SIM cards for International Travel

Do you ever get stressed out when you land in a new country and you don’t have a way to get your phone working? Or maybe you want to buy a sim card but you don’t know if you should get one in the airport or when you get to the city?

Then this post is for you! I talk about the different ways to obtain data abroad, and in particular discuss my recent experience using an e-sim for the first time. Hopefully you can figure out what plan is best for you!

What is a SIM card?

SIM cards are your access point to data networks and cell towers. You can have SIM cards attached to specific phone numbers, and SIM cards that connect to data networks. Until recently, they were little pieces of metal and plastic that you slip into your phone. They are associated with different cell phone carriers.

How to stay connected while abroad

There are a couple of ways to stay connected to loved ones while traveling.

Enroll in an international plan through your existing phone carrier

Many phone carriers in the US and Canada today offer add ons when you travel abroad, even including some countries as part of the deal (for example, a number of Canadian phone providers include all travel in North America, to the US or Mexico, as part of their plans). So the first thing to look into is if international calling is available to you for free already!

If not, you can often pay by the day or by the month for this extra service.

I used to have Google Fi while in the USA and it gave me unlimited coverage between Canada, USA and Mexico, and I could upgrade for the month to have unlimited data in over 200 countries!

Before I had Google Fi, I had Verizon, which for an extra $100/mo allowed you to have unlimited data in over 200 countries.

So – definitely first check what you get with your plan, and if nothing is included, check to see how much money it would cost to upgrade to the international bundle for a month (or however long you are traveling).

Some of the pros and cons of enrolling in an international add-on:

Pro:

• Hassle free; set it up before you leave for your trip and have access upon arrival

Cons:

• Pricey – almost always the priciest option

Picking up a physical SIM card in the country upon arrival

Another common way to get data or calling access while traveling abroad is to buy a SIM card when you arrive in the country. Often, right past baggage claim or in the baggage claim area, there will be a stand available for you to purchase a SIM card. There are even sometimes SIM card vending machines! The prices at these stands can be quite variable, and often you’ll pay a little more to get one at the airport versus waiting to pick one up at a convenience store in the destination you are going. These stores are not always open in the airport; depending on when your flight lands, they might be closed. You can look into what options are available by googling the airport you are arriving into and search for SIM cards.

Some of the pros and cons of picking up a SIM card upon arrival:

Pros:

• Usually cheaper than buying data through your North American cell network
• Easy to set up – you just have to switch out your existing SIM card then and there
• Many offer top up options, so that you can pay for more data on the go if you need

Cons:

• Sometimes requires scanning of your passport
• Have to carry around your North American SIM card for the rest of the trip (and hope not to lose it!)
• May not have a lot of choice depending on the airport – and the store might be closed when you arrive.

e-SIMs – the latest technology

I recently learned about e-SIMs, which is the third way to get access to connectivity abroad. It sits somewhere between the two options already mentioned – you can set it up before you leave your home country, and it’s affordable. Probably the best part is that you can price shop in advance and you can buy data in small increments as well – for as little as $5 for a week’s worth, for example.

I used Airalo on a recent trip I took to Ireland. I looked up my options in advance to figure out how much data I needed for how long I was there. It was a 7 day trip, and I knew from the way I use data at home that I go through about 10G a month, so I didn’t need more than 3G max.

You can check out the different plans and providers by searching by country. Here is what it looks like for Ireland.

What’s also really cool is if you are traveling to a bunch of countries in one region, you can buy a regional card. It costs a bit more, but offers flexibility.

Finally, they offer global plans that include not just data but text and cell access too – this is most similar to the home provider network options I listed at the top of this article – but for possibly cheaper (depending on the plans available to you).

Pros and cons of using an e-sim:

Pros:

• Set up before arrival
• Affordable
• Flexible plan options

Cons:

• None that I encountered!

Hopefully this outline helps you when trying to decide if you want to have data when traveling abroad. While it’s fun to get disconnected, there is also a lot of peace of mind involved with being able to stay connected seamlessly with family and friends. Happy hunting!