Travelling abroad? How to avoid surprise phone charges and save money on roaming

A daily pass from your carrier is convenient, but a prepaid, downloadable eSIM can be a lot cheaper.

On your next trip abroad, you’ll need plane tickets, hotel reservations and…a cellular data strategy. Picture: Getty Images

On your next trip abroad, you’ll need plane tickets, hotel reservations and … a cellular data strategy.

There’s the simple route: Turn on roaming and let your home carrier charge a daily fee for talk, text and data overseas. That adds up quickly. Verizon’s Travel Pass went from $15 to $18 a day last year. And that’s for each phone in your family plan. Or there’s the money-saving approach: Download a prepaid eSIM for a week’s worth of data that costs a fraction of the price.

OK, it’s true that setting up an eSIM for travel can be a hassle if you’re not a techie, as my colleague Dawn Gilbertson discovered. Installation has improved since eSIMs first came on the scene, though there are still quirks. But technophobia is no excuse if an eSIM can save you hundreds of dollars.

So for your next trip overseas, should you pay the daily fee or get an eSIM? Here’s how to calculate your savings, find the best eSIM for your data needs and, most importantly, avoid surprise charges.

Crunch the numbers

Start by logging into your carrier account. You might not have to pay any extra to use your phone on your trip. Many premium plans include roaming in Mexico and Canada, and even complimentary monthly passes you can bank for future travel. These travel passes often apply only to the primary account holder, however, so don’t expect freebies for the rest of the family.

Meanwhile, eSIM plans are cheaper but they’re not free. Just remember to check device settings to verify your phone is compatible and unlocked before going the eSIM route.

For a recent 16-day trip to Switzerland and Spain, I had complimentary travel passes covering two days, so I still needed two weeks of data. By going through Verizon, I’d get “unlimited” data that slows down after hitting a 5-gigabyte cap. At $18 a day, that meant paying $257 on top of my usual plan charges for the full 14 days.

As an alternative, I hunted for an eSIM that covered both countries and provided at least 10 gigabytes, based on my typical usage:

• Airalo: $56 for 10 GB
• GigSky: $64 for “unlimited” data (slows down daily after 2.5 GB)
• Orange Travel: $40 for 12 GB, plus talk and text

I picked Orange, for a saving of $217. Double if you count my husband’s eSIM. That’s enough to cover a very nice dinner out. Prices vary depending on your destination and the eSIM provider, so you’ll want to comparison shop. The basic plans are data-only, so if you need a local number to call and text, that costs extra. Other reputable options include Ubigi, Nomad and Holafly. Just be careful: Providers can have varying dependability so always check the app’s ratings and carrier partners.

Relying on your home carrier’s travel pass is more convenient. But a travel eSIM is easier on your wallet, especially if you’re travelling with the whole family for several weeks. If you don’t need as much data or have just one country on your itinerary, you can save even more.

Navigate the install

You can now download eSIMs directly to your iPhone through the provider’s app. (Android users have similar instructions, but they vary by model.) After installation, however, you must toggle specific settings to avoid surprise charges.

Bahadir Ozdemir, chief executive of Airalo, admits that the process isn’t easy enough for his mom to complete without help. His biggest tip is to download your eSIM before your trip. Do as much set up as you can on your stable, home Wi-Fi. Here are the steps:

At home: Download the eSIM provider’s app, purchase your plan and tap to install.

Next, you’ll see a prompt to label the plan. Keep your main number as “Primary” and name your new eSIM something like “UK Travel July 2025,” so you know which to delete later.

On the Cellular Data settings page, choose Primary to be your default data line — for now. You’ll change this when you get to your destination. Make sure Allow Cellular Data Switching and Data Roaming are both off on your home line.

When you get to your destination, activate the travel eSIM in your phone’s cellular settings.

You should also log into your cellular carrier’s account. Block international roaming to prevent additional charges.

Turning off Data Roaming on your phone stops data — but not inbound texts and calls. On T-Mobile and some smaller carriers, this can trigger a daily charge; Verizon and AT & T only charge for outgoing calls or texts.

When you land: Activate your travel eSIM. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, then select “UK Travel July 2025” — or whatever you named your new plan — as the default data line.

Then, back on the main Cellular page under eSIMs, tap on your travel eSIM and make sure Data Roaming is set to on.

On your Primary (aka home) line, make sure Data Roaming is off.

An important albeit wonky note: You’ll want to use iMessage and FaceTime while abroad, so you have to keep your home line toggled on where it says Turn On This Line, even though you aren’t using it for data or calls. This keeps your home number active in Apple’s system, so people can still reach you in their usual way.

What will work: Any app that works over Wi-Fi will run on your temporary cellular data plan, including messaging apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage, as well as Gmail, Maps and Spotify.

What won’t work: When you block roaming on your home phone number, you won’t get calls on that line, nor will you get SMS messages. That might mean you miss out on some security codes or fraud checks from your bank. So if you’re worried, call your financial institutions and share your travel plans ahead of time.

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