Currently I have my cell phone with Consumer Cellular. I’ll be traveling to several countries in June and wanted to set up a plan where I can call or text my daughter in the States anytime and vice-versa.
They don’t have per day plan. Theirs is per minute, and data is per gigabyte.
I don’t know how a SIM card works, but is it better to go with their plan or is there another way I can do this. Thank you so much.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA
60 posts
Are the rates from Consumer Cellular reasonable or do you want to purchase a travel SIM.
What kind of phone do you have? Is it unlocked? Does it allow multiple SIMs?
A SIM card is what connects your phone to the Cellular Network. There are physical SIM cards that you insert into the phone and there are digital SIM cards (eSIM) that are just downloaded to the phone.
Here is what I do: My USA cell phone plan is with Ting Mobile. Their international rates for calling and texting are reasonable, but the rate for data is high. My cell phone allows multiple SIMS, so I get an eSIM from Airola that is for data only and I use Ting Mobile for calling/texting. Both SIMS work at the same time.
As an alternative, you could use “WhatsApp” to call/text your daughter using data. Your daughter would have to have the app installed on her phone as well.
Posted by
West Michigan
359 posts
Are you sure you don't need cellular data? You will very likely have wifi data at your hotels, and at some restaurants. If you don't need cellular data, there are two main ways to make phone calls:
On your phone, enable "Wifi Calling", and set your phone to "Airplane Mode" and then re-enable wifi. This is to be sure Consumer Cellular doesn't want to charge you for data. With Wifi Calling, you can connect to wifi anywhere, and make/receive calls and texts using your "normal" phone number. This is much easier, and your texts remain in your "normal" texting app. I'm assuming Consumer Cellular supports Wifi Calling. But you'd have to be getting wifi, so during most of the day, you'd not be able to send/receive calls.
Using a VOIP/text app to send/receive calls and texts using wifi data or sim card data. You can set up an account with Google Voice (if you are Android), or TextNow, or Whatsapp (if Apple), or others. You would then be using a different phone number, but as long as your daughter knows the number, she would answer it. An advantage is that if you bought a sim card (or esim) to get data while you are abroad, whatever app you choose would work all day, not just with hotel wifi.
Whatever you choose, be sure to set it up, and test it out in Airplane Mode, at home, with your daughter, to be sure it is working.
Posted by
Arlington TX
732 posts
Flblueangel4, I’m not sure if you did a search on the forum but a few of us have had good results with Consmer Cellular. It cost us $17 for my 26 days in Italy. I did not make any phone calls but could have. I texted my husband and others multiple times a day.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/consumer-cellular-in-italy