Help Center

FAQ

From Local Network and network exits to refunds — the questions travelers ask most before departure, all answered in one place.

Plans & Connection Types

Local Breakout: your phone connects directly to the local carrier's base station — no detours, low latency, just as smooth as a local user. Polaris eSIM prioritizes Local Breakout in many popular destinations (Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the US, the UK and more).

Roaming plans: the signal travels to a third country before reaching the open internet — higher latency and more variable speeds, but a great fallback for countries without Local Network or for multi-country itineraries.

For single-country trips we recommend Local Network first; use Roaming to cover multi-country itineraries or less common destinations.

The "network exit" is the country whose servers your roaming signal ultimately uses to reach the open internet. It affects which online services you can use as well as the plan's cost and price.

Hong Kong exit: lower cost and the most affordable price, but some popular services (e.g., TikTok, ChatGPT) may be restricted or unavailable due to local Hong Kong network policies.

Singapore or other exits: higher cost and higher price, but no usage restrictions — TikTok, ChatGPT, Google, Meta and other services all work normally.

If you'll use TikTok, ChatGPT and similar services, choose the Singapore or another exit. For Google Maps, LINE, or Instagram alone, Hong Kong is more than enough. Switch freely at the "Choose network exit" step on the product page.

Unlimited: no data cap — ideal for heavy users who watch videos, navigate all day, or tether for family. Subject to a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) and may be throttled after the threshold.

Daily quota: a fixed daily high-speed allowance (e.g., 1 GB/day) — throttled when used up that day, reset the next. Best for travelers with predictable daily usage.

Total roaming pool: one shared data pool for the whole plan (e.g., 10 GB / 30 days). Best for light usage or short business trips — pair it with "Auto Top-up" so you never run out mid-trip.

Yes. Polaris eSIM China plans use an offshore roaming exit route that bypasses the local Great Firewall, so Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LINE, Google and other international services work directly — no extra VPN needed.

Tap Stella in the bottom-right corner and tell her your destination, days, usage level (light / medium / heavy) and connection preference. She'll recommend the best plan instantly, 24/7, no waiting.

Purchase, Payment & Invoice

We accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay, American Express) as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and other mobile payments. All transactions are encrypted through a PCI-DSS compliant third-party gateway. The displayed price is the final price — no extra service fees, no automatic recurring charges.

At checkout, the delivery method is decided by your travel date. The QR Code is always sent to the email you provided at checkout:

① Travelling within 30 days (immediate delivery): you'll receive it within 5 minutes of successful payment. If you don't see it, check your spam folder first.

② Travelling after 30 days (scheduled delivery): the system automatically sends the QR Code 7 days before your departure, so you won't accidentally delete it or install it too early.

③ Manual retrieval: nothing is sent automatically after payment. Tap "Get eSIM" on the order detail page and it arrives within 3–10 minutes. Ideal for gifts, group buys, or when your itinerary isn't finalised yet.

No, you don't need to. Guest checkout works as long as you verify your email at checkout — the QR Code will arrive there. Registering an account (Google / Apple / Email login) lets you save invoice carriers and cards, view past orders, and resend the QR Code on a new device.

For Taiwan orders, electronic invoices are issued via ezPay. You can choose cloud invoice, mobile barcode carrier, Citizen Digital Certificate, donation, or company invoice (with tax ID).

Overseas orders can choose personal or company invoicing, and download an English Commercial Receipt (including company name, address, and tax ID) for reimbursement. You can re-download invoices and receipts anytime from "My Orders".

Yes. Enter your discount code in the "Promo Code" field at checkout. Promo codes have validity periods and apply only to specific plans — please confirm your code is valid for the plan you're purchasing.

eSIM Installation & Compatibility

Most international iPhones released after 2018 (XS and newer) and Samsung, Pixel and other flagship Androids support eSIM.

The easiest way to tell: open Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM (iPhone) or Settings → Connections → SIM Manager → Add eSIM (Samsung). If the option is there, your phone supports eSIM.

You can also use our eSIM Compatibility Check Tool — it'll detect your device automatically.

Mainland China iPhones do not support eSIM due to hardware restrictions, and foreign carrier-locked phones may not work either. Both fall under "device incompatible" and are non-refundable after purchase, so please verify with our eSIM compatibility checker beforehand.

For full step-by-step instructions (with separate walkthroughs for iPhone, Pixel and Samsung), see eSIM User Guide. We recommend installing it on Wi-Fi before departure — once you arrive, just turn on data roaming to go online.

QR Codes are one-time bindings — once installed, they are tied to that device's EID and cannot be transferred to another phone. If you delete the eSIM from the phone it cannot be restored either, and you'll need to repurchase. Please handle with care.

