Physical sim needed before getting an eSIM?

[WendyDarlingBC]

Customer says I need to go and get a Public physical sim in order to activate my new account before I can use their eSIM. Is this correct?

[BKNS27]

@WendyDarlingBC 

Strange! The iPhone 16e should be eSIM compatible but i don’t know why you can’t activate an eSIM?

Or why that agent would say it can’t be activated.

Anyway, I prefer a SIM over eSIM with members having issues with activating the eSIM. Plus I can just pop the SIM out and put it into another phone. With eSIM, you need to purchase another eSIM on the other phone.

[hTideGnow]

hi @WendyDarlingBC 

in this case, you have no choice but to get a physical sim (and ask PM CS agent for reimbursement)

remember to ask if your phone is capable of esim after you activate with a physical sim

[Dunkman]

---

@WendyDarlingBC wrote:

CS reply to my query: 

we cannot complete an eSIM activation.

So, once again, if you wish to continue with this Public Mobile activation please get a physical SIM Card.

ONCE THE ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN GET AN ESIM, BUT NOT BEFORE.

---

@WendyDarlingBC 

Sometimes if something goes wrong with eSIM activations, customer service agent will ask new customer to get physical SIM card.  PM usually will credit your plan the cost of the SIM card.  

However, most customers can just activate eSIM directly if their phone is eSIM compatible.  

[Handy1]

@WendyDarlingBC . In some rare cases I’ve seen this happen to folks when having issues first activating so in that case if just go to Telus Koodo store or order one from Amazon and get yourself activated I actually prefer physical sim anywyas so it’s easy decision for me 

[WendyDarlingBC]

This was his response to my query: 

we cannot complete an eSIM activation.

So, once again, if you wish to continue with this Public Mobile activation please get a physical SIM Card.

ONCE THE ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN GET AN ESIM, BUT NOT BEFORE.

[WendyDarlingBC]

we cannot complete an eSIM activation.

This is his response to my asking what the problem is:

So, once again, if you wish to continue with this Public Mobile activation please get a physical SIM Card.

ONCE THE ACCOUNT IS ACTIVE IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN GET AN ESIM, BUT NOT BEFORE.

[WendyDarlingBC]

Sorry typo. Yes a customer service agent said that.
His explanation was that the account needed to be activated before I could use an eSIM. But I can’t activate because I can’t get past the eSIM incompatible message. My phone is compatible. It is an iphone16e.

Maybe because my phone is listed as an older phone on my previous provider?

[Handy1]

@WendyDarlingBC  No you can use either physical sim or eSIM so long as your phones compatible from the start and always chage down the road if you want also 

[hTideGnow]

hi @WendyDarlingBC 

was it a CS agent told you that?

generally speaking, you don't have to.  You can go directly to eSIM when you activate a PM account

but some people had trouble with esim activation, so they have to go to a physical sim first.