Unable to swap from physical sim to esim

[Tiacin]

Hi,

I have a data only plan with a physical sim and wanting to switch it to esim. The plan still has a contract and has a tablet attached to it. I went to a Fido store as well as spoke with customer service on the phone, no one was able to do it for me. The rep was guessing that because the plan has a device attached to it that's why it can't be switched to an esim. Does that make sense? 

Has anyone encountered similar problem? Is there any way around it?

Thanks. 

[Cawtau]

Hello Tiacin,

  Welcome to the community!

  To clarify, are you trying to activate the eSIM on your tablet or on a phone? If it's the former, what tablet do you have?

  As far as I am aware, the eSIMs only seem to be supported with iPhones (see here and here).

  On the other hand, if you're trying to activate the plan on an iPhone, you should note that those plans are only intended for use on tablets. Fido has been closing certain loopholes regarding the Tablet/Hotspot plans, including its use in smartphones (see here). If you are trying to use the plan in a smartphone, that could be why you couldn't activate the eSIM.

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers

[Tiacin]

Hi Cawtau,

Thanks for your reply. I am trying to activate it on my pixel 4a. I currently have another data only sim swapped to esim and has been using it on that same phone. So I don't quite understand why it didn't work this time. 

Ps. I am not trying to use two esims simultaneously. I need the new esim activated as the old esim plan is ending. 

I would appreciate any help. 

[Cawtau]

Hello again,

  Thank you for the additional information. I can't speak as to why it worked in the past. However, as mentioned previously, those plans are intended for Tablet or HotSpot usage only. Fido are closing the loop-holes regarding those plans' unintended usages. However, it will be a process for them to find all of the customers exploiting the loop-holes. Only recently, another community member (without an eligible post-paid mobile plan) noted that their Tablet/HotSpot plan was transitioned to Fido's Data-only plan (see here). It's possible you were able to in the past before Fido started to restrict its usage.

  Unfortunately, since you are trying to switch a Tablet plan to a smartphone eSIM, I don't think anyone here would be able to assist you with circumventing Fido's intended plan usage.

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers