Travel and Leisure
Everyone carries a smartphone with them on their trips abroad, and they likely have figured out that you probably shouldn't let your phone "roam" onto the foreign carrier network, right? I wrote about this a long time ago, in a previous post about using your smartphone in Europe. Don't need data or calling services while you're on vacation? Then you can stop reading now. I have long advocated that you can likely get by using free Wi-Fi services at the hotel or around town. But for some, the ability to use data and/or make the occasional call makes their travel lives easier, especially when you are doing your own self-guided trip. And yes, there are those US folks who have a $10/day plan through Verizon or whomever, but we're typically going to Europe for 14-21 days, which would add hundreds of dollars to the mobile bill. For you T-Mobile users, you're lucky to have an unlimited free international roaming option.Well, for those of you with a relatively new smartphone (maybe you upgraded to take advantage of new camera capabilities?), there is a somewhat recent innovation called eSIM that is about to make things easier but at the same time, very complicated for some people. What is an eSIM? I grabbed this right from Wikipedia:
An eSIM (embedded-SIM) is a form of programmable SIM card that is embedded directly into a device. Instead of an integrated circuit located on a removable universal integrated circuit card (UICC), typically made of PVC, an eSIM consists of software installed onto an eUICC chip permanently attached to a device.
Nearest mobile store not so near? |
Newer iPhones support SIM & eSIM |
Say you need/want data services while you are out and about, so that you can not only take advantage of things like Google, maps, Tripadvisor, etc., but also be able to email or iMessage? Or maybe you need to make a quick call to say, the Airbnb host in Budapest? But sometimes, you need to make or receive a call with someone back home? Well, now you have almost every situation covered with dual SIM capabilities and your newly acquired European eSIM.
By enabling Wi-Fi Calling for your domestic carrier SIM, you will be able to make and receive calls on your domestic number, and even send and receive SMS messages to/from your domestic number over Wi-Fi1. You probably want to make sure you are on decent Wi-Fi for this, but I was surprised to receive a call one evening on our river cruise over the ship's Wi-Fi. Update: some home carriers also allow for you to route calls and SMS messages over your eSIM's data - i.e. calls to your home number will come in as a VoIP call if you have the setting enabled. In your phone's settings, you can specify which SIM you want to use data with, which in this situation would be your European eSIM number. Now with the European eSIM you will now have the data services you need when you are day touring to navigate, search for restaurants and shops, and if you bought the right pre-paid plan, make calls. More likely, you could probably get away with a data only European eSIM, and these plans are even cheaper than the above-mentioned Orange example. This works particularly well for travellers from the West coast, as anyone you would typically need to talk to back home, isn't available until after ~4 pm, when you are back on your hotel or Airbnb's Wi-Fi.1 You should always check with your carrier for Wi-Fi calling availability and find out whether additional fees or data usage applies from your data provider. e.g. TELUS does offer Wi-Fi calling, but not outside of Canada.