Buying an international eSIM data plan for your phone instead of SIM card

Mardee, I have been half-heartedly looking into this when I think about it but it definitely seems like something I want to do, as opposed to continually switching out my home sim (and making sure I don’t lose it). Thanks for the resources!

Mardee thank you so much for this info. I looked into eSim for our 2020 UK trip that didn’t happen. It is an option on my unlocked iPhone 11. The info and links you’ve posted are very helpful and I’ll pursue for this year’s trip!

Good summary, Mardee -- it was me that brought up the eSIM topic, and although there are many other workable methods of keeping your own mobile phone working for you while in Europe (most notably google fi) the dual-SIM functionality built into recent phones is there for this kind of scenario, so why not take advantage of it?
Thanks for sharing these links.

@Aimee - I wish $100 here and $100 there was not a big deal for me, but that's not the way it is.

Aimee, I don't know why your assumption is that someone is spending $1500 to fly to Europe. While that might be how much it costs you to go to Europe, that has often been more than my entire budget including airfare for me to go to Europe for a week. Adding $150 to my budget is the equivalent of what I spend 3 days on the ground. Last time I was in London and bought a sim I just had to pay 20.99 gbp for unlimited talk, text, and 10gb data for a month and that came with the phone (that's what the 99p was). I much rather that than $150. Some people value convenience I value saving money, so while you don't understand the fuss, I don't understand why you'd want to spend unnecessary money. To each their own.

I appreciate this information and it might be something to look into. I had Sprint (now T-mobile) which includes free international data and texts and it has been so useful over the years in not needing a SIM. Although the internet is only 2G which these days is barely enough for anything, but I can usually pull up maps, get iMessages/Whatsapp etc, and do simple searches which is most of the data I need to use when I'm not around WiFi. I also have a friend who gifted me an extra phone, which for the first time I bought a SIM for this year in Croatia. Its an android and I use iPhone, I got so annoyed trying to learn a different UI that I often just hot spotted my phone with the local sim to my iPhone and used my iPhone like normal. I guess this is another workaround if you happen have an extra phone that has hotspot capabilities.

Aimee: For me, the cheapest viable option with Verizon would cost around $300 for the 30 days I am gone ($10/day @30 days). The last time I went to Europe in 2018, I had Sprint, which had a wonderful int. plan and was very easy (and cheap). But not now. This makes more sense for me. It may not for everyone.

Averosemail: Thanks! There were several posts and I couldn't remember who posted by the time I got around to writing this. It really does seem to make sense. In fact, I was surprised that the RS website doesn't mention it on their technology tips page - they talk about regular SIM cards but not this.

Aimee, no, unfortunately there is no cap. It's $10 per day per days used, but I'd be using it every day, I'm sure. It's just irritating and having an eSIM data plan is such an easy fix. Most cost between €20 to €50. And once you use your data cap (or your trip is over), you can hang onto them and top off your data for your next trip.

Last year while in Italy, I relied on my Verizon cell at the cost of $10/day. It was $300 by the time I was done for about 3 weeks of use. It worked well and I was pleased but knew it was pricy.

My geeky son thought it was outrageously expensive. He recommends an eSIM also. Our Apple phones have this option.
For my upcoming trip to Spain, I will consider a Spanish SIM or this eSIM option. I'll likely try the eSIM and if there are issues, switch to a Spanish SIM.

Either way, I'll save.

Thanks for the great research!
Lee

I love the elegance of the eSIM. I wish I'd had it when I was working and carrying 2 cellphones to maintain some boundary between personal and professional life.

For my travels, I do carry 2 phones, one of which is an older phone with my "travel SIM" which I load for each trip with an inexpensive 30 day plan. I use my travel phone extensively: travel documents, apps, audio guides, self guided walking tours, transit options, prepaid tickets, reservations and my entire itinerary. Each phone has access and everything is in the cloud.

As I consider the eSIM for future travels, I worry about 2 benefits that I perceive with my 2 phone setup:

1) the 2nd phone serves as a backup; if I lost either phone, the impact to my trip would be negligible.

2) the travel phone does most of the work, my more valuable home phone (used in the hotel on wifi) is less likely to be lost or stolen

I worry that with an eSIM phone, if I lose it while sightseeing, I've increased both the impact to my trip and the value of the loss.

I suppose I could still bring a backup phone, but if anyone thought a 2nd phone was already a waste, I'd be even more likely to agree with you.

CW - My thinking is the same as yours. I have my previous phone and I'm going to get a physical sim on my next trip. I'll be happy to leave my much more expensive "regular" phone in a safe place and use my slightly outdated older phone for walking around.

I've always used Verizon's international plan but it does get expensive especially when both my husband and I need to have service. I know Verizon is pricey but their coverage area is worth it to us.

I finally relented and accepted that I travel frequently, so I need a provider that offers coverage in Europe and Mexico at the minimum. T-Mobile has some plans that do, but I wound up going with Google Fi. For my wife and I, the cost is less than $100 a month, and coverage in Europe costs me no more than here in the US, there are charges for International calls made. All of my apps and history are available, contacts, no need to provide someone with a different number. It has really been great when traveling.

Paul, I've been looking at Google Fi, but my problem is that we live in a rural area in northern Minnesota and coverage is sparse with certain carriers. So for now, I'm stuck with Verizon. I'm hoping that changes (along with the crappy internet we have).

CW and Celeste, I've had cell phones for 22 years and have never lost any of them (or had them stolen) during multiple trips overseas or here at home. If it was lost, I can track it easily - plus I have travel insurance that covers loss of all electronics (it was a $5 rider). It is also backed up regularly to the cloud, so if I had to buy a new phone, it's easy to get data back in it.

I think the odds of it being lost are slim to none. But that's me. :) I realize it might be a problem for other people and I certainly understand why some people would bring two phones along. I just like not having the inconvenience (and extra weight) of two phones.

Mardee, thank you for this. We're planning to be in Europe for about 6 weeks later this year. We have a locked iphone, with AT&T. We could probably go the $10/day route, since we don't expect to use the phone very often, but I'm intrigued with the eSIM option.

So if the phone is locked, BOTH sims are locked? Is that what you're saying? I will be checking with AT&T, but I'd like to have as much info as possible before I call them.

Thanks again for this very interesting, informative, and helpful post.

Edit to add: I just followed the link Mardee gave for iphone users, and indeed, if the phone is locked, the second sim must be used by the same carrier. I guess I'll see if I can get the phone unlocked, but I think we have a few months left on our contract.

Jane, I checked with AT&T (I'm always curious about other carriers) and they do have a cap as follows:

If you talk, send a text or use data in any of the included countries, you’ll be charged $10 per 24 hours and $5 for each Add’l line on the same account used the same day unless you remove Int’l Day Pass. Charge cap: A max. of 10 daily fees per line, per monthly bill cycle.

So your phone at $10 per day for 6 weeks would cost around $150 with the cap.

One thing you might do is ask AT&T to unlock the phone. If there are only a few months left on the contract, they might be willing to do this in order to keep you as a customer. It wouldn't hurt to try.

I, too, am sold on using two SIMs in one phone, but I have T-Mobile so I don't need to worry about getting a second SIM to avoid the high costs.

Here is a caution about using your "home" account as well as a second one while traveling outside the U. S.: You may want to set your home number so all calls are forwarded to voicemail. Otherwise, a call to your home number may ring on your phone while you are in Europe or elsewhere. Even if you do not pick up, your account may be charged for an international call at the high rates for such calls. Think of such a call as being sent from your carrier to your phone in Europe and then back again when it goes to voicemail. If all calls are unconditionally forwarded to voicemail, an incoming call never "left" the U.S.

You unconditionally forward your incoming calls with a setting on your phone or by calling your phone company. It should not affect calling out from your phone and you should get a notice on your phone if someone leaves a voicemail. When I had to use this technique years ago, I would check voicemails later with a wifi call, or even further back in time, with a calling card over a payphone.

Note that forwarding your phone does not stop text messages, so those would still come through at whatever rate your carrier charges.

Mardee and Aimee, thank you. There is indeed a cap of 10 days per billing cycle, but that's for postpaid plans. I dug around a bit, and we have a prepaid plan - we got that when we weren't sure whether or not we were going to use the phone at all. Actually, a friend gave us her old phone and set up the plan.

Our phone aged out, and we got a new one in December. We can't unlock the phone until we've had it 6 months, according to the website. I do, however, plan to call them and see what we can do. It looks like we're going to keep the phone - we've had one now for about a year and a half - so maybe we can switch to another plan and get it unlocked.

Thanks. We are savvy on a lot of things, but absolute neophytes about cell phones.

There shouldn’t be a need to pay Verizon $300 a month. They have a plan for $100 a month - 250 minutes of calls, 1000 sent text messages, unlimited received text messages and 5gb of data, of course, additional charges accrue if you go over, seems like this plan was about $30 a few years ago

There is also a pay as you go rate, use services and pay for each.

