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

If want the convenience of being able to receive one time authentication codes via SMSes and not paying any roaming charges, simply use a dual SIM unlocked phone with 2 numbers. One number is your home country’s cellphone number and the other one is a local number obtained by purchasing a local SIM card upon arrival at the airport. In this case, you can still receive texts from friends, family and computer generated One Time Authentication while at the same time use a local SIM card for data, make calls, and sending out texts. Make sure to disable the data roaming for your home country’s number to avoid unintentional data roaming charges.

Thank You !

Airport sims are hit and miss, in Thailand you will be better off going to 7-11 for SIM card.

My cell carrier was ATT. As I crossed the border into Canada my cell phone notified me that my carrier was at that point Rogers. Rates were the same. Must be a deal between ATT and Rogers.

I have noticed twice now that I have data roaming charges after using my keep. The first time I changed to Keep while I was in the USA. The next time I changed to the Keepgo before I left Canada and didn't change it back until I returned to Canada. I still see roaming charges. Any ideas why ? I have gone through the setting and think the iPhone should be good.

Hi Nora,
Great info on your contents, have question about travel insurance . We are planning this summer for big trips in 4 different countries. currently I’m on medoc Johnson travel insurance with pshcp . Have heard about this company or any recommendations travel insurance for public servants Canadian

Does anyone have spectrum for cell phone service? I hear they have international plans

Could I use Flexiroam as a domestic and international travel provider while living in Canada? I want to ditch my local carrier, and port my number over to Flexi. There is little info on their site to help. Any thoughts?

I recently spent 3 weeks in the U.K. I bought a sim-card at Sim Local in Terminal 2 of Heathrow airport. I got a Lyca Mobile pay-as-you-go card for less than £30. It gave me calls and data that I only partially used during my travels around the north of England. I never had to top up.
When I returned to Canada, I simply switched my Canadian sim-card back in.

There’s no time period as to how long you wait to unlock a phone. It just has to be paid off then you make the call. They tell you there’s a wait time bc they think you’ll leave for another carrier so this works as most people will forget… I worked for Verizon & AT&T :)

I’ve used Airola a couple of times. It works but painfully so. They leave out critical information in their instructions and the instructions are often outdated. Hours spent with their CS gets the problem solved eventually. Overall, inexpensive but painful.

I do Holafly or Airalo e-sim

I do Holafly or Airalo e-sim and use WhatsApp to call homes

Holafly e-sim come with calls and data

Clear as mud.

Is google voice a good option with an eSIM? Can I use my google voice number to make calls in countries or to countries outside of the US? Thanks!

Google Voice is an online voice service for Americans.

Does Tossable Digits not work for Canadians? What is the different between Tossable Digits and Fongo?

my Carnival cruise ship has starlink, but blocks VOIP. Am I out of luck to make phone calls at sea?

I'm cdn in the Philippines... Thanks so much for the Fongo! Works like a treat!

Thank you for your time and posting.

FWIW.... T Mobile's Go5G Plus 55 (if you're at least 55) worked great in Italy, France, Monaco and England..... no issues for my wife and I the last couple of years.... It is 50 bucks a line but includes all fees and taxes....

I appreciate your take on this subject. I can say when I visited Ecuador I purchased a sim card away from the airport. For $7 US, I got 5 gigs of data, 60 minutes of calling and can’t remember about the text. This was good for 30 days from Tuenti. WhatsApp didn’t count against my usage, so it was free. I used my old IPhone 8 for this and kept my IPhone 11 on airplane mode. As in Panama, if I kept my IPhone 11 on airplane mode, and used WIFI, it worked as normal without any additional roaming charges. I could call anyone back in the states, text etc just like I was home as long as I was on wifi.

No. 2. :) I've done some homework and I can use Google Fi in Vietnam/Thailand. If it gets suspended, I can still call and text so now I can enable Airalo for data. I would have to switch back and forth, but I think that would work. If it doesn't work, I'll use WhatsApp. I'm also looking into Fonus Global Coverage. Someone mentioned it in a comment. Thank you again. :)

My Trac phone unlocked now in SEA, get a sim here but now what?… thanks for your reply….

Sheesh 😫

AT&T International ad on is now $12 per day.

Burner unlocked iPhone strategy: I purchased an IPhone unlocked SE 3rd gen, 2022 recently. I have no intention of traveling 2 Colombia next month w my iPhone 14 ProMax. I’m installing physical SIM from (surprise!) US Mobile choosing their GSM 5G (Uses T-Mobile towers.) There’s a Warp 5G (uses Verizon towers.)
Yes. Small carrier that no nomads seem 2 mention. I’m going with USM’s “Unlimited Premium Plan,” automatically providing me w/5 gigs data, 500 texts, 500 free calls & native roaming. I won’t need 2 do much more than that. I can Uber, What’s App, Google maps all day long. $29 for Unlimited Starter, $50 for Premium. 30 days. Just saying. USM’s Customer Service is amazing.

Can we just use Line for calls? Im worried about data, my son plays games on his phone, what do I do for games?

E sim

By Law all mobile phones in Canada have to be unlocked regardless if it's bought outright or with plan.

Do you have a suggestion to call the US from Europe cheaply? Businesses not on WhatsApp? Is there such thing as a prepaid calling card I can purchase to make calls to the US from Europe? Thanks.

I do appreciate your wonderful channel but I struggle so much with the music in the background. 😭

Hi, I love your posts! I'm sure you will update about international cell phone plans since the esim are now available. I use airalo for a plan.

