Do You Need a SIM Card to Use Your Phone Abroad? Optimizing Your Mobile Connection

Do you ever wonder how to stay connected without breaking the bank while exploring the world? Cheryl uncovers the secrets to mastering SIM cards and eSIMs for international travel. Learn from her personal experiences with different mobile providers, including the cost-effective options from T-Mobile compared to Verizon’s pricey plans. Discover the benefits and drawbacks of using WhatsApp for communication, and get the lowdown on phones that support dual SIM capabilities, particularly among popular Android models. Cheryl also shares practical advice on choosing and using both physical SIM cards and eSIMs, ensuring you stay connected and confident during your travels.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Choosing SIM for International Travel
• 12:56 Podcast Bootcamp Invitation and Benefits

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello sister travelers. Well, do you need a SIM card or an eSIM to use your phone while traveling abroad? So much confusing information out there, so let's see if we can clear that up in today's episode. Welcome to Solo Travel Adventures for women 50 and older. I'm Cheryl S, your host, solo travel advocate, freedom traveler and coach. This is your Passport to Adventure.

Speaker 1: 0:31

So if you're considering getting a SIM card or an eSIM for your travels so you can utilize your phone, whether it's for data calls or texting, whether it's for data calls or texting there are a few things you want to make sure you research or ask yourself. First of all, a lot of this does depend on your provider. So does your provider already offer an international plan that might actually be cheaper, for example, actually be cheaper? For example, I have T-Mobile and my international calling well, not calling, I should say sorry data and texting is included in my plan. Now you want to call your provider and see what is included in your plan and how much they do potentially charge for international use. I'm in probably a grandfathered-in plan that may or may not exist anymore, but it's also part of their 55-plus people that have plans. So the only thing that costs me anything extra is if I do want to make a phone call. But I can use data and texting for free as part of my plan and don't get alarmed, I only pay $35 a line there was.

Speaker 1: 1:54

I was originally part of another plan that did. I think I had to pay just like 25 extra for the month to include international. But that did change. So now it's actually included and I'm just charged for any international phone calls that I make. Now I used to have Verizon as well and Verizon is very expensive. I've paid out the wazoo for some of these, not not knowing, just not wanting to be bothered with getting a SIM card or an eSIM, and that was. I know that's part of the hassle of all this. So that's why I'm saying ask your service provider, your mobile phone provider, if there's something they already offer. But Verizon is really expensive. It's $10 a day. I think you can actually pay a possible flat fee for a whole month. I can't remember what that was, but I know $10 a day was really expensive. So I know that for a fact. I also know that in some countries in general there's a higher expense to just in general. For example, in Canada their international texting rates are like 90 cents per text. They have probably one of the highest rates in the world, because that's just texting which is part of your data.

Speaker 1: 3:28

But you could also check to make sure on the type of phone, you have the e-sim option. So to ensure that you have a card, a phone that does, you know, maybe accept physical sim cards. Not all phones will. Some of the few that I know that do have what's called a dual sim phone. That does allow you to have two phone numbers, meaning your phone number, and then, when you get a actual physical SIM card, you are assigned a different phone number, and so these phones allow you to potentially have both in play. They are Samsung Galaxy Series, the Google Pixel 8 Series, motorola Razr Plus, oneplus Galaxy, again A54, the ROG phone, the ASUS Zen phone so there's a few out there.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Mostly, it's going to probably be your Android based. I have an iPhone and I don't have dual SIM capabilities, so instead what? I could download an eSIM card, or I could bypass even needing an eSIM and utilize an app called WhatsApp Right, if I wanted to make some phone calls. The downfall of using WhatsApp, though I mean it's a great tool, but you have to be connected to Wi-Fi a great tool, but you have to be connected to Wi-Fi and, honestly, when you're out and about in a town, you're not always going to have Wi-Fi capabilities. You might have it where you're staying or if you find a cafe where you can use their Wi-Fi, great, but it's not going to be, you know, always available to you, right? So you are limited in using WhatsApp. You also have to make sure whoever you're calling is also on WhatsApp, and your WhatsApp would actually still utilize your personal phone number that you have, that you signed up for on that app.

Speaker 1: 6:01

Now there are some SIM cards physical SIM cards you could buy that do include calls, data and text for a reasonable price. A lot of times you could go to a supermarket where you're staying, probably not the airport. That's going to be a little more expensive, and you can purchase one of those actual SIM cards to put in your phone, and, again, you would get a different, different phone number with that. Though, uh, and don't lose your original SIM card, cause I do remember when I purchased um, my information, my phone, my phone plan with T-Mobile, there was a $30 charge for my SIM card, right? So if you happen to lose it. You likely have to repay that.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Now, to talk about eSIM very easy to download the most different eSIM cards, ranging from local, regional or global, spain, or just kind of like a European one, canadian one, turkey, china, greece, iceland, ireland, colombia, netherlands, thailand, peru. They have it all. And so you start by downloading the app and you choose your destination and the package that you want, and then you are given the opportunity to install your eSIM and then activate it. It's instant connectivity, it can be purchased really from anywhere. It has global coverage. It's affordable too. So check that out and that would be your option, probably your best option. That's pretty much the main name that I've heard people using when they talk about getting and downloading an eSIM. That's usually the company they go through.

Speaker 1: 8:22

Obviously, in most cases be a much cheaper option, especially if you're going to be somewhere long-term and you're doing a slow travel, or so always, always, consider um getting a SIM card of some type. Um, unless you have T-Mobile, like me, and it doesn't. You know it's not, it's all included and I don't have to worry about that. I. What I do love about that is that I don't have to um worry about, uh, you know, changing or making sure it works. Um, so there is a recommendation that if you do set up, uh, an eSIM, that you download it before you go, because then it's using, of course, your plan, your data, and not utilizing maybe wi-fi or data somewhere else, wherever you are going. So I would do that first to get yourself make sure it works as well, before you end up in a country with no cell service and no ability to maybe even use your Google Maps or something like that, or your GPS. So there is a lot involved, but there are options, ladies. So consider first what does your current mobile plan offer you as far as international. Two, make sure and check on your phone and see if it does accept whether it's a dual SIM card, physical card, or if it even just accepts a card.

Speaker 1: 10:02

Now there is some talk about if your phone is not paid off, that it can be locked. I've heard that they've kind of done away with that, I think. But even if it is, you would need to. You can call your provider and have them unlock it so that you could utilize a different SIM card with your phone and then check into the eSIM possibility as an easier way instead of having to worry about physically changing a SIM card or potentially losing your original SIM card for your phone. So I hope that helps clear some of that up. There's a lot more Also. There are YouTube videos and you could also Google a couple things how to change out your physical SIM card, if that's something you're needing to do, and then also there's videos on tutorials on how to also download the eSIM. They also walk you through it if you download that app that I talked about. So I hope that helps, and I'm just feeling very fortunate as I'm going to be headed out to Portugal and Spain in a few weeks that I will not have to worry about that. I don't plan to make any phone calls. I'm actually going to be hiking, so I probably won't even be using my phone a whole lot. Um, so best of luck, make sure you look into all those factors that might determine what you need to continue having mobile service internationally, because we all live and die by our phones these days, so we can't be without them or without service. So definitely make sure you get that information before you go and get that set up.

Speaker 1: 12:06

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Speaker 2: 13:19

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Speaker 2: 14:07

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