And the travel pass plan- unlimited calls and texts, a data allotment at a cost of $10 a day. Ideal for the infrequent and disciplined user

I will preface by saying I’m a bit technologically inept, but that’s what brought me here searching for exactly this info about eSIMs. My question is how would you know for sure that the data you are using is coming from your eSIM once on travel vs making sure you aren’t roaming from your home provider? Will it automatically just click over to that local coverage once you are there within range? Would I toggle something on once landing in Europe? Seems like a great option that I’m trying to sort out, just really fearful of a massive unexpected bill upon returning home if I mess something up. On my last 2 trips I arranged a set amount of international data with my home provider, ATT, for a month. I think it was an extra $50 and gave me enough data, maybe 5Gb, that was fine for my wandering around usage requirements. I believe I would leave my phone on airplane mode with WiFi on, then manually turn on the cellular as needed. Incoming and outgoing texts from my regular US contacts were treated the same as if I was still physically in the US. I never needed to make any calls. It was easy and convenient but I know definitely not the best value as switching out for a local SIM in Europe or exploring this option, so it got me thinking about other options.

To piggyback, the 20 pounds for 10gb data SIM, is that typical price for a SIM card?

I too have ATT so it would be max $100 per billing month. I'm staying for 5.5 weeks so potentially could be $200 for my entire trip. I'm a planner so really plan on getting most things done before I even leave the States. Would only use data as emergency, will probably stick to wifi and ironing fine details night before each day begins.

Great Information. I'm on AT&T Business plan, and unfortunately their international plan, doesn't have the $100 Max charge. I do plan on getting an eSim card for my iPhone 13 thanks to your info.

My question is how would you know for sure that the data you are using is coming from your eSIM once on travel vs making sure you aren’t roaming from your home provider? Will it automatically just click over to that local coverage once you are there within range?

@kjones, it does NOT automatically switch nor would you want it to. However, it's very easy to manually switch back and forth - if you have an iPhone, you just go to Settings, tap either Cellular or Mobile Data, and then tap the plan you want to use. Then tap Turn On This Line. Simple and easy. It will then stay on that plan until you switch it back.

On an Android phone, go to > Settings > Connections > SIM card manager. Switch on or switch off the eSIM profile on this page, then under the section Preferred SIM Card, select which SIM card you want to use.

So if you're going on trip to Europe, you would switch it once you land, and then just keep it there until you are ready to go back to your regular plan. In my original post is an article that explains the entire process very well - https://travelwithbender.com/travel-thoughts/travel-tips/international-esim-travel

There shouldn’t be a need to pay Verizon $300 a month. They have a plan for $100 a month - 250 minutes of calls, 1000 sent text messages, unlimited received text messages and 5gb of data, of course, additional charges accrue if you go over, seems like this plan was about $30 a few years ago. There is also a pay as you go rate, use services and pay for each. And the travel pass plan- unlimited calls and texts, a data allotment at a cost of $10 a day. Ideal for the infrequent and disciplined user.

@goanywhere, I am not an infrequent user nor do I want to be disciplined when traveling. I use a lot of data and don't want to have to worry about going over. I'm used to an unlimited data plan. To me it's a no-brainer - buy an eSIM data plan for around €40-50 and not worry about going over, or stick with Verizon and have to constantly monitor my data (plus pay at least $100 or more).

I am curious. I understand the dual sim cards & having 2 numbers - a US Number & European #.

When I switch to the European service provider & begin using that number, how would I know if I have a voice mail or text with my US based plan with AT&T? Must I switch back & forth to check each carrier? Will texts & voice mails just accumulate until I switch phone back to that service provider to see if I have messages?

When I switch to the European service provider & begin using that number, how would I know if I have a voice mail or text with my US based plan with AT&T? Must I switch back & forth to check each carrier? Will texts & voice mails just accumulate until I switch phone back to that service provider to see if I have messages?

Well, you could do that - just switch back and forth to see if you have voicemails or texts. It only takes about 30 seconds to switch. Keep in mind that if you listen to voicemails or respond to texts on your US based plan, you might have to pay extra to your carrier for that. It's much easier to just have your friends and family call and text you at the new number. Of course, if you have an iPhone, you can read (and send) your Messages through iCloud, which is an option. And there may be an option for that with Androids. But you will still have to switch over to the US line (unless you are bringing another device, like a laptop or iPad). As long as you are just using wifi, however, you should be okay.

You also might be able to listen to voicemails via the other line, as long as you punch in the correct code. But the easiest thing to do is just have them call and text you on Whatsapp, which is used a lot by travelers and by most Europeans on a regular basis. It's an app that allows calls and texts through wifi. My brother is a pilot for a major airline and regularly flies to China and Korea and other overseas countries. He always uses it for calls and texts. If he gets a call on his phone, he ignores it and then calls the person back on the app.

My experience is with an Android phone, not an iPhone. I do not have to switch between numbers to check for text messages or voicemails. Both appear in the notifications as they occur. In other words, both numbers are continuously active. I have the option of setting the phone so it asks me which number I want to use to make a call or send a text.

I don't have any experience yet with a domestic SIM and a foreign SIM so I'm not sure what I would do if I wanted to turn off a number to avoid incurring the steep roaming charges, and especially so with an eSIM that I can't physically remove from the phone. I think I would just suspend one of the numbers in settings.

This issue is just academic for me, however, because I have T-Mobile, which is more international travel friendly than Verizon or AT&T.

Paul, that’s very interesting. And good to know. I also agree with you about T-Mobile. I almost switched just because of this upcoming trip, but my daughter is on the same plan and it’s difficult for her with her work to switch the plan. So for now I’m stuck with Verizon.

Re: switching back and forth from esim "mode" to non-esim "mode". I can't find the source but it seems that I read that you can only switch back and forth for 10 times. I'm thinking I read this on the Travelsim site.

That makes no sense at all and I have not heard that. These plans were designed for people who work and use a separate cell for that purpose. This way they do not need to carry two phones around. it would certainly not be feasible if they limited the number of transfers.

I have two accounts on my phone. One is an eSIM and the other a physical SIM. One only has a limited amount of data (it is a low cost number), so I set the phone to use its data first, and then switch to the other SIM when the first one's data runs out. Details are unimportant, but this step saves me a little money on my monthly bill.

The main point, however, is that I switch between the two accounts frequently. There is no limit on how many times I can switch. I am unaware of any limitations on switching between the two lines for any reason.

I still have my Dutch Vodafone SIM I bought in 2017 - haven't used it since 2019 but it is still active. It worked great for me on a few trips to Europe for cheap mobile phone use. My Android phone doesn't have an eSIM anyway, but it doesn't seem like a big hassle for me to use the Vodafone SIM. You can't buy a Dutch Vodafone SIM on eBay anymore (as far as I know) - maybe the UK version would work. But, I should be able to cover my phone needs for a 2-3 week trip for about 20 Euros, based on past trips.

I would love to hear more about:

1) typical data usage of people who use the internet a lot to look up places to eat, research things to do while out and about and have no wifi, maps/directions, etc.

2) what reputable companies to buy a SIM card from before starting travel. I really don't want to wait until I'm there but I guess that's what most people do?

I will be starting my trip in Germany and going through several countries (Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Portugal) so buying on in each country would be annoying to me. Maybe I can get something for all places at the Frankfurt airport?

I bought and set up my Vodafone UK SIM in advance of a trip and have used it for trips that included most of your countries: Germany, Poland, Austria and Hungary.

On my 3 week trips, I use about 300MB as I am diligent about using free wifi at restaurants, my hotel, etc.

I am following this post with all it's information because I have a trip scheduled to GB in Sept. I have ATT and am very unhappy they did away with their Passport plan for intl as it was one charge per billing cycle ($70 in 2019.) Now, similar to Verizon, they only have a 'day pass' at $10/day and when you reach more than 10 days in a billing cycle, no more charges. But, here is the problem for me. I didn't figure my billing cycle into my planning for the trip. In fact, my billing cycle date is right in the middle of the RS tour portion of my month long trip. In other words, I will end of paying at least $200 for using my phone! That's really an increase since 2019. I am considering switching to T Mobile (Verizon sounds similar and as bad as ATT.) However, I am also considering a Great Britain sim. I am not going to Europe on this trip except for a transit stop in Republic of Ireland. So, thank you everyone for providing all this discussion and information.

I do have one question. If I use my VPN will it use data if no wifi or weak wifi is present? Would leaving my phone on airplane mode prevent the VPN from running on data? I have an android phone and Express VPN. Do I just need to contact the VPN?

If I use my VPN will it use data if no wifi or weak wifi is present? Would leaving my phone on airplane mode prevent the VPN from running on data? I have an android phone and Express VPN. Do I just need to contact the VPN?

