International Cell Phone Travel Tips | Save MEGA $$$ on Roaming!

One thing people don’t do is to check their current plan… Was surprised to see that my Sprint unlimited kickstart plan has 256 kB of unlimited data and text throughout 215 countries included in the plan …. that’s not enough to do video but it’s enough to text check emails and use low volume apps like Uber or maps

Whew! That’s a lot of information! But, I’m pretty sure I understand & feel like international data esim will be right for me. On the 2 trips that I’ve taken overseas, I was blessed to be traveling with family who 1) are seasoned travelers 2) were willing to keep an eye on me at all times. 😄 My very limited cellular/data plan that I use here in the US, offered NO international coverage except for Mexico & Canada; this left me with a phone that served as little more than a camera. I hope to be traveling again within the year & really need to come up with a better plan than just having family watch over me like I’m a toddler. 😅
Thank you, Nora! Maybe my family will be willing to extend my leash if they know that they can reach me should we get separated. 😅

I kept my previous iphone and use that as my travel phone and put the local sim card in that.
I take my present iphone with me but only use it if I have to, like verifications at times. Works great.

YOU SHOULD STICK TO TRAVEL. A "MOBILE HOTSPOT" IS CALLED A MOBILE ROUTER. PHONES CAN BE UNLOCKED REMOTELY UNLOCKED BY COMPANIES OFFERING THE SERVICE,

FONEGO CHARGES MONTHLY. THERE ARE MANY FREE SMS SERVICES. I HAVEN'T PAID FOR YEARS.

It’s all too confusing. 🤯

Great vid. Good info. Habit was to buy a SIM card. Switched to T-mobile. Now have access to 250+ countries, $0.25/min telcos & Saved $87.00/month (was w/AT&T). Worked great in recent trip to Peru. Thanks, Nora.

This has been so helpful. I ordered the Keepgo portable hotspot as both our IPhone 14s are locked. My question is what should I change on our settings in order not to fly through the data we have purchased. I printed Keepgo’s “Understanding Data Usage” guide and even wrote to them but their answer was to turn off the hot spot! Not helpful at all. Nowhere in our settings do I see Wi-Fi assist to turn off. Also, do I keep our phones in airplane mode at all times? Thank you!

When I get to Thailand, I’ll be buying a Sim card and putting it into my unlocked phone so much cheaper than American plans!!!

Two things. The first is you have to make sure that if you are going to use any Sim that your phone is compatible because many are not. 2 you can use Google Voice to park your number

hi Nora! I enjoy all your videos. I'm a Canadian with Rogers as my cell provider. I will be doing a European River Cruise in November covering 4 countries over a period of about 16 days. I was not familiar with E-sim cards until watching your video. The river boat will have wifi but when we are exploring cities [in Hungary, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands] it would be helpful to be able to use our phones without the exorbitant roaming charges charged by our cell phone provider. Is there any one E-sim card you would recommend?

Cheapest is to buy a local Sim card period. You can purchase it at any airport on arrival. The price will be a little more expensive as compared to downtown but nevertheless its convenient. (Do not forget that airport arrival hall's shops rental are expensive too). 😂

They are just being kind to the old guy.

Such detailed and thorough information for both long and short term travel. Sharing this with friends who are moving outside the US and looking into options while still keeping their T-Mobile cell

AT&T refuses to unlock my phone because it is not fully paid off.

Thank you so much for this highly informative video! I am a Canadian currently residing in Hawaii, and I'm excited about my upcoming 3-week trip to Australia. Your video has provided me with a lot of valuable information.

I have an unlocked iPhone 13 Pro Max and I'm considering buying an eSIM card for my trip. As far as I understand, it's necessary to install the eSIM card before arriving at my destination.? I will also need to have access to local calls during my stay in Australia. I'm contemplating the idea of bringing an old cell phone solely for the purpose of using a local SIM card.

How can I have access to my USA number to receive texts for banking, etc.? Can you still receive texts with an e-SIM card?

I appreciate the information you provided about Fongo in your video. I shared it with my family members in Canada, and they have also found it valuable. Thank you once again for your insights!

E sim cards sound great, but I tried the link and apparently mu Samsung isn't compatible..:(

Hi Nora. I'm planning on traveling to the USA next week for a month from Australia. I have a work cell phone that I am taking with me as I use it for personal use. I want to stay connected on social media like FB when I'm there and be able to make local calls to family when I arrive. Can you provide please provide me with the best options? Thanks in advance.

We will be on a cruise for 30 days in the med/Holy Land and had no idea what we should do. Thanks for the info!

My husband and I went to Mexico with family ( my brothers and their wives) a few years back. We bought local SIM's and they variously used WIFI and roaming. After a couple of days they were asking how they could buy local SIM's as well because the charges were eating them up. We'd paid $10US each for the SIM and 30 days of phone and unlimited text and data. They were paying $10 a day!

