Greetings fellow travelers. My wife and I are visiting Scotland in September. Our itinerary includes five nights in Edinburgh, five in Inverness, three in Portree, three in Oban, and one more in Edinburgh. Beyond thoughts on this particular itinerary, we're wondering if anyone has a suggestion for phone service while in Scotland. We have iPhones and we're on a T-Mobile plan here in the U.S. We're thinking of pre-purchasing an eSim from one of the UK or Euro carriers rather than buying a T-Mobile travel plan. I'm about confused about the need for calling and texting as well as data for internet streaming while in Scotland... do we need calling and texting or just data? Are there any eSIM plans for Scotland or UK that make the most sense in either case?
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
12381 posts
So do you not have the T-Mobile international plan that's free? I have a T-Mobile plan, and I get free international data while I'm traveling up to a certain point. Once I've used enough data, they cap it to a certain speed, and at that point it gets really slow until my bill cycle starts again. But I don't think every T-Mobile plan has that. Regardless, I would definitely check into that.
Otherwise, yes, I would probably get an eSIM, although you do not need to get an eSIM with a phone number. There's no real reason to call, and in all my multiple trips across the continent, I've never had to make a phone call. I use WhatsApp to keep in touch with businesses if possible, and most of them have a WhatsApp number. Keep in mind that you can text but you need to text while you have Wi-Fi available. You can also contact family back home by using either FaceTime, audio, or WhatsApp, or Skype, but again, you have to do it while you have wifi. I will usually contact my family or friends if I need to while I'm in the hotel room in the evening.
So, in a nutshell, just look for an eSIM that gives you a good data plan for 18 days. I've used Airalo in the past, and I've been very happy with them. This time I'm going with Bcengi, which is a pay-as-you-go plan. I prefer that since it stays with me all the time and I don't have to keep topping it off or buying a new plan every time I travel. Unless you travel a lot, you're probably fine with Airalo.
One other thing, check the prices. Think about how much data you use at home, and that's probably about how much you'll use, with maybe a bit extra. You might want to add on some to it because you'll be using GPS a lot more if you're driving, but don't overbuy data.