?? going abroad again soon for a yr. I use AIRALO already. Last time abroad, major fiasco NOT receiving my Banking/Credit Cards etc etc Verifications, was locked out. ?? What is a very cheap option for :: 1. keeping my u.s number 2. just being able to receive these darn verifications from the u.s banks via TEXTS. that is all I care about. I dont want an entire international plan...too expensive....i do not care about making calls .....dont care about data either since i use AIRALO like i stated. I just wanna receive these texts from the u.s using my existing cell number. do you have any experience in this specific question? thank u

thanks, I've heard mixed results using google voice 2nd number aka forwarding. apparently some banks are privy to this for security reasons and the system picks up on this. thus, it does not go through. (bcuz theyre trying to protect u from imposters and those alike)

Hi Nora, loving your channel. I will be traveling to Vietnam/Cambodia. I have never used a New Sim card for calls/Data when traveling internationally (I live in the UK). Is it really as simple as putting a new sim in your phone? Or is there more to it? Please Help!!

Just want to thank you for your excellent suggestions. I have never had a locked cell phone plan. Until recently I made do with a very cheap, Canada only, pay as you go phone for very sporadic use. Traveling internationally this Spring, I bit the bullet and bought a smartphone with international SIM capabilities. Still a fairly cheap smart phone, and one that doesn't work with many eSIM companies. Bought a local sim card at a Euro airport. Had 0 support at the airport for registering and installing, which meant I lost a couple of days use trying to figure out the process. BUT after that it was great! Loved the data plan for using Google Maps. Would have been literally lost without it many times. However the major drawback was that a local SIM card does not necessarily allow for international calling.
Have just recently taken your advice and installed FONGO for free phone service. Glad to be a Canadian! Purchased only the text/SMS add on option for about 18 bucks annually, mostly for 2 factor verification purposes. When I travel I will probably add-on to that the Global Calling package just for the time I need so I can call home for really low rates, e.g. 2 cents per minute from UK.
I also just ordered the Keepgo Global lifetime data plan, on your recommendation, as a physical SIM card.
Just a word of warning when visiting the Keepgo site. The global lifetime data plan is not clear about the pricing for the initial purchase of the SIM. The website makes it appear that you can order precisely the amount of gb you need right from the getgo. The initial purchase is $49US and you have no choice about the amount of gigabytes you load. The initial purchase gets you 1 GB plus a free coupon for 2 or 3 more gigabytes. If that's all you require, that's great. But if you want 10 or 20 or more gigabytes you have to pay and install that as an add-on later. It's no big deal, but it's not exactly clear on their site. I will say the customer service I received was fantastic. They even agreed to adjust my initial payment to 50% off after I was unable to activate their discount code. So I have a modest 3 GB of data for anywhere in the world for up to a year for $25 US or $35CA. This will probably be sufficient for my needs as I only use my cell phone minimally. Any unused data gets rolled over as long as I add $3 per year to my Data account. I like the tethering option.
So for about $50 i have a perfectly serviceable cell phone plan with the option to add on perks when i need them. I have gone from cellphone clueless to cell phone hip and the envy of my friends. 😊 Thanks Nora!

First time on your channel. Ran into this video and the title caught my attention. I will be going to Thailand next year from the US east coast. This was helpful and like others have stated, you do have nice personality and are easy to listen to. My phone is locked so I still don't know what to do. Thank you!!!

Very cool thanks

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You are so thorough, thank you!!

So 2 weeks in Scotland using WhatsApp is ok?

Wow, this was gold!! Thank you very much. Lots of info there, I'll have to watch this a few times. 😆 I'm in Canada and have a couple of trips in the future; the travel/roaming daily fees are atrocious. I was considering taking my old smartphone with an international or local to my destination sim card or e-sim (if compatible), but is there a way i can get updates or notifications from my airlines, have my flight ticket/hotel reservations on it, and get notifications from my home security system (if someone leaves a parcel, for instance). Any thoughts/tips would be much appreciated.

I have a phone at home not in use. No number. Can i take it to usa put a sim in it and just use it as a prepaid phone for internet etc. Take my normal phone but try not to use it

Beginning late April of next year, my husband and I will be on a cruise for 28 days in Europe, going to multiple countries, such as Spain, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Our phones will be unlocked before taking this trip. We would only use one phone for data and, if needed, calling. In your opinion, would Flexiroam be our best solution? Unfortunately, neither of us is tech-savvy. Your video on this subject was extremely useful and easy to follow and pretty much understand, for us older folks. We would appreciate your input. Thank you from B&B

Again, wonderful sane advice Nora !! My current phone is not ESim compatible so am stuck with Wi-Fi or SimCard when travelling. After a recent trip to Korea where I had a terrible time inserting the airport purchased Sim card and a long delay in initial connection (while anxiously waiting for my taxi !!!) - I decided to travel "double barrelled" ie x2 phones in the future 😂 Your upload here, has provided better and easier solutions for which I thank you 🥰 from the 🥶 North !!

Hi Nora. I have been using Straight talk wireless forever and when I found out I needed an unlocked phone in the Philippines to use there I called their customer service to explore my options. The wonderful gentleman there unlocked my android cellphone remotely and suggested I get a Globe sim card upon arrival at the airport. My question is if I do that will i be able to keep my current number because of verification texts when I use my debit or credit cards internationally. By the way I love your videos.