Information & Support
General
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VeslSIM is a global roaming phone plan.
We simplify connectivity for yacht crew, by enabling you to use a single phone plan, wherever you go, without worrying about buying and installing a new SIM/eSIM, or changing your phone number.
Get set up once, and connect around the world - in season, onboard, on holiday, or at home.
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VeslSIM is like any other phone plan, but without roaming fees - what you pay for when you join, is what you get. We will never send you a bill for extras, and there are no hidden charges or fees.
We provide coverage through partner networks all around the world. In most countries, you will have coverage from at least two local networks, and in some cases as many as six. This means you are likely to have better cellular coverage than buying a local SIM/eSIM; especially important when you are in more remote locations, and want to get online!
Getting set up is very simple - choose a plan with the coverage you need, and get connected in minutes.
We understand that in such a fast paced career, plans change very quickly, so when your travel plans or itinerary change, you can always upgrade, downgrade, pause, or cancel your plan later, to suit your immediate needs.
VeslSIM is totally flexible, and works around your complex lifestyle as crew, to remove the admin and stress associated with getting connectivity when travelling and living both abroad and aboard.
If you have an existing number, you can even bring it with you to our service.*
You can read more about starting a plan here.
*Your number must be supported for porting. You can learn about porting here.
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Using traditional phone plans, or eSIM providers, rather than a service specifically designed for yacht crew (like VeslSIM) presents some challenges:
You will likely face paying high roaming fees
You may need to buy a new plan or eSIM in each new country you travel to, which could also mean changing phone number
Regular eSIM providers very rarely offer you calls, SMS or a phone number
Or you may simply go without connectivity entirely, due to the cost, time or effort needed to organise a plan
We remove all of these headaches for you, by taking away all of the effort and complexities above.
The reason our plans are a sensible solution and specifically designed for yacht crew:
We are a single eSIM/SIM solution*. This means once you have our eSIM or SIM, it can be used in over 220 locations globally. Even if you cancel, you can always reactivate in minutes.
All plans come with unlimited data. So even when you have finished your high speed data, you won’t be left high and dry without a connection when trying load maps, book an Uber, or send a WhatsApp.
We offer international calling as standard. If you need to get in touch with a bank, travel agency, or family and friends abroad, you don’t need to worry about what it will cost you.
All of your connectivity needs in one place. From our single SIM/eSIM and platform, you can connect wherever, and whenever, with one bill, without needing to sign up to new services.
We allow permanent roaming, and won’t cut you off after a few months like the regular providers, or start charging you roaming fees.
Keep one phone number your entire career. When changing SIMs and providers, your phone number often changes. This means you would need to update family, friends, your CV, WhatsApp, and all of your 2FA and OTP services (a real headache!). With VeslSIM - your number stays your number, and you can bring it with you.
Customer Service in English - so you can skip Google Translate. Often when you need support via a local phone plan, the customer service will be in the native language.
Our plans include many destinations that yachts regularly travel to at no additional cost (Albania, Monaco, Montenegro, Turkey, Bahamas, Caribbean and Pacific Islands), whereas the overwhelming majority of local plans will not include them (you would likely be charged roaming rates).
The value of this may not be immediately apparent if you have not yet lived, worked and travelled overseas for extended periods, but when travelling with a yacht across multiple continents, and either having to face paying roaming fees, not using your phone, or buying a new SIM/eSIM in each new location (and changing your number again), the value is considerable.
*195+ on our core SIM/eSIM. The remainder of locations are available via secondary SIM/eSIM.
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Click the link below to view a comparison of what sets us aside from local SIMs and popular travel eSIM providers.
Still got questions?
Starting a Plan, Number Porting, Phone Numbers
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All plans are for a minimum of 30 days. You can cancel your plan at any time after this. Your plan will end at the end of the month in which you cancel. There are no cancellation charges or penalty fees.
You can also pause your plan, and keep your number at any time you choose.
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The price you see online when you sign up, is the only price you will pay. You do not need to worry about any hidden fees or roaming charges -we decided to do things a little differently.
Unless you choose to top up your plan with extra data or call add-ons, your monthly plan fee is all you will pay.
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Absolutely! Provided it is a number we support porting, then yes! We can currently port UK, USA, Australian, Swedish and Canadian numbers. Others may be available on specific request. You can find more details here.
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Sure! We provide the choice at sign up of a new UK or USA mobile number. We can offer new Australian and Swedish numbers also, by special request.
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You can absolutely still use VeslSIM, and keep your number and SIM from your home country or current provider.