You use data or WiFi the same whether you use a VPN or not. All the VPN does is direct traffic through the VPN's servers to protect your privacy e.g. on a local WiFi network where you don't trust the security.

Not that it matters, but if memory serves me correctly TMobile International is $10 a month (in my plan its free) then another $50 for high-speed internet for the month. With Whatsapp or WiFi calling phone calls cost nothing. Its what I am using right this second in a wine bar in Budapest. Cheers!

I'm about ready to order my eSIM data plan for my upcoming trip, so I did some additional research, which I've included here.

1. For those who are wondering how much data they will need, here is a page from Holafly (one of the eSIM providers) that breaks down the cost of data for travelers and gives an estimate of how much you might need. Holafly is one of the companies that provides eSIM data plans. For those who are going to more than one country, you may want to look at one of their European plans.

2. That being said, I'm leaning towards Airalo - they have European eSIM plans as well but theirs are cheaper. I'm planning to buy the 30 day 10Gb plan, which costs $37. I can get it down to $20 if I only use 5Gb, but I'm not willing to limit data on a trip. I'd rather use Google maps live (especially for public transport) and want to have enough for photos and so on. And for a month, it's a darned good price. It's a simple process to install - you download the Airalo app, pick your plan and then buy it. You must have stable Wifi to activate it, but the clock doesn't start ticking until you turn the data plan on (with a few exceptions). So you could conceivably activate it at home, the turn it on once you land at your destination.

Mardee, in Spain I ended up with the Orange Spain plan and it was great - and easy! I looked at a lot of plans and opted for one with minutes and SMS, as well as data.

Although right now I have ended up with a physical Sim for the UAE, I got data only - kind of by plan but also not. And realized I won’t do that again. I don’t need the minutes here, but I think there are going to be a few times that having the ability to get a text to verify something (like changing my WhatsApp # so I can use it with data and not just WiFi) might be useful. Worth a bit more money to me - and it’s not a lot anyway. And worth thinking about.

@Travelmom, was your Orange SIM an eSIM plan or a physical SIM card? I really do not need phone or text capability while I'm out. For one thing, I will have my laptop so I can get any texts over wifi. And of course, I can get them on my phone just by switching to my regular phone number while I have wifi. I will have call roaming turned off already, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Mardee, it was an eSim. And the Orange plan just included data, SMS, and some minutes.

You may not need SMS, but it’s something I am going to watch trip to trip. In Spain I used WhatsApp a lot (my apartments and even restaurant reservations occasionally):- and being able to use it with data instead of WiFi was useful. But to switch to the Spain #, I think I needed to get a text at the new number. So right now, I don’t have SMS and can’t do that. I can WhatsApp but only on WiFi. And I am using a taxi app a lot this trip. Data is fine there - unless I need to communicate regarding exact pick up location or some kind of problem. Then I might need to actually have a conversation. But I won’t be doing that every trip. I love the ease of the eSim and am a convert, but still doing lots of learning regarding actual plans.

James E., unfortunately changing providers would be an ordeal for me right now but T Mobile would probably be a good choice for many reasons otherwise. Changing travel sims, e or physical, is more work but less than changing providers at home right now. Technically a new sim/plan each trip is also a little cheaper, but if I already had T Mobile it wouldn’t be enough to make me change sims each trip. And given the length and extent of my trips this year, I am unwilling to use the AT&T international plan. 🤣

That's all good info to know, thanks! It will be a learning experience for me, too,

I’ve been looking into e sims and airalo too.

I found this review. The interesting part was the issue encountered with multiple networks being available and how to fix it.

https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airalo-esim-review/

Rocket, thanks! That's good info to know. I'm getting the Europe data plan on my iPhone 12 mini. It's good to know that you can start it manually - I'll have my laptop with me but it will be a pain to drag it out just to pull up the email. Also nice to know that their customer service is good.

Hi Mardee TravelMom et al:

Wow lots of information. Just to confirm:

• I have an iPhone 11 (not Pro): does it support double e-sims?
• Need an eSim for 30 days in France, checked the "MobiMatter" but plans for France don't include much data
• How much data do you recommend for 30 days, on a E>W cross country trip? I'm thinking 20 GB (I won't use Google Maps, using HereWeGo for driving instructions etc).
• Online choices/purchases can be so dodgy, so my plan was to buy a nano-sim at CDG, Relay Store. But the idea of the eSim seems so much easier. Or can you provide a solid eSim source link?
• What brand of eSim would your recommend? Heard Orange was good. thank you!

TO MARDEE:
Wow--I've just finished reading just a bit of all the amazing info you have sent: thank you, very important and generous contribution!

About to push the button on an esim: but one more question:
Do e-sims enable calls & texts? The Hoafly site focuses completely on data/web, nothing about cellular. How do make sure I'll be able to make calls & text?
JP

Josie, yes, it should support an iPhone 11 - see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044

I researched it and most places said that 10 Gbs should be fine for 30 days - that's how much I'm using and I'm gone for a month.

I'm use Airola, which has been good so far but they only provide data plans. There are some that provide phone and data but you will need to check on that. I think Orange does - read Travelmom's report (and maybe send her a private msg as she may not have seen this post). With texts, if you have an iPhone, you can send messages (iPhone's version of texts) via wifi. That's what I'm doing - I just check my emails and messages when I get to the hotel in the evening (or if I've got wifi during the day).

FWIW, I'm loving the eSIM - it's so much easier than a physical chip.

Yes, I have been traveling yesterday and today also! Ha! Nearly as exciting a trip as yours, Mardee - but no broken airplanes…. thank goodness.

Yes - the eSim process is the same no matter who you buy from and is far easier to do than to explain. Choosing your plan is where you make decisions between 1) data only - or 2) data, telephone minutes, and texts. And choosing a plan determines which company to use, as many offer their plan via eSim but each company seems to offer only a particular kind of plan.

I used this as a start to research plans. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209096

I just finished a trip to both Dubai and Jordan and wanted a local sim. ESim ahead of time was not an available option. So I ended up with a physical sim in each country. Having to stay up with my physical U.S. SIM card for 3 weeks and then switch them out on the plane on the way home made me appreciate my Spanish eSim card so much more! And remember, the first time is the hardest - and it really wasn’t hard at all.

Has anyone used the Holafly eSIM for the USA? How was the experience?

I have not, but have heard good things about it. However, it is pricier than some of the other plans, which is why I decided to go with Airalo (which works great).

teresa, I think your comment is spam and I reported it.

Our family of 4 is going on the My Way Alpine Europe tour this year and I am pretty confused about what to do. I know we will all want to use our phones daily while we are there - to look up things, use travel apps, and communicate with one another. It will be me, hubby, and 2 teens. We have Verizon, and I had already researched their international plan options before finding this thread. I had kind of resigned myself to paying $400 for all of us. It's so much $, but I just didn't know what else to do. We've added on a few days and will be in Europe for 15 days total. Figuring out how to do the other sim card thing for all of us just overwhelms me. We all have new-ish phones. I know at least 2 of ours are unlocked but I'd need to check on the others. So I'm guesing it would work but again it just feels overwhelming to figure it all out. Based on what I've said do you guys think it is worth it for me to delve into this for our situation/phones? Or should I just bite the bullet and pay Verizon?

I have also read about people doing the $10/day through Verizon and just being very careful about when the use their phones - not every day - so then they don't get charged every day. But I can't imagine trying to regulate that with my teens.

@Mardee awesome post. helpful.

@Katie2303: get the Orange e-sim card that Mardee has linked at the bottom for atleast the 3 of you and save 300-60$.

A1) You guys are set on buying SIM cards for various reasons and that’s great, but since a lot of people read through the posts I thought I would show another option.
A2) My TMobile Magenta 55 Plan (one line) with International Plus
A3) Phone Calls in Europe $0.25 minute, Texts are free, International Data 50GB, and when that runs out it is still there but it gets choked down to pretty slow speeds
A4) Cost: Magenta 55 = $50.00 / month, International Plus = $25.00 / month (but you can turn that on and off as needed), additional band width when you get choked down = $5.00 per day or 5GB over 10 days for $35 or 15GB over 30 days for $50.00.
A5) I receive a message on my phone when the data limits are close and I can, on my phone at that time while in Europe, decide what to do (a day or 10 days or a month).
A6) So, I leave home knowing that what cost $50 a month at home will cost at least $75 in Europe + any data boosts I need or choose (rarely need it, but it has happened; worst case scenario another $35)

@Shaun Kel, thank you thank you! A clear succinct "do this" is exactly what I needed! I checked out the Orange link and confirmed that all 4 of us have unlocked phones. 2 of our 4 accept eSim. I think this might be a much better option. I still have a little fear of - will this really work? But feel better about a direction to research now. Thanks again.

katie2303, it really does work! I'm using it now and it's so incredibly easy. I ordered 5 GB of data for one month and after 19 days, I'm at 2.5 GB, so I should be good.

