I'm traveling to Europe next week (mainly spending time in France & Italy) and would like to use mobile data on my phone while I'm there, to access apps on my phone (Whatsapp, Google Maps, Email etc). I am guessing the best way to get cheap-ish data is to buy a pre-paid SIM when I arrive, unless there's a way to do this prior? Also, does that mean I won't be able to access my Australian number the whole time I am there? I'm most concerned about missing important messages regarding flights, as this is the number I used when I made the bookings.
Using My Mobile Phone in Europe
comoprode on 07/04/2023 - 17:55
Last edited 09/03/2024 - 12:01 by 1 other user
Last edited 09/03/2024 - 12:01 by 1 other user
Comments
Iphone 13
Can always get an esim prior to departure.
That way you can keep using your aussie sim on roaming, but set the eSim for data
That sounds like a pretty good idea to me! Given I'm travelling around something like this is probably the go: https://etravelsim.com/products/europe?variant=4233923366110…
Has anyone used one of these services before? Anything to watch out for?
I used Simsdirect esim for overseas (Asia), that way I could use the esim for data and keep the physical Australian sim for SMS (for 2FA).
Downside was that the esim is data only so I couldn't make local calls, but I used WhatsApp calls for the most part which has been fine.
There was some fiddling around on the esim though…was not quite plug and play but that might have been specific to where I was. Their support was pretty responsive.
eSIM is the way to go nowadays. Purchase a package that suits your needs/budget and sorted.
Go to esimdb.com. Punch in your destination. Use their top pick. Done.
Thanks all - this is super helpful and saved me buying a physical local SIM! Just one question - on iPhone, how do I set my data to use the eSim and still receive SMS text messages through my Australian Telstra PrePaid?
i've used this for short trips and stopovers - https://www.vodafone.com.au/plans/international-roaming
$5 a day using your plan's call, sms and roaming.
i'm not sure how long your trip is or how often you want to connect to calls. so might not be useful but might be useful to others.None of these esim sites list the Samsung s22 or s23 as compatible. Is this becuase they just have not updated the compatability list?
Hello all - thought I'd loop back on this now I've been overseas for 6 weeks and arrived back. I was in Europe (France, Spain, Italy) and opted for MobiMatter as they were the most competitive pricing I could find. I would rate myself as pretty tech-savvy and the setup on iPhone 13 was a little bit painful (took about 10-15 mins of tinkering, with an actual WiFi connection required during config) but it was seamless after that. I did require another batch of data at once stage, which again required a fixed WiFi connection to configure which I thought could use a temp 3g/4g/5g connection but no, so keep that in mind when purchasing your blocks of data, validity length and your own travel plans too :)
Hope that helps others, feel free to PM me for questions and thanks to everyone who helped me realise there's a world beyond our Aussie Telcos and their inflated global roaming charges :)
Did you find the service once setup good? I'm thinking about getting an esim through them to use in Italy and Greece for a 3-week trip - https://mobimatter.com/travel-esim/sparks-europe-usa-10+2-gb…
Using a Mobile phone Overseas – eSIM, Travel SIM, International Roaming
Overseas multi-national/regional e/SIMs
- Orange Poland: 1-month | 15.34GB | EU | PLN1 (AU$0.35, refunded if used <2wks) – renewals from 5.76GB | PLN30 (A$10.40) to 15.34GB | PLN80 (A$27.80)
what phone?