Thank you SO MUCH for making this video. I just heard about eSIM yesterday and wondered if it would be better for me. Now I know that I'm going to stick with my original plan to get a SIM card at the airport when we arrive in Edinburgh. We did that a few years ago in New Zealand, and it was easy-peasy. I don't fly very often, so your videos have been really helpful as I prepare for a big trip.

t-mobile is the best. They will allow us to use phone in the philippines

Thanks so much this video help me and clear few things for my up coming trip. Thanks so much Nora.

Super helpful! Thanks so much :)

FYI. AT&T offers travel plans at $10 a day like you said. But a key component you didn’t mention is that they cap their charges at 10 days per month ($100) So short trip or long trip is irrelevant. After a week and a half, you stop getting charged. Obviously a SIM card is much cheaper, but for a locked AT&T phone, this option isn’t horrible.

Thanks for this super helpful video! I have two questions for you, hope you can answer them! Question 1: What do you do if your flight is delayed and you arrive at the international airport late at night when all the SIM vendors have left? Question 2: If you're doing a pay-by-the-day plan (roaming or whatever), what time zone does the day begin?

But what if I need my phone number to receive MFA codes?

Thank you

Bell Canada no longer offers travel plans so your tips are great. My daughter found a good SIM card on Amazon for the USA and Europe. You just pay for the amount of days that you are gone. I have used it on my last trip to the USA and it worked great. The turn off the phone before going near the border is a great idea

I was lost from the beginning when you mentioned locked and unlocked phones. I guess I don’t understand what that means. Is an unlocked phone basically a phone you’re making payments on?

What would you recommend for a family of 4 traveling in Europe and in Asia?

All cell phones sold in Canada are now unlocked, it is the law

I pay a plan in panama where we have a winter home. Gives me free roaming in the states. Only problem is a panama number. But Telegram and whatsapp works for calling good.

You didn't mention Google Voice as a way to keep a local phone number. We ported our old land line to Google voice and keep the number for free, just a porting charge. We travel for up to 75 days and just use our T-Mobile magenta plan to roam. The plan now is 5 Gb international data / month.

Going to the uk for 3 weeks what easiest to do?

Turn on WIFI calling feature on your phone which cuts your provider and call and receive calls and texts from anywhere for free! Yes even your 2FA and other protective codes will come. Providers international plans and fees no longer needed! Just WIFI calling set and using with any WIFI connections. Enjoy

Use google fi! You can’t go wrong and there cover many many countries, no changing sims card and you can get it for a month , 2months

The best video on the topic after looking for years! Unfortunately or fortunately you’re not mentioning G-Fi which apparently could be best save for its 90 days limit killer! Not sure what game and for whom G plays here but surely NOT it’s customers

Hello, can you make recommendations for a 3 month stay in japan? I'll need access to internet for classes almost on a daily basis but for only a couple of hours a day plus for using apps, google maps and translate. I use WhatsApp for messaging mostly. One phone is a Samsung Galaxy S10+ unlocked and the other is a Galaxy S22, although not sure which it is, also unlocked.

I'm not sure I completely understand. If I put my phone in airplane mode and have a data SIM card I can make calls using WhatsApp and use other data apps but I can't make traditional phone calls, is that correct?

I appreciate your travel information. Question: Would you recommend TMobile international calling plan? Thanks!

Verizon also has a plan that’s $100 per month, with 250 minutes of talk time then $.25 per minute thereafter; it also has unlimited texting.

This is by far the best and most useful site for international travel, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, great information 👍🏼

Thank you for this video. Very well explained. Cheers ❤

I spent $20 for my number to be transferred to Google voice and I can travel all over the world and get and receive calls for free as long as I have Wi-Fi.

Hi Nora, we always enjoy your content. We are in the market for a new cel phone. Just found out after some research that Samsung S series from U.S. will not work in Europe. Do you have any recommendations for budget friendly newly released phones that will support physical SIM cards?? Thanks😊

You will not be able to use a VPN in Egypt, they are blocked. Forget to buy a mobile hotspot, use your previous phone for that or get an inexpensive Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco phone. They are also always Dual SIM capable (4G is enough, because a lot of countries do not have super high speed 5G services yet), this allows you to have your SIM and a local SIM to be used in the same phone plus instead of an expensive phone getting stolen it is only a 150-200 USD device (plus get a Pacsafe hip bag for a bit extra protection). Any phone is a mobile hotspot and they are so easy to set up. 😊

That comment of yours regarding need for usual phone number for 2 factor authentication was really handy, for me and an upcoming trip. Thanks

My wife and I talk 2-3 times a day using Viber. She is working in Singapore and I am in Florida. We use Viber because it is more secure than others and it is not owned by Facebook aka meta. Always clear as a bell.
QUESTION: She will be in France for two months and only needs data...lots. Recommendations?