# Top-up

> Adding more data or extra validity to an eSIM plan you already installed, rather than buying and installing a brand new plan.

Source: https://viasimo.com/glossary/top-up/
Also known as: recharge, refill, add data

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A top-up adds more data, or sometimes more time, to an eSIM plan that is already sitting on your phone. Instead of installing a fresh profile, you buy an allowance that gets attached to the plan you are already running, so the same eSIM keeps working without any reinstall. People also call it a recharge, a refill, or simply adding data.

The alternative is buying a new plan outright. That means a separate one-off purchase with its own allowance and its own [validity period](/glossary/validity-period/), which you activate when you are ready. Neither route is a subscription: an [eSIM](/glossary/esim/) is always a prepaid, one-off buy, and nothing renews or bills you again unless you choose to purchase more.

So which makes sense on a trip? If you are mid-holiday, your current plan still has days left, and you have just run low on data, a top-up is the tidy option: the same eSIM keeps its settings and you avoid juggling profiles. If your plan has already expired, or you are moving to a different region with different coverage needs, a new plan is usually cleaner and often better value than stacking top-ups. Heavy streamers should also glance at the [fair usage policy](/glossary/fair-usage-policy/), since speeds can be managed once you pass certain thresholds regardless of how you added the data.

Watch the calendar either way: a top-up that only adds data does not always extend the days remaining, so check what you are buying. New to the format? Start with our guide on [what is an eSIM](/magazine/what-is-an-esim-complete-guide/).