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iPhone 13 and dual sim card

Posted by (Massachusetts) on

I have asked about this topic before and received very helpful information but still have lingering questions. If anyone could help me, that would be very appreciated.
I have an iPhone 13 and a Verizon plan which allows for dual sim cards. One sim card is the one that comes with my phone and the one that I am using everyday. I went to the Verizon store today to verify how to use the dual sim card feature and was told the following. I was told that the technician could add a second sim card to my phone, right then and there, and at no charge. This is different than the Verizon travel plan or International Plan. He said I needed this step in order to be able to access a second sim card from whatever provider I wanted to select when I arrive in England. He said I wouldn't be able to add the second sim card electronically (with a pin) in England unless I took this step here. He said he had access to all my information that would allow this dual sim card feature to be used.

Can anyone verify this?

Second question is, if I go with this option (second sim card here for free plus paying a provider for data, text and phone service when I get to England/Scotland), can I just go into settings and switch back and forth between my U.S.number/Verizon/get texts and the new number that I buy when I get there?

I do remember from a previous response that I have to be careful to leave cellular roaming off so I don't accidentally activate an international plan with Verizon.

I am going for three weeks.

Thank you so much! I am just slow at grasping how to use new technology.

Posted by
8157 posts

Okay, first of all, the iPhone 13 has dual SIMs, but only one contains a physical SIM card, and Verizon uses that slot. The other is an eSIM, which is an embedded SIM (not a physical card).

So I'm not sure why the Verizon employee told you that you could get a second SIM card, because that is not true. I have a feeling he was telling you that he could switch the Verizon SIM to the eSIM and then you could get a physical SIM in Europe, which is certainly a possibility, although I don't know why you would want to do that. You can actually bypass that step and just buy an eSIM plan before you go, and keep the Verizon SIM where it is.

Is your phone unlocked? That would determine whether you can do this. To find out if your phone is unlocked, go to Settings > General > About. If the phrase "No SIM restrictions" appears next to Carrier Lock, your phone is unlocked. If it says "SIM locked," then the phone is locked. Go do this, then come back here and let us know the status, so we can give you more options.

Posted by
590 posts

I have an unlocked iPhone 11 Pro with a slot for a SIM card and an eSIM as Mardee describes above. Last year I was advised to have Verizon move my US SIM to the eSIM and get a SIM card for use in England. I had that done at a Verizon store. Then I ordered a giffgaff SIM card from their website (shipped free to the US ), setup an account through the giffgaff app and bought a " goody bag" with unlimited calls/texts in the UK plus 20GB data for £15. It was good for 30 days and we didn't come close to using all the data even with heavy use of google maps for gps. Yes, you can go back and forth between your US number and your giffgaff number but be careful to either do it while connected to WiFi or with roaming off or you will get dinged for a day pass with Verizon.
I know there are eSIM options for overseas calls and data but the ones I found were data only and I wanted to ability to make calls plus the eSIM plans were more expensive. That may have all changed since winter of 2022.

Posted by
75 posts

Thank you, Mardee. I followed your great directions and yes, it says "no restrictions". I realize I am imprecise with sim language (physical sim vs. esim) so appreciate your specificity and clarity.

Posted by
8157 posts

Lauri, are you looking for a plan that gives you data and phone calls? Or would just data work (keeping in mind that you can make calls using apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp to your contacts)?

If you just want data, I would go with an eSIM plan. They are pretty inexpensive (depending on the data needed and the length of time). I bought an Airalo eSIM plan last year for a month long trip to Germany. It cost around $20, had 10Gb of data and lasted 30 days. It did not have a phone number but I did not need one, as the only people I called were friends and relatives, and I used FaceTime Audio or WhatsApp for that.

There are some eSIM plans that include phone usage - several people here have used them. I know that Orange Holiday eSIMs give you a phone number (a French one).

If you do want a local phone number, then you could do what the Verizon rep was telling you - he switches the Verizon SIM card and embeds a Verizon SIM in your phone, thus leaving the actual SIM card slot empty. You can then buy a SIM card and install and use it.

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