For example, if:
You are not ready to port your number to our service
We don’t support porting your number type yet
You don’t have a number to bring to VeslSIM;
Then we will provide you a new UK or USA number for use with your VeslSIM plan.
In this case you will simply have two plans and two SIMs, from two different providers.
Your VeslSIM for use whilst roaming or travelling (to avoid roaming charges), and your existing number will stay on your current SIM.
If you would like to port your number, you can read more information about porting and bringing your number here.
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If you selected an eSIM at checkout, you will automatically receive a QR code to install your eSIM immediately.
If you selected a physical SIM, we aim to get this to you within 5 working days. Depending on your location, this can sometimes be as little as 2-3 days. Your sim will be activated as soon as you receive it, or insert it into your device.
NB, if you would like your SIM delivered to an address that is different from your billing address, please notify us via either email or WhatsApp.
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Absolutely not! You can use VeslSIM with your existing WhatsApp number if you like. You will always have the option at a later stage to register the number we supply you to WhatsApp.
If you choose not to update your WhatsApp number, please remember that your newly issued VeslSIM number will be the number that is used for regular voice calls and SMS.
Please note - with any telecommunications provider, you will need an active plan to retain usage rights for a telephone number. If you cancel a mobile plan, your access rights to the number will be revoked. This could result in your WhatsApp number being registered by its new owner, if the number is provided to a new paying customer. If you cancel your VeslSIM plan, please ensure you change your WhatsApp number.
Still got questions?
Managing Your Plan, Replacing Your SIM
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Log into your customer portal (click HERE for a link)
Click on your subscription
Click ‘edit’
Choose the plan you require. You will receive an email confirming the change almost immediately
If upgrading your plan to include a new country or location, and you don’t get connection after 2 minutes, please activate airplane mode for 10 seconds, and then deactivate it.
When changing plans, your SIM/eSIM, phone number, account, and billing details all stay the same.
Please remember you will only ever be charged the difference in plan price when switching plans.
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Yes, you can pause your plan at any time, by following the instuctions immediately above, and selecting ‘Pause Plan (SMS ONLY)’ .
If you cancel your plan entirely, YOU WILL LOSE ACCESS TO THE PHONE NUMBER WE ASSIGNED TO YOU, INCLUDING POTENTIALLY TO WHATSAPP (if regsitered).
We recommend pausing if you would like to retain access to your VeslSIM number for SMS purposes such as OTPs and 2FA, but without any other functionality (no data or calls), you can select the ‘Pause Plan’ option in the portal. This will ensure your number Is reserved for when you want to reactivate your plan.
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Within your customer portal there is a usage tracking link for you to keep tabs on your plan.
You will also receive automatic SMS notifications at the 75% and 100% usage levels.
Remember these notifications relate to your high speed data allowance only. You will continue to have unlimited reduced speed data, even once you receive a 100% usage notification.
You can buy more high speed data from the portal at any time - see below.
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Log into your customer portal (click HERE for a link)
Click on your subscription
Click ‘edit’
Add ‘Add ons’
Choose the data or voice add-on you require. You will receive an email confirming the purchase almost immediately
NB - all data and minute add-ons / bundles are valid 30 days, commencing on first usage. Larger data add-ons / bundles (50/100GB are valid 60/90 days respectively).
Any remaining data from your additionally purchased add-on will be used before next month’s regular allowance.
You are able to purchase a data bundle for your current location zone, rather than being obligated to buy one corresponding to your plan.
An example of this, would be if you are subscribed to a Discovery plan, but only require extra data in an Essentials location zone, you can purchase an extra Essentials data bundle, or equally, you have an Essentials plan, you can add Explorer data add-ons.
Our location zones are all listed HERE, and follow the naming of our main V2 plans.
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You can check for general coverage on the plan information page here.
If you don’t immediately see the country you are looking for, it may be because it is covered in a lower plan (for example Discovery, Essentials, or Europe Only, and is therefore included by default when choosing a higher plan).
For a more detailed list referencing specific networks, please check your current plan here.
Please note the linked PDF list above is provided for general information purposes only. It is not exhaustive, and it is subject to change at any time.
For specific coverage and network requests, please contact us.
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You will require a new eSIM. Please request this via our WhatsApp support. Please note there is a £5 sim change fee, which will be added to your next bill.
Still got questions?
Charges, Billing, Plan Renewals and Referrals
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We are legally obliged to collect VAT/IVA/GST on behalf of the tax jurisdiction in which you are a resident. If you have set your billing address to a country in which you are not a resident, please update this. It could result in you not needing to pay tax.
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None of our V2 plans carry any out of bundle, or additional hidden charges. What you see is what you get. Simply choose the plan that covers the destinations you require.
