An international vacation It’s a good opportunity to cut back on excessive smartphone screen time and be present for all those adventures. (Don’t let life pass you by!) But even if you spend less time surfing the internet and more time exploring a new city, you’ll probably want to use that phone to get your bearings, book last-minute excursions, and stay in touch with friends back home.
If you’re traveling abroad, your regular phone plan probably doesn’t include data access in your destination country. Switching to a local data plan while traveling used to require you to swap out the SIM card you were given when you landed. But it’s 2024 and you no longer need to buy a physical card when you leave the airport, as long as your smartphone is new enough to have an electronic SIM. An eSIM is a smaller version of a SIM card that’s built into the device.
Last year I bought a data package of Air it and installed the eSIM on my iPhone before traveling to Costa Rica. Based on my experience with the service, I was impressed with the plan, which is quite affordable, as well as the reliable connection.
Thinking about using an eSIM on your next international trip? Here’s everything you need to know, including whether your phone is compatible, how much data you need to buy, and how to set up the eSIM on your phone.
Will an eSIM work on my phone?
As a general rule, if you’ve purchased a smartphone released in the last five years, chances are it has an eSIM option. Kudos to you if you have a smartphone older than the iPhone XR model, though it’s probably time to replace the battery and you’ll definitely need a newer phone model to access eSIM features.
Some smartphones, like the iPhone 15 (7/10, WIRED recommends) and the Google Pixel 8A (8/10, WIRED recommends), even have two built-in eSIMs, so you can use two phone numbers on the same device. This can be useful if you’re traveling between two countries with different data plans.
Additionally, you’ll need to make sure your phone isn’t locked to a single carrier before getting an eSIM. This article is useful from Consumer Reports for a guide on how to carrier unlock your phone. Still need help? Contact your carrier, either AT&T, T Mobileeither Verizonfor further assistance.
How much data do I need?
Most international eSIM data plans are prepaid, so the amount of data you should purchase depends on how much you expect to use your smartphone while traveling and what apps you plan to use most often. Airalo is just one of the eSIM options you can buy online to avoid having to wander around the country on your first day in a new country trying to buy a physical SIM card. AloSIM and Air operations center These are two other popular options among travelers.
Do you want to video chat with your loved ones before bed and share jealousy-inducing video clips? You’ll probably want to opt for a larger data package, and even that can get used up quickly. If you just want to get around using Google Maps and send occasional texts and photos to your friends on WhatsApp, then a smaller data package will probably suffice. Of course, the longer the vacation, the more data you’ll need to consider purchasing in advance.
