When exactly is a Korean eSIM activated? Refunds end at installation, validity starts at activation

On a Kedanto Korea eSIM, activation is not the moment you install it. It is the moment the line first connects to a network in Korea. The order page puts it this way: "It activates when you turn on data roaming in Korea, and the validity period starts from that moment." Refunds, however, end one step earlier: a full refund is available only until the eSIM is installed on a phone. Once you scan the QR or enter the code, there is no refund, even if the line has not activated yet.

What the terms do not contain is a sentence that says, in technical terms, what activation is. So this guide quotes the terms, the refund policy and the order page word for word, and sticks to what those texts actually say (terms and order page checked on 19 September 2026, refund policy on 30 September 2026).

What is the difference between QR issue, installation and activation?

Every eSIM passes three moments before it carries your data. The names sound alike, but refunds end at the second one and the validity clock starts at the third.

"Starting to use it" is not a fourth moment. On Kedanto's order page, activation and the start of the validity period are the same point.

How do Kedanto's terms describe activation?

Two documents speak to it. The first is Article 2 (Nature of the Product) of the Terms of Service, in the official English translation:

"An eSIM is digital content, and its supply begins when the QR code is issued."

"Before the QR code is issued, the order may be cancelled at any time for a full refund (withdrawal of subscription). Refunds after issuance are subject to the Refund Policy."

The second is the "After installation (including before activation)" clause of the Refund Policy, in full:

"No refund is given. Once the eSIM has been installed on a device by scanning the QR code or entering the installation code, supply is regarded as complete even if it has not yet connected to the local network (activated), because an installed eSIM cannot be recovered by the network. Please install the eSIM once your travel dates are confirmed, before departure, over Wi-Fi."

Read together, the shape is clear: supply begins when the QR is issued and is regarded as complete at installation, even before activation. Activation itself is described only as connecting to the local network (the Korean original says 개통), and nowhere does it say which technical event counts. Both translated pages state that the Korean original prevails if the wording ever differs.

What the refund policy does settle is who decides. For an eSIM whose QR has already been issued, it says Kedanto "will confirm in the supplier’s system that there is no record of installation or use" before refunding. In other words, the deciding record is the supplier's system, not what your phone's settings screen shows.

Does installing the eSIM count as activating it?

No. Kedanto's order page reads the supplier's installation time and activation time as two separate records. An eSIM that has only been installed gets the badge "Installed · not activated," and switches to "In use" only once an activation time appears. Having the profile on your phone is deliberately not enough to count as in use.

The refund policy draws its line one step earlier. Its clause "After installation (including before activation)" gives no refund once the profile is on a phone, because the network cannot take an installed eSIM back. So installing at home over Wi-Fi a few days before you fly leaves your validity days where they were, but it ends your right to a refund. Install once your travel dates are firm.

The order page's own advice follows that split. Under the install instructions it says: "Install it in advance, and turn on data roaming after you arrive." Where to tap on each phone is in the iPhone and Galaxy setup guide, and why installing before the flight matters is in installing before you arrive.

Do the validity days count from installation or from activation?

From activation. Under the activation deadline, the order page says: "Activate any time before this date. The validity period counts from the day you activate."

As of September 2026, Kedanto's Korea plans are 1GB per day for 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 or 15 days; 2GB per day for 5, 7 or 10 days; a total of 1GB within 7 days; and totals of 3, 5, 10, 20 or 50GB within 30 days. All of those days run from activation. Install a 5-day plan at home on Monday night, land at Incheon on Thursday afternoon and activate there, and the five days start on Thursday afternoon.

Once the eSIM is active, you do not have to work out the end date yourself. The date field on the order page changes its label from "Activate by" to "Expires" and shows the date with the number of days left. The product pages do not say whether a day means 24 hours or a calendar date, so that field is the number to trust. Choosing the right length for your trip is covered in how many days and how many GB.

How long can an eSIM stay unactivated?

We checked the supplier's package specifications on 19 September 2026: all eight supplier packages behind Kedanto's Korea plans list 180 days as the period they can remain unused before activation. Daily and total-volume plans are the same.

You do not need to count it. Before activation, the "Data left" card on your order page has an "Activate by" field showing the date and the days remaining.

What happens after that date is not set out anywhere in the terms or the refund policy. The refund rule is "full refund before installation," but the documents say nothing about an eSIM that runs past its deadline. If your trip might slide beyond it and you have not installed the eSIM yet, ask for a refund before the deadline arrives.

What does each badge on the order page mean?

Once the QR has been issued, your order page shows a "Data left" card, and the badge in its top-right corner tells you which stage you are at. The badge also tells you which refund route applies.

The badge updates from the supplier's records. Tapping "Refresh" under the card checks again, and the page notes that "Usage figures can lag a few minutes behind the network." If you have landed and data is working but the badge still says "not activated," refresh again after a few minutes.

How do you get a full refund before installation?

There are two routes, depending on whether the QR has been issued yet.

Before the QR is issued. The refund policy points to the "Cancel order and get a full refund" button on the order confirmation page. That button, however, only appears on orders whose issuing is delayed or has failed. Issuing normally finishes in under a minute, so most orders show the QR before there is any chance to see the button. Pressing it shows one more confirmation that the full amount will be refunded; the refund then goes through on the spot, or the order moves to "Cancellation received" and is processed within one business day. The refund policy says the money arrives within 1–3 business days depending on the payment method.

After the QR is issued, before installation. There is no button at this stage. Email support@kedanto.com with your order number; once the supplier's system confirms there is no record of installation or use, you get a full refund. Because that check happens after your request arrives, do not scan the QR or enter the code once you have sent the email.

The "withdrawal of subscription" in Article 2 refers to the first route, cancelling before the QR is issued. Refunds after issuance follow the conditions in the refund policy.

Is there any refund after installation?

Two cases. The refund policy's "Unusable due to a supplier failure" clause reads: "As this falls within our scope of responsibility, we will provide a partial or full refund after verifying supporting evidence, regardless of whether the eSIM has been installed or activated."

The other is a product that differs from what was displayed or advertised, or a contract performed differently from its terms. Then you can withdraw even after installation or activation, under Article 17(3) of Korea's E-Commerce Consumer Protection Act, within 30 days of learning (or when you could have learned) of it and within 3 months of supply.

Otherwise, installation ends refunds. For a phone that turned out not to support the eSIM, and for buying the wrong country or plan, the policy gives a full refund only if the eSIM was never installed, and none after. If you need to tell a network failure apart from a settings problem first, work through where to look when the eSIM has no internet and include what you found in your email. If you have not paid yet, checking your phone and carrier lock comes first.

What if your trip is postponed after you installed the eSIM?

Two days before departure, the airline emails a schedule change. The new flight is three weeks later. The eSIM went onto your phone last week, at home.

One screen answers this: your order page. The badge will read "Installed · not activated", which means no refund, but also no days used yet. Put the arrival date on the new ticket next to the "Activate by" date on the order page. If the deadline falls after your new arrival date, leave it alone, land in three weeks, turn on data roaming, and the days start then. If the new date is still open, or might land after the deadline, a refund is no longer an option, which is why it pays to install only once your dates are firm. Had the badge still read "Not installed", you could email your order number and get a full refund.