Bonifacio, Corsica, May 2023 // Bonifacio is one of my favorite European towns with steep cliffs, an anceint walled city and clear blue water. I used an EU SIM card I bought in Italy for my trip to three different countries.
One of my biggest travel pet peeves is finding affordable cellular data plans abroad. Historically, I’ve always bought local SIM cards because they are significantly cheaper than paying $10/day for my normal U.S. plan (Verizon) to work abroad. (Also, it’s absurd that both Verizon and AT&T charge $10/day on top of your regular phone plan for international coverage! If you have T-Mobile, you most likely get free international coverage.) Keep reading for more details on eSIM cards for international travel!
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What’s an eSim? It’s essentially a digital SIM card included in many newer phones. (Apple nixed the SIM card tray with the iPhone 14 so eSIMs are the only option for those models and newer ones going forward.) It makes things more convenient since people no longer have to go to a store to get a physical SIM card and find a tool or paper clip to open the SIM tray!
What are the cons of an eSIM card? They can be tricker to activate and aren’t compatible with all phones or phone plans. For example, I have the iPhone 13 Pro, which is capable of using an eSIM, but I’ve never had any luck activating one. More details on that later in this post.
Are eSIMs cheaper than buying a regular SIM card? It depends. While they are cheaper than paying for a U.S. international plan, they are not cheaper than buying a local physical SIM card in most places. In Thailand, I pay roughly $10/month for an unlimited plan and in Laos, I paid $4 for 30 GB a few months ago. With companies like Airalo, it’s $16-20 for 5GB in various regions of the world, which is a good deal and more convenient if you’re country-hopping. If you’re staying in one place long-term, it’s still cheaper to buy a local SIM card. Always avoid buying one in an airport—everything is usually half-price outside the airport! In Singapore in February, I spent roughly $10.75 at a 7-Eleven for a SIM card with data when they were over $30 at the airport. When I noticed the airport’s high prices, I had tried to buy an eSIM on my phone using the airport WiFi, but the Airalo app said they were sold out. Yes, they were “sold out” of a digital product – it’s so hilarious that I can’t even make that up! I suspect they want to sell more of their regional plans, which I didn’t think to check.
Do eSIMs work for travel to the U.S.? Yes, Airalo especially has plans in the U.S. A friend tried it last year and said it worked well. This is great for people traveling in the U.S. or expats returning for a short visit.
Do eSIMs support personal hotspots? This is a dealbreaker for me because I work while I’m traveling and most of the time I find that WiFi networks are terrible. I rely heavily on my personal hotspot for WiFi on my computer for Zoom calls. A friend recently used Airalo in Southeast Asia and didn’t have the hotspot option on her phone with it. Airalo says it’s available if the carrier supports it so it’s hard to say if it will work every time.
Are there any privacy concerns with eSIMs? eSIM providers require you to use their app to activate and use the service, which means you can be tracked. Apple users should turn on the “ask app not to track” setting to avoid this. I’m sure Android devices have a similar setting. In some ways, eSIMs are safer. If your phone is stolen, you can easily switch the service off your phone to prevent your number from being stolen.
What is the best eSIM provider? I’m the most familiar with Airalo. Other brands include Nomad (which the NYTimes writes about here), GigSky and Flexiroam are others but I can’t vouch for any of these. Apple also has a webpage with a list of wireless carriers worldwide that offer eSIM services.
What do I do when I travel for phone data? I’ve had the same U.S. phone number since I was 16. It’s the only consistent thing in my life. I’ve changed addresses so many times that I literally had to type up a Word document with all my previous addresses so I could apply for Global Entry! Since I’m often abroad for months at a time, it’s a waste of money to pay my U.S. phone bill while I’m gone since it’s worthless. And, paying $10/day for the international plan is outrageous and should be a crime! Verizon previously had a policy where you could suspend your service without billing for six months a year, but they did away with it. The only workaround that I could find was a prepaid plan. As long as I pay my bill every 60 days, I keep my number. For example, I only paid for two months on my recent six-month trip abroad. Plus, I always downgrade to the cheapest plan. Due to this prepaid plan, it seems like Verizon has blocked me using an eSIM, which is absurd especially since I bought my phone directly from Apple and paid flat out for the entire device. (I hate payment plans so I always pay flat out for everything and budget accordingly so I can afford to do that.) Airalo did send me a warning in the app saying my phone was not compatible before I paid for it, which I really appreciated.
Final eSIM Takeaways: Overall, eSIMs are the future—ready or not. They are very convenient and cheaper than paying for an international plan for your American phone plan unless you have T-Mobile. Regional plans are excellent for short trips to multiple countries. Currently, Airalo is one of the best options and is worth trying out.
If you’re going to be traveling long-term in a country or region, I still think regular SIM cards are a better deal, especially in places like Southeast Asia. Certain parts of the world will take longer than others to catch up to this new technology so that’s my concern. I’ll be hesitant to upgrade my iPhone again until I know for a fact that I can get an eSIM in Asia with a hotspot option. It’s too risky for me otherwise with work to not have that feature.
I’m currently typing this from Italy where I bought a 40 Euro Vodafone SIM card with 100 GB of data for the entire EU at the Naples, Italy airport, which has been really convenient since I’ve been switching countries. (Yes, this was an overpriced airport SIM. I bought it for convenience for work since I didn’t have time to buy one elsewhere. Plus, I will be reimbursed for it by my job.) It’s worked well in the last three countries – France, Germany and Italy. For comparison, I bought a SIM card from a Vodafone store in Naples last fall and paid $15 for a month. It was less data (and only for Italy) but a better deal since the Italy-only airport SIM was 30 Euros!
Happy travels!