James, I pay only about $15/month for my mobile phone service at home (with Tello currently). Paying $50/month for T-Mobile at home every month doesn't make sense for me just to have free international data (but not free calls) when I travel out of the country. If I traveled often, then I might look into something like Google Fi. Otherwise, for my occasional trip to Europe, my Dutch Vodafone SIM works just fine.

Thank you Mardee! I wish our phones had dual Sim. Since they don't - basically I won't have access to any texts, calls or voice mails from my other number. Though I'm wondering about forwarding to Google voice while I am gone.

I wish our phones had dual Sim. Since they don't - basically I won't have access to any texts, calls or voice mails from my other number.

@katie, just about every phone now that is 2018 or older has dual SIM capacity. What kind do you have?

B1) Andrew H, just floating it, not promoting it.
B2) I spend 2 to 3 months a year in Eastern Europe and its been fine for me.

Mardee, there are still plenty of cheap Android phones that are not dual SIM.

This is so helpful! Many thanks to all who have shared info.
Two questions:
1) Has anyone used an eSIM in Greece, and in particular the Cyclades? Was the coverage good? My research has led me to think that Vodaphone is the most reliable there (if buying a physical SIM), but I love the idea of an eSIM that lets me keep my US one intact, and keep my WhatsApp number the same. Still, the whole thing is based on it having good coverage, so I want to start there!
2) Of the eSIMs, does anyone have a recommendation of one that does include voice and text? Or can I use data to make phone calls on WhatsApp even if we're not connected to wifi? My tech knowledge starts to fizzle out at this point...

Nbpt_traveler, to whom do you want to talk to from Greece? If you want to call home to the US, you can use WhatsApp if the people you are calling have it too. That works when you are on WiFi and/or when you have mobile data through a SIM.

You can also use Google Voice to call the US for free from Greece - to any US phone number including landlines, so the other person does not need any special app on their end. Google Voice supports free texts too. You can use Google Voice on WiFi and/or with Mobile Data.

So your SIM/eSIM need not have any calling option on it, unless you want to call European numbers locally and give out a European number to locals. For most, the big need is mobile data for your phone works when not on WiFi.

Nbpt_traveler, Andrew has given you more options. But to answer your question (kind of), last July I used Vodaphone on Santorini and my daughter used it on Naxos - all just fine. We chose it simply because it was the only option when arriving at the Athens airport. I used a physical sim but have since become an eSim enthusiast. So it appears eSim is available for Vodaphone in Greece but it is not as easy as Orange has made it. I would be reluctant to try to give instructions until I have tried it but you can probably have them set it up for you at the airport kiosk, as well. It’s possible you pre-purchase a certain amount of data, minutes, etc., and then top up if needed - as opposed to buying a set tourist plan for a set amount of days (like Orange).,

I hope you will come back and add to the pool of knowledge here! The face of smartphone use is changing….

@AndrewH, thank you! I don't anticipate wanting to make many calls to either European or US numbers, but there may be times -- calling a hotel to tell them we're delayed, etc., etc., when it's needed. As long as I can use WhatsApp and similar on data (i.e., without wifi) that would solve the problem most of the time, as the majority of places have a WhatApp number.

TexasTravelMom, thanks for weighing in. In a perfect world I'd get an eSIM set up here and not need to deal with it in the Athens airport, but will need to do more research to see if I can set up a Vodaphone eSIM from beforehand. All the resources listed above were for other companies, and I haven't found anything about how well they work in Greece. Certainly they offer a Greece option, again, no idea about coverage on the islands.

I will certainly report out if I go this route! If I can't figure it out I'll just get a physical SIM at the airport, but I really like the idea of keeping my US number. Not only does it mean I can be reached if there's any emergency, but I can also keep the same WhatsApp threads going.

Someone on Reddit said they used Holafly in Greece and that it worked really well. I'm loving Airalo and it's been great, but that's in Germany. I know they cover Greece but don't know how their coverage is.

Nbpt_traveler, if you want to keep your U.S. number and use an international plan from Verizon or AT&T, etc., then a plan like Mardee mentions is probably your best bet: just data, no local number. And that is a lot cheaper. And, like her, you could do that ahead of time via eSim.

Something I learned on my last trip is that, even using local data (or even with a local phone number and sim) you don’t lose any WhatsApp chat ability. I mistakenly thought I had to change my WhatsApp connected number because I had a local Sim and local phone number - either eSim or physical sim. Not the case. Using local data, my WhatsApp continued to work fine although still connected to my home number. I communicated with my driver in Jordan all the time, using WhatsApp and my U.S. number, even though I had a Jordanian sim and phone number and my U.S. sim was tucked inside my passport. No loss of or change in threads. That DOES mean you give your home number to anyone there that you are communicating with, so you have to decide if you want to do that - but it does work. But if you are mainly communicating with people at home, none of that will matter.

Love this forum and especially this topic! We recently returned from France and thanks to this post and the one by TexasTravelmom, we were successful first time eSim users. It was so great to use data to find our way around Paris, my husband said he doesn't think he can ever use a paper map again! We signed up with Orange. The only caution......I was wandering around Paris and trying to get back to my hotel, when my map app got very, very slow. It was just not loading. After a two hour search, I found my hotel. Apparently, when you are getting low on data, the data loads very slowly. So I had my husband pay an additional $10 to get more data and then everything worked fine.

Also, thanks for finding me, Tammy! 😂

@Mardee
I saw your post about having used ~2.5GB so far - can you give us a picture of what you are using your data for? We will be 3 days in Provence with a rental car so will be using our Maps to get us around. Then while in Paris I'm sure will be using it for directions to and from places on a daily basis. I was originally planning for the Orange Travel card with 20 GB of data, but now thinking 8GB will be plenty for our 14 day trip - plus there will be 3 of us with cards so 32GB combined if we are all together.

Thank you for all of your research....this was the best post so far that I have found on the subject! I ended up making an appt at the Genius Bar with Apple to learn how to turn off the Verizon number and not incur charges while we are traveling.

Frances

@flsanford, I'm now at 4.2GB and that is on Day 27. Most of the data went for Google maps and Google searches (although I tried to use wifi for that but lots of times, things would come up while I was out). I didn't have a car but use Google maps to find public transport and walking directions. I had it on constantly. I actually brought a power bank with me because I use so much battery charge taking photos and using Google maps. And I took a ton of photos - around 50-70 each day.

I think you will be fine with 8GB for 14 days, and that's probably overkill. I was originally planning on getting 10GB but then read this post from Holafly that listed what most people use when traveling, and I was way over, so I cut it down.

You can track your data, too (which is what I did) - once you start your plan, go to the Cellular Data section in settings (this is for iPhone and just reset the statistics so you know what you are using. That's how I know I've used 4.2GB.

It's very easy to use - I even wound up adding a second eSIM data plan because I decided to go to Copenhagen at the last minute, and my plan was only for Germany. I got 1Gb of data for 7 days for $5 (I was only there for 3 days and had plenty). I just swapped out the Germany plan for the Denmark one, then when I got back to Germany (today, actually), I removed the Denmark one and switched back to the German one.

@Mardee - this is great info! Thank you so much and glad you are having a lovely trip! Can't wait to get ours started!!
Frances

New Q: I have a German Telekom SIM Card. I am in Germany. I am trying to call my wife who is also here but has kept her US SIM. All of my efforts have failed. Telekom is like the rest of these rascals and its "helpline" reply is that no one speaks English right now---even on the English language line. I have tried dialling 0, 00 and so on. Any ideas?

New Q: I have a German Telekom SIM Card. I am in Germany. I am trying to call my wife who is also here but has kept her US SIM. All of my efforts have failed. Telekom is like the rest of these rascals and its "helpline" reply is that no one speaks English right now---even on the English language line. I have tried dialling 0, 00 and so on. Any ideas?

What periscope said. But if not, can you reach her via Whatsapp? Or Facetime? Or messaging? Because I have an eSIM data plan, there is no phone involved but I've been able to call people using the above apps.

The key thing is to put the "+" sign in before her number, as the poster two posts up said. Forget the zeros, modern cell phones don't need them.

Press on the "0" key for a little longer to get the "+" symbol to come up.

Input the number like this:

+12125551234

(With her area code and number of course,not the dummy fake NY number I used as an example!!)

Did anyone else besides me have trouble installing this? I may have accidentally activated the eSIM as well. :( Trying to get help from Airalo is not easy. I'm very frustrated with this experience.

Sorry you're having problems. I sent a message to Airalo one time when I had a question through the app. Just go to your Profile in the lower right hand corner of the app, then click on Contact Us and you can send them a message through the app. I heard back from them very quickly.

