Worried about unexpectedly using up all your mobile data while on holiday? This guide will help you get the most out of your Holiday eSIM data plan and ensures you get uninterrupted and fast mobile data for the duration of your holiday. 

While running out of mobile data is bound to happen, there are some simple and effective tips you can follow to get the best out of your prepaid data plan.

With these tips at hand, you will be able to easily optimize your mobile data usage and avoid unnecessarily using your data, thereby helping you avoid buying a new eSIM plan or topping up. 

What is an eSIM?

An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a virtual SIM that is built into a smartphone or other device that works exactly like a normal SIM card. Unlike a physical SIM card that needs to be inserted into a specific slot to activate itself, an eSIM is activated digitally by scanning a QR code.

eSIMs have become a real lifesaver for those who travel, unlocking easy access to high-speed Internet anywhere in the world. Moreover, an eSIM does this without needing you to provide ID proofs or go through any difficult installation or activation process.

An eSIM works by storing all of the information required to connect to a mobile network, including your phone number, network credentials, and other account details. When you activate an eSIM, this information is downloaded and stored on the device's memory, which allows you to connect to a mobile network without needing a physical SIM card.

Imagine getting a new phone number with high-speed data in just under a minute! Holiday eSIM makes this possible while giving you the best coverage, value-for-money plans and customer support.

Why should you manage your data usage while traveling?

For the modern traveler or digital nomad, it is impossible to imagine traveling offline. Equally bad would be getting a plan and then burning through the data unknowingly.

By managing your data usage, you can ensure you don’t unnecessarily spend your plan’s bandwidth and have your eSIMs last longer, leading to more savings and more mobile data for you to enjoy.

Additionally, managing your data usage can also help conserve your phone battery charge, as well as improve network performance. 

For example, data-intensive apps like streaming video, music, and social network apps, can drain batteries fast due to using up a lot of network data. When you send videos or download huge files, your phone has to maintain an active connection to the Internet, which drains your battery quickly. This is especially true as the constant communication between your phone and the network can be very power-intensive. To deal with data-intensive apps effectively, you should take measures to control their activity.

How to reduce data usage while using Holiday eSIM?

To start reducing your data usage while on a Holiday eSIM plan, it is crucial that you start monitoring your data use. Most smartphones have a built-in data usage tracking feature that allows you to see how much data you've used over a given period.

To monitor your mobile data usage on Android

  1. Open the Settings app on your Android device. 

  2. Tap on "Network & internet". 

  3. Tap on "Mobile network". 

  4. Scroll down to "Mobile data usage" and tap on it. 

  5. Here, you can view the total amount of data used and the data used by each app on your device.

  6. You can also set a data usage limit and a warning level to avoid exceeding your data plan. 

  7. To view data usage over a specific period, tap on "App data usage cycle" and select the desired period.

To monitor your mobile data usage on iOS

  1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device. 

  2. Tap on "Cellular".

  3. Here, you can view the total amount of data used and the data used by each app on your device.

  4. To view data usage over a specific period, scroll down to "Cellular Data" and tap on "Current Period". 

  5. Here, you can view the amount of data used during the current billing cycle and the date the cycle resets.

Please note that the steps mentioned below may vary depending on operating system versions. However, most modern smartphones have such data use monitoring systems in place, so if you are unsure about monitoring the mobile data usage of your smartphone, please check with your manufacturer.

Turn off automatic updates

Turning off automatic updates on your mobile device can help you save mobile data by preventing apps from downloading updates in the background without your knowledge or permission.

When automatic updates are turned on, apps may download updates even when you're not actively using them. These updates can consume a significant amount of mobile data, which can result in exceeding your data limit and incurring additional charges.

By turning off automatic updates, you can manually control when updates are downloaded and choose to only download updates when you're connected to Wi-Fi. This way, you can ensure that your data usage is minimized and that you don't exceed your monthly data limit.

To turn off automatic updates on an Android device, go to the Google Play Store app, tap on the three lines in the top left corner, select "Settings," and then turn off "Auto-update apps."

To turn off automatic updates on an iOS device, go to the Settings app, tap on "iTunes & App Store," and then turn off "App Updates" under the "Automatic Downloads" section.

Restricting background data usage

It's important to monitor your phone's background data usage and adjust settings as needed to prevent excessive data usage.

Background data usage on phones refers to data consumed by apps and services that run in the background even when you are not actively using them. This includes email apps like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail automatically syncing in the background to update your inbox as well as social media notifications from Facebook and Instagram.

Some estimates suggest that background data usage can account for 20-30% or more of a user's total data consumption on their mobile phone. However, this can vary widely depending on individual usage patterns and app settings.

In a 2017 report, mobile carrier Ericsson estimated that background data usage accounts for around 20% of mobile data usage worldwide. Similarly, a 2018 report by OpenSignal, a company that specializes in wireless coverage mapping, found that background data usage accounts for around 30% of mobile data usage in the United States.

You can adjust the settings of individual apps to prevent them from using data in the background. 

On Android, you can do this by going to Settings > Apps & notifications > select the app > Data usage > Background data. 

On iOS, you can do this by going to Settings > Cellular > scrolling down to the app and turn off "Background app refresh".

Disabling auto-play videos

This tip will save a mountain of data for those of us who spend a lot of time on social media. You should know that the automatic playing of videos while scrolling your social media feed is a feature that consumes mobile data. This is also true for ads starting playback automatically.

