI and Wi-Fi calling on your Indian number
Your WhatsApp number stays the same: WhatsApp is tied to your Indian number, not to the data line. It runs over the travel eSIM’s data or hotel Wi-Fi. A WhatsApp verification code is still an SMS to your Indian line, so the roaming rules above apply to it.
UPI apps are bound to the same Indian number, and a bank OTP abroad uses it too. Keep that SIM in the phone, with data roaming off on the Indian line, and ask your bank or UPI app whether UPI abroad works on your account. We make no claim about it here. For SIM swap fraud, read the glossary entry and ask your bank.
Your bank may ask you to approve a card payment with an OTP or an in-app request; how card payments work explains it.
For Wi-Fi calling abroad, Jio sells two packs: ₹121 for 100 minutes and ₹521 for 500 minutes over 10 days, covering Wi-Fi calls to India and incoming Wi-Fi calls. Jio’s plan filter shows 2 days for the ₹121 pack while its description says 10 days, so confirm in the MyJio app. The handset must support Wi-Fi calling. Our eSIM’s data plan carries no calls or SMS.
My Indian line is already an eSIM: can I add a travel eSIM?
Yes, if your phone can keep two lines active at once. Many eSIM phones hold two active lines, but the rule differs by brand and model: some store several eSIM profiles and run only two at a time, others run one eSIM only. Check your model on the eSIM phone list before you buy.
If your Jio, Airtel or Vi line is an eSIM, the travel eSIM becomes a second profile and the same split applies: data on the travel line, Indian line on for SMS. We do not cover converting your Indian SIM to an eSIM; ask your operator. For other setup problems, start at our help page.
FAQ
Can I receive OTP abroad on Jio, Airtel or Vi?
Only if your Indian line is registered on a foreign network, which needs international roaming switched on. Airtel prepaid uses IRSTART to 121 and Vi uses ACT IMRS to 199. No page can promise every OTP arrives, so ask your operator before you fly.
Is incoming SMS free on international roaming?
On Airtel and Vi prepaid, the ₹118 option for 28 days keeps incoming SMS free. Airtel’s T&C say it “allows unlimited incoming SMS”, and Vi lists incoming SMS as free. For Jio we hold no verified statement, so check the MyJio app before you travel.
Can I receive SMS without an international roaming pack?
On Airtel and Vi prepaid, yes, through the ₹118 option for 28 days instead of a pack. Calls and data are then charged at standard roaming rates, as is every SMS you send. Airtel also bars data without a pack, and Vi keeps data off under RoamSafe.
Does Wi-Fi calling work abroad on Jio or Airtel?
Jio sells Wi-Fi calling packs of ₹121 and ₹521, and the handset must support Wi-Fi calling. For Airtel we hold no verified Wi-Fi calling pack, so check the Airtel app.
Will UPI work abroad with my Indian SIM?
We make no claim. UPI apps are tied to your Indian number, so keep the SIM in the phone and ask your bank or UPI app whether UPI works abroad on your account.
Does a travel eSIM touch my Indian number?
No. The travel eSIM is a separate data profile, and your Indian SIM stays in the phone. If you worry about SIM swap fraud, read the glossary entry and ask your bank directly.
Will WhatsApp keep my Indian number if I use a travel eSIM?
Yes. WhatsApp is tied to your number, not to the data line, and runs over the travel eSIM’s data or Wi-Fi. A verification code still arrives as SMS on your Indian line.
Is there an Airtel international roaming SMS pack?
Not under that name. Airtel’s closest option is the ₹118 prepaid IR activation for 28 days, which allows unlimited incoming SMS; calls and data cost standard rates. Vi lists a ₹118 “Standard rates + IC SMS pack” for 28 days with free incoming SMS.
Sources checked: Checked on 12 Oct 2026 (IST). eSIM Go is not affiliated with Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL. Pack details are taken from their own pages on the date shown · Airtel prepaid IR terms, dated 24 Sep 2026, and the Airtel international roaming page · Vi prepaid IR terms and the Vi international roaming FAQ · Jio international services and the Jio international roaming plan list · r/Airtel comment, 26 Feb 2026 · r/nri post, 14 Aug 2026.
Not sure how much data to take? Work it out from your trip length and how you use your phone.