Trying that. It says two hour wait.

Just adding in, we got Airalo esims for the kids on our recent trip. They both have iphones so the esim capability was built in. It cost me about US$20 for 3 gb for each of them and it couldn't have been easier. (We use what'sapp so they only need data to stay in touch.) Basically I paid for it with my credit card and it self-installed immediately. I made them take out their "home" sims, because i didn't care to sort out if they could accidentally use their usual plans (Canada roaming plans are horribly expensive). Some how dd managed to eat up her 3 gb quickly, and it was also super easy to add more data. 3 gb may not seem like a lot for a young adult, but they used wifi otherwise and just used data when they didn't have wifi. Hubby and I had physical sims left over from the travel we planned to do in summer 2020! But next time I'll look at esims for us as well.

I just bought 5GB for $13 for Greece with Airalo - seems to be installed but not activated, though there was quite a lot of back and forth with the chat function in the app (partly because my phone was locked even though Verizon said it was unlocked...definitely glad I did all this at home and not on no sleep in the Athens airport!!).
I think I am all set to turn it on and turn off my primary line when I arrive in Athens. Airalo was really responsive and easy to deal with, and I get a $3 credit if I refer anyone, so I may refer my family and they'll get the same for $10 instead of $13. Or not. I wanted to make sure at least one of us had a working phone before leaving, and the others could get eSIMs or physical SIMs when we arrive as needed.
Our trip is 2.5 weeks and we should have wifi some of the time, so I'm thinking that 5 GB is probably overkill, but we shall see. And of course with the young adults all bets are off...

So much great info here and I have decided to go with Orange Holiday eSIM for my upcoming trip to Scotland. I do have a question for someone who has used Orange eSIM though, and that is when to purchase and put it on my phone. I emailed Orange and their email reply suggested waiting until I was physically in the UK but that doesn't make sense to me. The Android installation instructions advice downloading and turning on once you land but also not to mess with airplane mode while inflight.

So when should I purchase and install? Can't it simply be on the phone but not activated?

Kathy, when I bought my Orange eSim for Spain in March, I ordered ahead, gave them the date I wanted to activate (the day before my trip), and then waited. On the day I chose, an email arrived with a QR code (which I opened on my iPad and scanned with my phone). Then I followed directions. I kept that cellular plan turned off and my home plan turned on. Then on the airplane, while my phone was in Airplane Mode, I turned my home plan Off and the Orange plan On. After deplaning, I simply turned Airplane Mode off and was ready to go as soon as I arrived. When returning, just do the opposite.

Thank you! Finally an explanation which makes sense. I wasn't aware you could choose a date to have them send the QR code as like you, I want it set up and ready to go when I land.

Thanks so much for the clarification! I will definitely be doing the Orange Holiday eSIM.

@Mardee and TexasTravelMom, thank you for this very helpful read.
New Question: I have an Ipad that has cellular data capability. I'd prefer using it in Portugal and Spain (sept/oct 2022) because of the size of the screen. Will an esim work in an ipad. All the discussion has been with iphones or androids.

I'll be dowloading bus and train schedules, maps, using data to confirm opening and close times etc.

Thanks for any hints. I'm feeling more confident on how to gain access to data while traveling this trip.

If your iPad has a place for a SIM card or a way to use cellular data, then I assume it will work just like a phone with eSim. (Mine doesn’t, so I use it with wifi at my lodgings.) I guess you would scan the code with your iPad as opposed to scanning with your phone.

So far my plans have also allowed me to hotspot my iPad from my phone - which I also haven’t utilized, just because I haven’t needed to.

Julie, according to Airalo (which is the eSIM plan I used) eSIMs work on most iPads. Here is a comprehensive list. https://www.airalo.com/help/about-airalo/what-devices-support-esim

@TexasTravelMom, thanks for you answer. I decided to try and buy a USA airlo plan for 7 days at $5. I learned my ipad is to old to support esim capability. My iphone will support esim but the screen is small. I'm now on the look out for a sim plan for my ipad. Which is my preferred form of communication while traveling.

Just curious because I use a MS Surface and never had an IPAD. For internet I link it to my phone which with TMobile comes with International data in the regular plan.

James, 1) you have traveled longer far more often than me so you would know more since you have actually done it. 2) and having a T-Mobile plan seems useful in the long run.

However, stuck as I currently am with AT&T (thanks, kids), my 3 G of Airalo data for 30 days at $13 is pretty good. I am using less than 1G/week - using whatever I want whenever I want.

And Julie, I just doubled checked and I CAN use the data on my phone to hotspot my iPad. So if you have a phone capable of using an eSim, that is also a possibility for you. And if you download your offline Google Maps, you have a backup plan.

That wasn't criticism, that was curiosity. I wanted to know if you could do what I do with an IPad? I get why many dont want to go the TMobile route as discount carriers are so cheap right now and my TMobile with International runs $70 a month (two lines) with the Old Fart Discount. I just dont want to mess with more technology if I dont have to. But a discount carrier for day to day life and one of the esim thingies for travel sounds like the most cost effective.

@TexasTravelMom, great tip! "And Julie, I just doubled checked and I CAN use the data on my phone to hotspot my iPad. So if you have a phone capable of using an eSim, that is also a possibility for you. And if you download your offline Google Maps, you have a backup plan" Thanks! I'll play with this using airlo at home as a trial ... I can skip a latte and buy airlo for a week.

Julie, I am doing this very thing right now because, for the first time in a month, WiFi is floating in and out and I can only access the internet by hotspotting my iPad (which I am writing on) to my phone (sitting beside me). My iPad isn’t that new, either.

Lol, James, I know you weren’t criticizing - you wouldn’t dare! 🤣 My take on all this is “it depends”. There are so many variables - not just with technology but life. I think I am going to write a whole post on this soon…. There are 2 reasons I haven’t switched to T-Mobile: 1) all my kids have been on my AT&T plan, sharing the cost of the data plan. This saves them a lot of money. 2) I have family who work for T-Mobile and they advised me that in their area (not far from me), the reception isn’t nearly as good.

@TexasTravelMom, okay I got my really old ipad and almost as old iphone to hot spot .... now I need to go back and find the directions on how to switch between home and travel lines. EEK! I keep telling myself its okay, this is a learning opportunity.

To everyone who has offered hints, written articles etc. This way over the hill and technology challenged traveler thanks you!

I have family who work for T-Mobile and they advised me that in their area (not far from me), the reception isn’t nearly as good.

TexasTravelmom, I'm in the same boat as you - I share a plan with my daughter and her husband and she needs to have good coverage for her job. Since we live in a rural area, it's harder to find so we're stuck with Verizon, which I hate. However, T-Mobile offers an eSIM that is for travelers outside the US who are coming here OR people who want to "test-drive" T-Mobile's cellular service. The fee varies depending on the data plan but includes phone service. I'm thinking about trying this for one month to see how it works in my area. https://www.t-mobile.com/support/plans-features/t-mobile-esim-app

periscope, I am fairly certain that it is similar to other eSIM plans in that you activate it through the app, but the service actually runs through your phone. If you read through the instructions, that's what it sounds like.

An interesting little side note on the subject.

With my TMobile account the world sees me in the US. That means I can use my TMobile data to long into sites restricted if you are outside the US. I can use the WiFi to watch local Netflix or I can use my phone hotspot to watch US Nextflix. And there are a few US websites that arent accessible from Europe; mostly news and the like. I know, you dont go to Europe to watch Nextflix or the News but there may be other sites, like possibly your bank that could maybe be easier from the US account vs Europe. Dont know. Just an observation.

Here is the link that brought it to light. If you are currently in Europe and using a European internet connection you probably cant open it, if you are in Europe and using a US service provider, you probably can. https://www.capjournal.com/opinions/columnist/never-hug-a-south-dakotan/article_0924c093-4720-58a1-9496-42a87519aa45.html

No idea if this sort of thing would ever be a problem to anyone. Just a curiosity.

You can also subscribe to a VPN in the US to give yourself a US IP address. I have a VPN set up at home so I can connect to it remotely (and not pay a monthly fee for VPN); when I'm in Europe connected to my VPN, websites I visit think I'm browsing from home.

That sounds easy, thank you. For some reason I thought using a VPN like that was some sort of violation of the terms of use on some subscription sites. Good to know, a ESIM and a VPN and an unlocked phone is all you need to be totally digitally functional when traveling. Some day i will make it into the 21st century.

James, I have heard that some sites detect that you are using one of the subscription VPN sites and may complain - not sure, I've never used one. If you have any tech-savvy friends, you could ask them to set up a VPN at home for you like I have. Then the subscription sites would have no idea you were using a VPN - they would just think you were at home.

I’ll be in London and MAYBE Liverpool for like 10 days starting at the end of September.

I have an Unlocked iPHONE 11.

I am on a tight budget.