Issues During Use

Please check in order:

1. Airplane mode is turned off.

2. The eSIM is set as the primary data line (Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data, choose this eSIM).

3. "Data Roaming" is turned on.

4. Turn on airplane mode for 10 seconds and then off again, or restart the phone.

If none of the above works, please contact us "while still abroad" — email contact@polaris-esim.tw or open Stella — and we will troubleshoot in real time. Reports made after you return home cannot be accepted (see our refund policy).

Handling depends on the plan type:

Total roaming pool plans: we recommend ticking "Auto Top-up" at checkout — when data runs out, it tops up automatically without any interruption. If you didn't enable Auto Top-up and have run out, you can top up manually on the order page or buy a new plan.

Unlimited plans: there's no data cap to begin with — only throttling after the FUP threshold, never a disconnect. If you watch lots of video or share via hotspot, choose Unlimited from the outset — it's the most worry-free.

Daily quota plans: throttled when the daily allowance runs out, restored at midnight the next day. If you urgently need high speed, just buy a new plan to use alongside.

The Fair Usage Policy (FUP) is a carrier mechanism that prevents a few heavy users from degrading network quality for others. On unlimited plans, speeds are throttled once you reach the local carrier's threshold (you can usually still browse, but not stream HD video). Thresholds vary by country and carrier — see "Network Usage Rules" on the product page. FUP throttling is a normal mechanism and is not eligible for a refund.

Most plans support hotspot sharing, but some limit the number of connected devices (e.g., up to 2). Each product page lists the hotspot rules for that plan under "Network Usage Rules" — please check before purchase. For multiple people, we recommend going straight for an Unlimited plan to avoid burning through data too fast.

Poor reception in remote areas, mountains, or off the coast on cruise ships is a local base-station coverage issue — it happens with any eSIM or physical SIM. This falls under local infrastructure limitations and is not eligible for a refund. We recommend pre-downloading offline maps, translation packs and similar content while you're in cities.

Returns & Refunds

Core principle: once the QR Code has been sent by email (whether or not you've scanned and installed it), the product is considered delivered and refunds are not accepted. eSIMs are digital goods and, per the proviso of Article 19, paragraph 1 of the Consumer Protection Act, are not subject to the 7-day cooling-off period. For the full rules, see Return and Refund Policy.

You can request a full or pro-rated refund if any of the following apply:

QR Code not yet sent: orders using "Travelling after 30 days (scheduled delivery)" or "Manual retrieval" can be fully refunded before the QR Code is sent.

Immediate-delivery overdue: you haven't received the QR Code within 24 hours of payment (with the correct email address and after checking the spam folder).

Product defect: confirmed as a product fault after on-site troubleshooting with our support — refunded pro-rata for the unused portion.

Duplicate charge: if a system error causes duplicate orders or charges, the excess amount is refunded after verification.

Please contact our support team "while still on your trip" (contact@polaris-esim.tw or Stella) so we can troubleshoot in real time. Issues reported only after returning home (including "I had a problem on my last trip and want to bring it up now") are no longer eligible for refunds because the troubleshooting window has been missed — this is explicitly stated in our refund policy.

Once the system has charged for the Auto Top-up, the service is considered activated and refunds are not accepted. If you no longer need Auto Top-up, you can disable it on the "My Orders" page so you won't be charged again.

Refunds are returned via the original payment method (credit card, mobile wallet, etc.) and typically take 7–14 business days; the exact posting time depends on your bank. The refund amount is capped at what you actually paid and does not cover indirect losses or additional compensation related to your trip.

Account, Support & Security

On the login page, tap "Forgot password". Enter your registered email and the system will send a reset link — please complete the reset within 1 hour. If you signed up with Google / Apple, just log in via that provider; no separate password is required.

The order confirmation email contains an order-lookup link valid for 30 days — tap it to see order details, invoices/receipts, and the QR Code. If you've lost the email, register an account with the same address and the system will automatically merge your past guest orders into the account.

Stella is on duty 24/7 — she can help with plan recommendations, installation guides, connection troubleshooting and order lookup, replying almost instantly. For more complex or human-only cases (e.g. refunds, invoice corrections), please email contact@polaris-esim.tw and our human team will follow up.

We offer KOL/influencer experience commissions, corporate bulk-purchase discounts, and integrations for travel businesses (OTAs, B&Bs, ticket vendors). Please visit Business — fill in the form on that page and we'll be in touch as soon as possible.

We will never proactively contact you by phone, SMS or LINE to ask for your full credit card number, verification code or bank transfer. Any "ATM instalment cancellation" or "fake refund notice" is a scam. Our only official channels are contact@polaris-esim.tw and Stella inside the site. See Anti-Fraud Center.

Still can't find the answer?

Feel free to ask Stella anytime, or email our support team — we're happy to help.

Contact Support