# How to balance convinience with privacy in having a phone number & mobile data

**URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/how-to-balance-convinience-with-privacy-in-having-a-phone-number-mobile-data/39768
**Category:** Questions
**Created:** 2026-08-10T00:39:48Z
**Posts:** 15
**Showing post:** 8 of 15

## Post 8 by @madyson — 2026-08-10T20:38:09Z

Lol, in my case I just have several eSIMs. I compartmentalize everything, and in some countries there aren’t strict KYC requirements for SIM cards, so I use eSIMs from those places. There are also certain providers for example in the UK, I’ve seen a site that sells a ‘lifetime’ eSIM that can be used for calls, SMS, and data.

Most of the eSIMs I use are pay-as-you-go, so they don’t have a fixed expiration date. They usually only expire if you don’t top them up or if there’s no activity for a long period like six months to a year, which I doubt will happen. So, honestly, I just have a bunch of different eSIMs.

and it’s also like compartmentalized so certain numbers are public but certain numbers i will only ever use them for sites that strictly require 2FA as a mobile number .  
I try to use phone numbers as little as possible but for the sites that do ask or where it’s genuinely needed for example like a delivery I can get most of these eSIMs quite easily so sometimes I can just use them once and then nuke them.

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