Do I go with an E-Sim or Sim?

96mets,

There’s airalo E sim at $10 for 3GB good for 30 days. Or there’s Vodafone UK physical SIm for £10 or about $12 USD. I’d go with the Vodafone. Tons of data so I don’t have to watch my usage and no farting around trying to login to WiFi. The large data allowance is nice to have in case the hotel WiFi doesn’t work or work well. The last I checked it includes hotspot so you can tether another device.

96Mets

I am just learning about this, so I may be wrong. From what I have seen e.g Orange in Spain provided the same plan at the same price for in either SIM or eSIM. So it shouldn't make a difference unless you compare different carriers.

Your new phone can use both at same time. If you already have a home SIM, you can just leave it in and get an eSIM overseas. If you prefer an overseas SIM, you can sub out the original SIM, but you risk losing it.

Has anyone had experience using Airalo with Xfinity service? I have a IPhone 13 & xfinity told me I cannot use another esim. Yet, following instructions above, I checked and there is an esim “available”. Not real tech savvy but I don’t want to pay $$$ to use phone (internet & data mostly) while in Italy!
Thoughts? Thanks!

Xfinity cannot stop you from using an eSIM plan if your phone is unlocked. Do you owe any money on the phone? If so, it may be locked until it's paid off, but otherwise, your phone should be unlocked. To find out, go to Settings-->General-->About-->Carrier Lock. If it's unlocked, it will say "No SIM restrictions".

If it is unlocked, then whoever you talked to at xfinity either does not know what they are talking about, or they lied to you. Regardless, xfinity does support eSIMS - I found this article that references that. https://www.xfinity.com/mobile/support/article/what-are-sims-how-do-they-work

Many thanks. Yes, it is paid for and unlocked. I kinda figured retail clerk didn’t know & just gave easiest “no” answer! Now to figure out for hubs SE phone!

FYI, there is a new Orange Travel app, available in both Android or Apple versions. It should make buying and topping up the Orange eSIM easier. I plan to use it, but won't be able to test it until my trip in November.

I have a question - I am nervous about Verizon charging me overseas. Previously, I just removed the verizon sim and bought a new one in the foreign country. But I love the idea of not having to remove the physical card. But how do I actually ensure that verizon can't charge me if the physical card is still there? I have a Pixel 6a. Thank you!

Eddie, if you don't trust yourself not to accidentally turn on Verizon, you can always temporarily suspend the service and save some money:

https://www.verizon.com/support/suspend-service-faqs/

That's helpful! Thank you. I didn't realize that was possible. I guess this raises another question - is not using Verizon overseas mean simply turning it off inside the phone's setting? Or is it still "on" and susceptible to charges? Thanks!

Eddie, are you talking about what happens after you activate the eSIM? If so, you should get instructions on how to change your settings so that everything goes through the eSIM and not Verizon. I have only used Airalo and they sent specific instructions on how to change the settings. But there were a few text messages that managed to get through (user error on my part). I only had to pay a few dollars for that, but the easiest way to make sure that doesn't happen is to call Verizon (or use the above link) to suspend your service temporarily.

If you are NOT using an eSIM and just want to rely on wireless and no cellular data, you can just turn your phone to Airplane mode.

Eddie, it is a simple on and off button under Cellular. You turn your Verizon number off and keep the eSim turned On. This happens automatically when you are setting up the new eSim at home. So you will need to do the opposite until you are on the plane: turn Verizon back On and turn the eSim Off.

Then on the plane, after you put your phone in Airplane Mode, go into Cellular and turn Verizon off and eSim On. When you land, turn Airplane mode off and you are ready to go.

It’s kind of hard to make a mistake and turn Verizon back on unless you deliberately go into the Settings (not impossible but hard).

Of course, you can’t see this process till you get the eSim set up - because it’s not there yet to have a choice. But it’s easy and apparent once you have it set up.

Extremely helpful! Thank you for your assistance with this! I feel much more confident in it now.

Yesterday, I loaded the Orange Travel app on my Android phone. I set up an account using my email address and password. I then chose the €19.99 eSIM plan (14 days, 8GB 4G data, unlimited talk and text in Europe, 30 minutes talk and 200 texts overseas) which is good for most European countries (list is provided). Paid with credit card. With the Orange app, you just follow the steps and your new (French) phone number is set up; no need to print out or scan the QR code. There is now two signal bars on the phone, the original local SIM and the new eSIM. In the settings, you can toggle one or both sims on or off. While still in Canada, th eSIM signal has an "!" mark showing that there is no service. In previous email to Orange, they replied that I can set everything up at home this way and the 14 day plan will automatically activate and start to run only upon arrival in Europe. If I run out of data, I can top up directly on the app; I have read that I should not top up before the existing plan is used up because any new top up will override any remaining available data. I will fly to FRA and BCN on Tuesday to see how it works out.

EDIT: On Tuesday, we landed in FRA in a stopover to BCN. My Orange eSIM activated and I tested out data, talk and text. I tried to register the eSIM but it would not load my photo of my passport. Too jet lagged to care because it will work for 30 days and I am only here for 14 days. I can always buy a new one in the future. Besides, Orange is asking for all my private info to register. Once we knew it worked for me, we used the Orange app on my wife's phone and she was up and running right away.

One funny thing is that her phone only shows the active Orange signal in the status bar. My phone shows both the Orange active signal and my home service signal (with an "!" mark showing no signal). I cannot seem to deactivate the home sim. My wife and I have the same phone and home provider. I am not worried about roaming because i know how to diable roaming. Also we use a pre-paid home plan which does not allow roaming. If anybody knows how to deactivate my home sim let me know.

Thanks, funpig - good info to know.

I’m late to this thread but I wanted to let you know about the ATT cap on their data plan at $100 for one line and $50 more. For our May trip we called ATT and got them to change our billing cycle so our 30 day trip, May 1-30 fell entirely into our billing cycle. Worked fine. Then we were gone from July 15-August 12 which spanned 2 billing cycles so we would have had a $300 bill for this trip of a similar length over 2 billing cycles. We do have duel SIM card capabilities but in the end we switched to T-Mobile’s Magenta Max 55 Plus plan that saved us money monthly and gave us 5gb of data and calling for 25¢ per minute. My husband may have more to say about the choice to not to go with a second SIM card but we are very happy with switching altogether, the savings for us and the seamless coverage.

I used the Airalo E-SIM on a IPhone 11 Pro for a recent trip to Italy. Very easy to set up and use. It was data only so I had to use WhatsApp for calls but that was not a problem. I mostly switched off my Verizon SIM, but I think one can leave it on if you're careful about switching off data use for that SIM. I may Airalo again for a trip to Costa Rica this winter, but the cost saving is not as good as it was in Italy.

Mona, I would love to switch to T-Mobile but where we live, there is just not enough decent coverage. So I will continue to use Airalo eSIMs until rural internet gets fixed. :)

bdmrad, thanks for the update! I didn't turn everything on Verizon off, thinking like you, but I forgot about incoming scheduled texts from banks. I responded to a few of them without thinking, and got charged. Not a bit problem - I think it was about $2-3 overall, but I will be more careful next time.

For AT&T users, I would advise you read this post "Using Airalo abroad with main AT&T plan?". Lot's of finagling to get things to work. Take away: call AT&T and request to disable and I quote "Before your next trip you have to call At&t and have them disable all international roaming on your account, both voice and data. You can only disable data roaming, not voice, through the settings on your phone so that’s why you have to call AT&t. By the way If you get an AT&T agent that says they can’t do it call back to try another agent or ask to speak with level 2 support." Read on for more https://www.reddit.com/r/Airalo/comments/vhgipf/using_airalo_abroad_with_main_att_plan/

Backstory, ATT is such a PITA, they charged me (again) for Int'l even though I was using eSIM, months later got my $400 back as credit. I use the chat support so I can screen shot and/or save the text transcript. Paper trail, paper trail. Sometimes I think just buying SIM upon arrival is easier. I'll try that with my wife's phone over Christmas when in IT, and I'll use the eSIM and see what works best. My .2 cents worth. Buon Natale.

As noted in my last post above, my wife and I both have the same phone (Pixel 3a) and the same pre-paid home cellular provider (Public Mobile). During our 2 week trip to Spain, we both purchased an Orange Travel eSIM.

For some reason, my phone operated in dual sim mode which meant it showed 2 sim signals while my wife could select just one sim or the other.

Because there was no Public Mobile signal in Europe (and the prepaid service does not allow roaming), my phone was constantly searching for PM service which caused my battery life to decrease substantially. I can see where having two sims at the same time can be helpful (e.g. one telephone number for business and one telephone number for a personal use). In my case it was not helpful and I was constantly having to recharge my phone with my power pack.

