How to use your phone during travel without expensive roaming charges?

  • 13 March 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 433 views
H

Hello!

I wonder which solution is the best for being able to use my phone during my trip in Europe.

I live in Canada and have a plan there. It is extremely expensive to use the roaming for the duration of my trip (3.5 months, and it’s 15$ per day!). So I’ll be on airplane mode all this time.

Here are the two solutions I have found :

  • Take a local plan with an eSim (such as Free or Orange in France), and use it anywhere in Europe.
  • Take a plan like Airalo or Truphone, but there’s only data, no text or call.

The problem I see for both solutions, is that I won’t be able to receive the security texts on my Canadian number, if I connect on one of my accounts or for any purchase. Except if I use the raoming, for 15$ per day.

 

Did you have the same questions? How do you do?

 

Thanks a lot!

Helene

5 replies

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Do check if the solutions have reasonable costs in and outside of the EU.

EU providers are obliged to limit their roaming charges (data and phone) inside the EU but not outside, so if you're travelling to e.g. the UK, Switzerland or Norway, check if these countries are covered.

As to your original question: can your phone maybe handle 2 SIMs (dual SIM)?

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
H

Yes my phone has dual SIM. 1 regular and 1 eSim.

I’ll go in Spain, France, Italy and Ireland, so only EU.

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

I don't know how dual SIM works but is it possible to switch off data roaming for your Canadian SIM only?

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
H

Yes I can. Am I able to receive texts anyway, and with no extra cost (if I just receive them and don’t respond, same for the calls)?

(So far when I travel I used to switch to airplane mode all the trip long, as it was not that long and I was always with people)

I might try asking directly to my CA phone company. I just talk about that with my roomate and she told me it’s supposed to work this way, I didn’t know! (disabled roaming but being able to receive texts)

 

In fact I was wondering if some people here used services like Truphone or Airola, because I can’t find a lot of comments about this. And it seems it’s only data.

 

Thanks a lot!!

M
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

This is modern age, so many trains and many main stations have FREE Wi_fi, or nearly all hoStels too. Though this varies a lot per country. I in fact only rely on that. But then I hardly ever do real calls anymore-like so many a Norte-Americano seems to like or seems to think to have to do. Never ever heard of the 2 you mention. A cheap provider here is usually Levada or Lebara or so-present in nearly all EU-countries. Note that in several countries you MUST have a real address in there and there are more ID-checks before being connected! I do not know which one precisely.
you are most likely not the very 1st to wonder about this: go to a normal mainstream touristy forum like tripadvisor and this prob will have been answered there a few zillion times. This forum is still quite new and hardly has any feedback from people like you. They only ask………..

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