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All plans renew on the first day of the month, providing a new quota of high speed data and calls, and run until the final day of the month.
If you sign-up mid-month, you will be charged a pro-rated amount until the final day of the month. Your high speed data quota will also be pro-rated.
Following your first billing cycle, all future billing cycles will begin on the first day of the month, ending on the final day of the month.
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If you switch plan mid-month, you will only be charged the pro-rated difference in price for the month.
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There is a sign up fee of £25 to cover our costs in:
Setting up your account
Assigning a number to your plan
Issuing a SIM or eSIM
Porting your number to our service
Posting your SIM to you (if applicable).
We do not tie you into a long-term contract though, so you’re free to cancel at any time.
If you cancel your plan, and reactivate it later - you will not pay the Sign Up fee again.
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If you would like to refer a friend, family member, or crew-mate, you can provide them with your unique referral code.
This code can be found within any Invoice email you receive from us, as well as in your customer portal. Log in here.
For each new customer that joins using your unique referral code, a £25 credit will be added to your account automatically, which will go against your next bill.
Your family member, friend or crew-mate will also benefit from a 25% discount on their first three billings cycles.
There is no limit to how many referrals you can make, and you will receive £25 for each, automatically.
Still got questions?
Connectivity Issues (Voice, Data & SMS)
Using VPNs can slow your experience or block you connection entirely.
Using VPNs can slow your experience or block you connection entirely.
Set Up / Install Issues
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It’s possible there was a typographical error when your email address was entered, meaning it has been sent to the wrong place.
Please simply drop us a message and we’ll get this updated for you.
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When you receive an error message when trying to install your eSIM, this is usually for one of the following reasons:
The eSIM has already installed successfully; please check your SIM menu for a new eSIM. This will be the eSIM at the bottom of the list of SIMs under Settings » Cellular/Mobile Data/SIM Manager
Your device is locked to your previous carrier. On iPhone you can check this by going to Settings > General > About. If "No SIM restrictions" appears next to Carrier Lock, your iPhone is unlocked.
There are network security filters blocking the eSIM from contacting the SM-DP+ server. We recommend trying a different Wi-Fi or hotspot.
Your phone does not support eSIM. You can check if your device supports eSIM here.
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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The most common causes are:
Data Roaming isn’t yet enabled for our SIM / eSIM.
Our SIM / eSIM isn’t configured as your default data SIM. This is especially important if you have more than one SIM or eSIM line enabled on your device.
You may be roaming in a country not included in your plan. If you are outside of the inclusive coverage area of the plan you subscribed to, you will not have an internet connection, even if your device shoes signal.
If you have already checked the previous three points, please restart your device.
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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This can take up to 24 hours to update. If your number has still not updated to your SIM, please reach out to us for assistance.
Please note - this should generally not affect your ability to use your plan.
Data Issues
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Please ensure you are in area with sufficient coverage. Scenarios that can compromise cellular reception include:
Being on the interior of a vessel (especially lower decks and in your cabin).
Being at sea, or at anchor. We cannot guarantee coverage if you are not berthed, in port, or on land.
Being amongst large buildings, especially those of dense construction (stone and metal, particularly).
After checking the above, Please first try restarting your device.
You can attempt a manual roam. This is done by manually selecting an alternative network to that which your phone has automatically connected to. In most countries we offer coverage on between 2 and 6 networks, depending on country.
To try to connect to another partner network:
Settings » Mobile Data/Cellular » Network Selection » Switch off automatic » select alternative network » wait for the connection to establish (this may take a minute or two) » return to Automatic Network Selection.
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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Som common causes are:
Data Roaming isn’t enabled for our SIM / eSIM.
Our SIM / eSIM isn’t configured as your default data SIM. This is especially important if you have more than one SIM or eSIM line enabled on your device.
You may be roaming in a country not included in your plan. If you are outside of the inclusive coverage area of the plan you subscribed to, you will not have an internet connection, even if your device shoes signal.
If you have already checked the previous three points, please restart your device
Please attempt a manual roam (see below).
To perform a manual roam, and connect to another partner network:
Settings » Mobile Data/Cellular » Network Selection » Switch off automatic » select alternative network » wait for the connection to establish (this may take a minute or two) » return to Automatic Network Selection.
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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The most common causes for slow data speeds are:
Using VPNs. We cannot guarantee or control how VPNs interact with our local partner networks, so we advise against their use, and you should use them at your own discretion.
You have exhausted or used up your high speed data allowance, and you are now using Always-On Data (unlimited throttled, or reduced speed data).