I couldn't figure out how to disable the dual sim mode during the trip. However, after I returned I finally managed to find out how to do it:

Dial * # * # 4636 # * # * and scroll down the menu to enable or disable DSDS (dual SIM mode). Disabling the second sim also has the advantage of avoiding any possible roaming charges. This works for Android phones. I'm not sure about Apple iPhones.

It seems there is most likely a difference in setting up Airalo on iPhones and Androids. However unlike SuperTuscan, I did none of that for my ATT plan. I simply turned off my ATT plan under Cellular on my phone and turned Airalo on (once installed).

The issue (on the link) seemed to be that the person wanted to use her U.S. number to make WiFi calls and texts to other U.S. numbers, but force it over to the data provided by the Airalo eSim. That is the difference.And that you cannot use it to call European numbers (so no one should think those are the same).

So if you don’t need to call U.S. numbers, you don’t need the elaborate process or to call ATT.

However way down in the comments, someone mentions that if you want to use WiFi calling and don’t want to get hit with the ATT $10/day charge, make sure WiFi calling is enabled and turn on airplane mode. Then it should work via WiFi. But don’t forget to turn airplane mode off when finished so you can again use your Airalo data. If this indeed works, sounds far easier than trying to get ATT to turn things on and off. I may try it on my next trip but that will unfortunately be a few months…. Lol.

I am trying to figure out if a new Verizon iPhone will be able to connect to other providers in the first 60 days. Apple says the phone is unlocked. Verizon says phones are locked for 60 days. I’m not interested in switching providers or using an alternative esim card (I tried that on two trips previously and it didn’t work well for me). I just need to make sure the phone will work on Verizon’s international plan with a different provider albeit one they have a relationship with.

aimee, who did you buy your phone from? If it was Apple, it's unlocked. If it was Verizon, it might be locked as they say.

Regardless, I'm not sure I understand your question. Is Verizon your provider? If so, then you should be able to use their international plan regardless of whether the phone is unlocked. Of course, you will have to pay their fees but for many people, the convenience is worth it. Why would you be using an different provider if you are using Verizon's plan?

Mardee, locking a phone does not restrict it to which providers it can connect to e.g. roaming. Locking a phone prevents another SIM from being used besides your phone's Verizon SIM. If you plan to use the Verizon international roaming plan, keeping your Verizon SIM in place, the phone will work fine even if locked.

Andrew, I know that - sorry for the confusion. I was responding to aimee's post and had copied her post below mine so i could see it when responding. But then I forgot to delete it. Duh. It's gone now, though.

Has anyone had good experience with a eSim provider for Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Hungary with unlimited data and that has a working number?

How can you check to see how much data you have used on Airlo and Orange eSim card?

LF, most eSIM providers do not include phone service with their data plan. It's usually not an issue if you have access to video calling or WhatsApp that you can use to call people over wifi. But if a phone is a necessity, I do know that Orange provides phone service with their eSIM plan, but you will get a French phone number.

And with regards to keeping track of data, they will let you know if you are close to running out but you can keep track on the Airalo app (that's what I did). Not sure about Orange - I haven't used them but TexasTravelmom did and has posted about it, so you might want to search the tech tips forum for those.

LF

The countries that you have listed are covered by the Orange Travel eSIM. You will get a French number and it will be valid throughout Europe. There will be unlimited calls and texts in Europe, and a limited number of calls and text back to the US or Canada. The eSIM that I purchase provided 8 GB of data for 14 days. I can verify that it worked well in both Germany and Spain. I was constantly using data on the go for maps, searches, translations, ticket purchases etc. and I only used up just over 1 GB during the two weeks.

You can check the amount of Orange data usage by dialing #123#. You can also check the data usage by tapping your mobile data settings.

I will need the Orange eSim card more than 14 days? How do you extend the 14 days given?

You just top it off with the additional time you need. All the information is on their website or on the app.

LF, I have not had success using the Orange eSim for longer than 14 days. Supposedly it is possible to keep the same phone number by registering (involves uploading a copy of your passport). I am sure it is doable but I just haven’t managed it. But if you do, you can top off your plan as Mardee says. However data etc. WILL disappear at the end of 14 days. If you do need a telephone number but don’t require that it be the same #, you can always just get a new plan.

I certainly appreciate everyone's posts here. Alas, it has overwhelmed me. For my upcoming trip I will probably go the “old-fashioned” way of a physical SIM card instead of an eSIM since I’m familiar with the use of a physical SIM card. I wish I could "top off" (as mentioned here) the Vodafone SIM card that I bought last May in Portugal but it was only good for 30 days. It was good for Portugal, the EU and even had 30 minutes international calling or texts available.

Supposedly it is possible to keep the same phone number by registering (involves uploading a copy of your passport).

I have only used Airalo; not the Orange plan since I usually don't need a phone number, but was curious so I checked into this. Orange is a French company and France requires registration of any phone number within 30 days. It looks like it's pretty easy to register - you just go to the link at the end of this sentence and fill out the information, then upload a copy of your passport ID page (jpeg, png and pdf allowed). https://travel.orange.com/en/welcome-travelers The page says SIM cards but the eSIM plan page led me to there also, so I'm assuming it's for both. Orange said it takes 10 days to finalize the registration after they receive it so it would make sense to register it as soon as you activate it in case you need to top it off after the 14 days period is up.

Also, while I was looking through their site, I found this page that looks to be a guide to using the Orange eSIM plan (for iPhone). https://s4i6r5r7.stackpathcdn.com/guides/orange.iphone.esim.guide.pdf

I haven't done it yet but have been heavily researching options. My takeaway is that the best plan if you want calls and texts is the orange holiday zen: https://www.simoptions.com/esim-ireland/

For data only, airalo has country specific options which are slightly cheaper, however the Eurolink not only covers multiple countries but at 5G speeds https://www.airalo.com/europe-esim

Here's an article comparing multiple esims (says Ireland but seems to apply to most of Europe) https://www.phonetravelwiz.com/best-esims-for-ireland-guide/

If you have an iphone, here's a step by step guide, as well as the official apple one that has been previously posted; i found this helpful along the lines of how to make sure Verizon doesn't charge me, vs Apple's is just set up : https://thepointsguy.com/guide/avoid-international-roaming-charges/

What a fantastic source for info on eSims vs Sims; US phone plans etc. I am going to try to print out or screen shot as much as I can to share with hubs.
Thank you all for contributing.

To us, that’s the cost of one more night or so. In the greater scheme
of things, I don’t understand the fuss. If we’re going on an
international trip, what’s another $150 (or less if it’s fewer days)
It’s so much easier to just use our phone and not worry about it. Our
airfare is usually cheap enough, maybe that helps. But if one can pay
$1500 for airfare—, surely another $100-150 isn’t a dealbreaker. Of
course, I don’t know what the other companies offer or what these are
in terms of cost. Or I guess if you’re there for months, I could see
that.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Amann-- I'm with you on this one. I use ATT, too. No hassle, it's easy and wonderful to use the iphones just like if we are in the States. I don't mind paying an extra $10-15 a day without having to figure anything out. We've done 2 International trips in the last 8 months and it's great not worrying about telecomm stuff.

Mo, what I like to point out is that I don't use a Europe SIM to save $10/day. I use one so I don't have to pay hundreds of dollars a year more for AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile. Instead, I pay only $10 to $15/month for prepaid phone service at home in the US, and when I travel occasionally to Europe, I spend about 14 Euros to use my Dutch Vodafone SIM for the whole trip. It's not much of a hassle for me - to save a few hundred bucks a year on phone service.

If I were already paying extra to have AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, I agree that it doesn't make sense to fool with a SIM card just to save a few bucks.

Mo, for me, it's the principle of the thing. I hate Verizon (even though it was my carrier) and it really annoyed me to no end that the company wanted to charge me for something that should be free (imo). Hence the Airalo eSIM plan. I saved money, did not contribute to Verizon's corporate greed and getting and using the eSiM was incredibly easy. I never make phone calls in Europe, unless it's on FaceTime or What'sApp, so it was an easy decision.

Now that said, my family just switched to T-Mobile and with my military discount, we get a very good plan for less than we were paying Verizon. And I get an international plan for free (I think it costs a few cents for phone calls, but I don't plan on making any).So no need to get an eSIM plan on this trip.

Just noting that Holafly seems a bit expensive. I haven't used an esim yet but my phone is newer so it has a physical sim card slot and an esim slot. I've been looking at Airalo but just so you know many of these esims are data only. So you'd have to use Whatsapp or similar app to message or call people. If you're traveling to europe also look into Orange as they seem to have coverage over most of Europe. Not sure how good or fast it is, but it's another option.
Also, look into your phone settings. I have a pixel 7 and it seems easy to select what functions you want between the two sims. But I will likely have to disable or do direct to voicemail for phone calls on my sim card from home.