To turn off the auto-play feature for videos on Facebook, follow these steps:

  • Open the Facebook app

  • Tap on the 'More' button located on the bottom right of the screen.

  • Scroll down and select 'Settings'.

  • Select 'Account Settings'.

  • Tap on 'Videos' and then select 'Auto-play'.

  • Finally, choose the 'Off' option to turn off the auto-play feature for videos.

Turning on data-saving mode

Data-saving modes on phones work by reducing the amount of data that apps and services use in the background. This can significantly reduce the data consumed by your online activities.

While the data-saving mode is turned on, images and videos downloaded or streamed to your phone will be of a lower quality. Some data-saving modes also use compression algorithms to reduce the data being transferred. Both these can significantly reduce data usage without much of an impact on the quality of the content.

Different phone manufacturers and operating systems may implement data-saving modes differently. Some phones may have built-in data-saving modes that you can activate in the settings, while others may require you to download a separate app. It's worth noting that while data-saving modes can help reduce data usage, they may also impact the performance or quality of certain apps or services.

Reduce video quality

The amount of mobile data you can save by reducing video quality depends on several factors, including the original quality of the video and how much you reduce it. 

Generally, the lower the quality, the fewer data the video will consume. 

For example, if you reduce the video quality from HD (1080p) to SD (480p), you can potentially save up to 60-70% of the data used by the original video. You might be even surprised to know that a 480p video on a mobile screen isn’t that pixelated or jarring. Therefore, if you don’t mind viewing videos on standard resolution or medium resolution you can really make your Holiday eSIM plan work for you.

However, the actual amount of data saved can vary depending on the specific video and the settings of the device or app being used to play it.

Using ‘lite’ versions of popular apps

For users seeking a more simplified or lightweight version of popular apps or those who are constrained by limited storage or data, opting for lite versions of the apps may be a viable solution.

These apps are designed by developers to focus solely on the core functionality of the app, thereby reducing the overhead incurred in terms of data usage and storage.

A perfect example of this is the difference between the regular Facebook app, which occupies about 200MB on Android, compared to the 3MB taken up by the lite version. This demonstrates a vast contrast in terms of storage space used.

In addition to taking up less storage space, lite versions of apps generally have fewer features than the full versions, which results in less data usage when running. Some lite apps use data-saving techniques such as data compression or pre-loading content to further minimize data usage. 

Meanwhile, the specific features lacking in lite versions may vary widely depending on the app.

For instance, some of the features that may be absent in lite versions include advanced features, limited language support, fewer customization options, or less content compared to the full version.

Using data-saving browsers

Data-saving mobile browsers such as Google Chrome, Opera Mini, Brave Browser and Firefox Focus, help to reduce data usage in various ways. One of the most common techniques used by these browsers is data compression. Mobile browsers compress web pages before sending them to the user's device. This compression reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred, thereby reducing the amount of data used.

Another technique used by data-saving mobile browsers is image compression. These browsers compress images on web pages using algorithms to reduce their size without significantly affecting their quality. This technique can be very effective, as images are often a major source of data consumption.

Furthermore, many data-saving mobile browsers block ads by default. Ads can be a significant source of data usage, so blocking them can help reduce the amount of data consumed. Some browsers also disable auto-play videos by default, as videos can consume a lot of data.

Data-saving mobile browsers may also optimize web page content to reduce its data usage. For example, they may remove unnecessary whitespace, reduce the size of fonts, or remove elements that are not essential to the page's functionality. These optimizations help to reduce the amount of data used when browsing the web.

The best eSIMs with the most flexible data limits

Now that you’ve covered the basics in getting the most out of your prepaid data plan, it is time for you to grab a Holiday eSIM and go off on your adventure!

Sim2fly Global eSIM

  • Global eSIM 6GB Plan Valid for 15 days

  • Get 6GB High-speed 5G Data

  • Strong and reliable network coverage in 120 countries

  • Includes Thai number

  • Instant installation

  • Valid for 15 days

  • Truly unlimited plan (reduced speed after data cap)


 

Sim2fly International eSIM Asia  


  • Asia eSIM 6GB Plan Valid for 8 days  

  • Get 6GB High-speed 5G Data  

  • Strong and reliable network coverage across Asia  

  • Includes Thai number  

  • Instant installation  

  • Valid for 8 days  

  • Truly unlimited plan (reduced speed after data cap) 




Holiday eSIM for Europe


  • 20GB 4G data  

  • 120 minutes of international voice calling credit  

  • 1,000 international SMS  

  • Unlimited voice calls in Europe  

  • Unlimited SMS in Europe  

  • French phone number





Holiday Zen eSIM for Europe 


  • 8GB 4G data  

  • 30 minutes of international voice calling credit  

  • 200 international SMS  

  • Unlimited voice calls in Europe  

  • Unlimited SMS in Europe  

  • French phone number  

Activating your Holiday eSIM

Browse through our regional and global eSIMs at www.holidayesim.com and choose the plan that perfectly matches your data and coverage requirements.

After making your purchase, an email containing a QR code will be sent to you, which you must scan to activate your eSIM. The email comes with a set of guidelines on how to scan the QR code and activate the eSIM on your device. 

The activation process is user-friendly and typically involves opening your phone's settings, selecting the option to add a new cellular plan, and scanning the QR code sent in your mail. As soon as you have scanned the QR code, your eSIM will be activated, and you will be all set to experience uninterrupted connectivity.

Happy traveling!