The local partner network is overly loaded, and could be placing speed restrictions on your particular SIM (traffic shaping or quality of service (QOS) measures).
You can restart your device, which may reset your connection.
You can also attempt a manual roam (please see the first point).
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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Our primary network partner is based in Poland. This will naturally result in you predominantly having Polish traffic, and your device may favour search results for this country.
This behaviour is common and normal for any SIM, from any country, when used in a roaming capacity. The data traffic exits from the home nation of the ultimate upstream service provider, whether that be a USA, UK, or Polish network operator.
This will not affect your ability to connect to services across the internet.
Whilst we may issue numbers from a specific country, it does not mean that we are a local provider in that country.
To overcome this, you can update your location settings in Google (or your preferred browser), or try using a VPN if necessary - although we generally advise against VPNs since they can slow or disable your traffic entirely.
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This means that the location you are roaming in, and the network you are connected to are not included in your plan. You will need to upgrade your plan for coverage.
Calling Issues
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If the call terminates before starting to ring, usually with three short beeps, either the number has been dialled incorrectly (possibly with incorrect dialling code), you have exhausted your quota of minutes, or there is insufficient signal.
Please ensure you have sufficient cellular reception/signal.
We do not support Wi-Fi calling (yet), so this is very important. Being on the interior of a vessel (especially lower decks and in your cabin), or at sea, are examples of when this may occur.
Our SIM / eSIM isn’t configured as your default voice SIM. This means your device is trying to use an alternative SIM to place your call. This is important if you have more than one SIM or eSIM line enabled on your device.
Please ensure you always use the correct international dialling code, even if you are making a 'local' call.
You can view the correct format below.
We recommend enabling airplane mode for 10 seconds, and then disabling it, or restarting, and then placing your call again.
If you have exhausted your minutes allowance, you can purchase more minutes from the customer portal. You can find out how, here.
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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To form the correct number in international format:
Remove the leading or first 0 from the local number
Replace it with the correct country code. Common examples below:
+44 | United Kingdom
+33 | France
+34 | Spain
+39 | Italy
+30 | Greece
+49 | Germany
+27 | South Africa
+61 | Australia
+52 | Mexico
+64 | New Zealand
+90 | TurkeyFor example, the UK number 07123456789, would become +447123456789.
FOR THE UNITED STATES (and Canada),please instead add ‘+1’ to the local number.
For example, the US number (234) 567-8900, would become +1 (234) 567-8900
This format is always required, even if you are calling a number within country.
We highly recommend checking if contacts in your device are saved with their respective country code also.
Whilst we may issue numbers from a specific country, it does not mean that we are a local provider in that country.
We offer and support UK, US, Australian, Canadian and Swedish numbers, so the correct dialling code is always required in order to route your call properly.
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If your device continually rings without an answer, it is likely not being answered by the recipient.
It is also possible the country code has not been added correctly.
If the country code is correct, then the recipient is unavailable (if the call terminates after 60 seconds of the dialling tone). We recommend trying to call back later.
SMS Issues and Registering Your Number
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If you believe you are not receiving SMS, please:
Check our SIM is enabled.
Check that you have sufficient signal. SMS cannot be carried over Wi-Fi, so your device will need service in order to receive the SMS.
Check that the sender is sending to the correct number.
If you have confirmed the above, we recommend restarting your device
You can also attemp a manual roam (Please see below).
To perform a manual roam, and connect to another partner network:
Settings » Mobile Data/Cellular » Network Selection » Switch off automatic » select alternative network » wait for the connection to establish (this may take a minute or two) » return to Automatic Network Selection.
If none of the above resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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Please ensure you have sufficient cellular reception/signal.
Being on the interior of a vessel (especially lower decks and in your cabin), or at sea, are examples of when this may occur.
Our SIM / eSIM isn’t configured as your default SMS SIM. This means your device is trying to use an alternative SIM to send your SMS. This is important if you have more than one SIM or eSIM line enabled on your device.
Please ensure you always use the correct international dialling code, even if you are sending a 'local' SMS.
You can view the correct format in the ‘Calling Issues’ menu above.
If the above do not resolve your issue, please reach out to us.
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If you are having difficulty registering your number to a service, this usually happens due to an IP mismatch or time zone mismatch between the locale of your assigned number, when compared to the country or location in which you are trying to register for the service.
It is a typical fraud prevention measure, albeit frustrating for true roaming customers.
We can recommend trying to register again with a VPN set to the country from which your number originates, along with temporarily changing your device's timezone to match.
Occasionally simply deleting the app and reinstalling it can work, as simple as this may sound.
Please note some services only permit numbers from specific countries to register for their services.
Still got questions?