First off, I apologize for not posting this sooner. Last August we traveled to the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland for about 3 weeks. I purchased the Airalo eSim based on Mardee’s post. I followed the excellent instructions she provided and had zero issues. Great low cost solution!

We have since moved from Spectrum to T-Mobile so we won’t have the same need with our next international trip.

Thanks Mardee for your excellent advice (I follow your shoe posts also 🙂).

Ha ha ha ha ha, SueS!!!! First, I'm so glad Airalo worked for you! And interestingly, I have also moved to T-Mobile from Verizon, so I won't be needing it either. I'll let you know how T-Mobile works - I'm leaving next month for Scotland.

Glad you like my shoe posts, too! I was very excited because yesterday I went for a quick overnight trip up to Grand Marais, MN. I was buying a cup of coffee at Java Moose and someone complimented me on my shoes. They happened to be the Oboz shoes I was raving about on the Shoe forum, lol!

What shoes did you take on your trip? Inquiring shoppers want to know... 🤣

I checked into the Oboz but couldn’t find 11 wide. I ended up going with Dansko Paisley. Took some breaking in but they were perfect for our trip. I have since worn them out so will be shopping again soon. Will check on Oboz again.

Sue, you might want to try the regular 11s. I usually wear a wide but I wear a 10 regular in Oboz.

This is a good topic, especially for newbies who are new to eSIM like me. I learned about eSIM from the article when I was preparing for my first long trip abroad. The next material I read was your topic. Thank you for sharing🤝

First experience with eSims just now. I'm on T-mobile, which seemed to have an ok international bare bones plan. I tried it on a trip a year ago, and found it almost unusable. Internet speeds were uniformly poor, and the one time we made the mistake of answering a call, T-mobile wanted to charge an outrageous amount for it. In the past I've used physical SIMs, but one of our phones only uses e-SIMs, and even for the other, we would have had to get multiple SIMs, given the different locations we would be visiting. So e-SIMs seemed the better option (also, we decided we could get by without voice, and use services like WhatsApp instead, when needed)

I tried Airalo, which really didn't work for me. More on that below.

Good experience so far with KnowRoaming and BNESIM (my wife and I thought it best to spread the risk across two providers, and both worked seamlessly).

We're in Istanbul, and we have consistently had good connections and speed. We will be in a couple other locations on this trip, and I will report if there is a different result with either of those two providers.

Airalo has lots of positive reviews, and a bunch of ppl shilling for them b/c they get a bennie if you sign up with their link. My experience was not so positive. After signing up, I tried to log in to my account, which didn't work. Possibly a problem on their part, possibly user error. They have a password reset, so I tried that....multiple times, and it never worked. So, I contacted support, which, if you believe some of the reviews, will get a response in at most a few hours. After no response in almost 48 hours, I sent a follow up message saying that i would cancel and initiate a charge back if I had not heard from them by the end of the day. Not hearing back, I did the charge back.

After a week and a half, I finally got a response. Note that the subject line of my message was "password reset not working." The response suggested that I try the password reset link. Clearly they had not read my message.

I'm not sure if their growth has exceeded their ability to do competent support, but this kind of response is appalling, both in the length of time it took, and the uselessness of the reply. Based on this, I would strongly caution against the use of this provider.

Airalo has lots of positive reviews, and a bunch of ppl shilling for them b/c they get a bennie if you sign up with their link.

Seriously? You really think the positive reviews for Airalo are because of the credits? Most of the people here have been traveling for years; even decades; and when we review something, it's because we want those who read the reviews to know about our positive and negative experiences. Second, we are somewhat anonymous in that if I post a review of Airalo, and someone decides to buy an Airalo eSIM because of it, that person doesn't know who I am or my account info to even give me the credit.

But I guess what you're saying is that all of our positive reviews should be discounted based on your sole negative review from a first-time poster? I'm glad you had a positive review with your two eSIMs, but just because you were not able to make Airalo work (and as you admitted, it could be user error), does not mean that Airalo is a bad product.

We’ve been using Airalo now since we arrived. We’ve had mixed results. My husband’s iPhone12 took it and worked just fine. Mine took SEVERAL days and emails to Airalo support. It was then it wasn’t. But the important thing is: it is now working just fine. Yesterday as were driving, my iPhone had more bars than hubs. We will be topping them off today and in the next few days for me as he still has a day and I have a few more. Curiously, Airalo designated our iPhones12 as Apple 8’s.

One observation: a friend who lives in Zagreb said eSims do NOT are not for working expats, for obvious reasons. She has lived here for 3-4 years now, so upping an account every 30 days makes no sense. However she noted that as new people arrived, and were using eSims, they were unable to access or get service in areas she with her regular sim card was able to easily. That mirrored our experience with Airalo when we were visiting her, at first. My Airalo didn’t really kick in until we we’d been here for nearly 2 weeks. For newly arrived expats expecting to stay long-term, an eSim WOULD make sense initially for the length of time it can take for a foreigner to GET cell service. In some countries, we’re talking months!

But we seem to be humming along, and hopefully topping up won’t change that.

As the beginning of the post states, check to be sure you can unlock your phone before reading further. My new "free" phone from Xfinity is locked and can't be unlocked unless I it off for $394.

Mardee- We love Grand Marais - know where the Java Moose is! hope you get there again soon.

mosermorse, I love the Java Moose! And the Hungry Hippie Taco place! I just love everything about Grand Marais! Nice to meet you!

Looking into eSim for our family trip to France next month, and I'm trying to figure out the best options for the three of us (who will be leaving Paris a little earlier), and my teen daughter who will have an extra five days in Paris with her boyfriend after we leave. We all have iPhones, so with a data-only eSim plan we should be able to communicate with each other as needed via iMessage or WhatsApp. But thinking about my daughter staying behind after we leave...I do want to make sure that she is able to communicate easily with use if needed, so my question is for anyone who has travelled with an eSim data plan on an iPhone, are you able to call from Europe to the states using FaceTime? Thanks for any insight you might offer!

my question is for anyone who has travelled with an eSim data plan on an iPhone, are you able to call from Europe to the states using FaceTime?

Yes, I've done that frequently. I usually call my sister and my daughter using FaceTimeAudio, especially if the connection isn't great, but I've also called on regular FaceTime (using video) as well. I would tell her to call when she is connected to wifi if possible, as that will save on data, though.

Thank you! Sounds like paying extra for the text/call ability isn't worth our while then. Now to decide which eSIM provider to go with...Thanks for all the resources in this forum, very helpful!

You're welcome! And have a lovely trip!

anyone else go to buy Airalo esim and have it say out of stock? if so how long did you have to wait and looking for another option for italy

I just went there and did not see any Italy eSIMs listed as out of stock. How many days and how much data did you want?

Just another data point - we are currently in France, we purchased unlimited data esims through Holafly,

We made the purchase online in the states, and each took a screenshot of our activation QR code and sent it to each other. When you make the purchase it prompts you to activate now, which we did not do. When we landed in Marseille, we simply went to cellular settings on our iPhones and selected add esim, then scanned our QR code from each others phones and followed the set up prompts which were easy enough.

Initially it did not work, but using the Holafly app we figured out that we neglected to switch on roaming. Once we did that we were connected immediately, and it’s been smooth sailing since. We are on a 4G network most of the time (it seems to use the Orange network), and it’s been just fine for map navigation, web, and communication tools like WhatsApp.

Just wanted to share our experience!

Thanks for the update, charissacr - good to know! I've heard good things about Holafly. I know it can be a bit pricier, which is why I went with Airalo, but it sounds like a good product!

Just wanted to give an FYI on Airalo in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. I have a iPhone 14 Pro unlocked. This time I installed the eSIM at home just to see what would happen (instructions talk about that you can). For first few hours it kept looking for the Swiss network to activate. Of course it didn’t find it and eventually gave me an error message. I turned off the cellular plan and then waited until I got in Switzerland to turn it back on.

Once I did get into to Switzerland it took a few minutes to activate. The network it used was Sunrise. I don’t know if it was because we stayed in the valley or the network but at times, it was very slow. I do know that when I used my phone in Interlaken and Brienz and the at the top of the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn I had no issues. So I think it might have been the geography of the valley for Sunrise network that might have been the issue. I do have T-Mobile and a plan that gives me 5GB but I was the tail end of my trip and wanted the extra high speed data. T-Mobile USA uses the Swisscom network in Lauterbrunnen. When I switched to my T-Mobile data it did seem faster than the Airalo Sunrise network.

But overall I had no real big issues installing and activating the plan.

I think next time travel to Europe I will try Holafly just to compare.

Wanted to add my experience - I just spent three weeks in Europe and my (teenage) daughter decided she could not live without her cell phone. She signed up with Orange using the eSim option and it worked like a charm, throughout all six countries we visited. It was easy and relatively affordable. She used an iPhone 14 (I think...whatever is the latest version of iPhone at the moment).