Can anyone explain eSIMs to me (travel to USA)

[JamNittyGritty]

Hello,

I don’t have roaming for the US with my provider and have been looking at getting an eSIM for my upcoming holiday. I can get my head round what it actually is, and can follow instructions to set it up.

But I can’t get a clear idea of what actually happens, I feel like I’m being really stupid!

• does it give me an American number to use? If yes, can I switch between uk & US and flip back to my uk number (eg if on WiFi rather than data)? If no, what happens when someone messages / calls me on my uk number?
• can I still use WhatsApp and see all my WhatsApp groups messages if on the eSIM or is it like I have a new phone
• can I set it up in the uk before I go or only once in the US

Please help me get my head round this before I go.

I’m on an iPhone 12 if that makes any difference to the answers

I don't know the answer but would also like to understand as I think my phone is dual sim (eSIM plus normal) and have been debating this for future trips.

i just use an ESIM for data and keep my uk number ( basically means your phone is sort of hotspotting itself). You can fiddle with the settings in your mobile data tab in settings. You can use different sims for phone number and data. My only caveat is I don’t know what happens if someone actually calls your uk number via phone rather than WhatsApp because that literally never happens to me other than junk calls- 🤣

Same as PP, I just use it for data.

You install it as a secondary SIM and switch off the data for your primary. The two then work together but the data element is only on the eSIM.

Recommend doing this in advance as I once left my data on by accident and remembered later in the day. It cost me about 40 quid!

Think of it as a service that gives you data. All the esims I've used only come with data and not a phone number.

You will not get a US number. Your UK number will still work if you have roaming for it, but it means if people call you and you pick up you'll have to pay international rates. Same if you use it to call out.

You will be able to use WhatsApp as the esim gives you data to connect to the network. WhatsApp will be based on your UK number. You can also use WhatsApp to make phone calls and it'll be free as it is using data from the esim to do that.

As for setting it up I usually do it once the plane lands at the destination country as they start your plan from when you activate it. (I.e. if you buy a 5 days plans but set it up today in the UK and arrive in the US tomorrow, you are losing out on the first day)

Some of these you have to set up before you go - so read the instructions

Brilliant - thank you all for your speedy and helpful insight :)

I've just been through this. If you want an Esim that allows you to make calls, texts and data then I would recommend Airalo.

I bought the plan I wanted, downloaded the App and then installed it before I left and switched it on when I arrived in the US which seemed to just be a case of turning a switch on in settings on my phone and turning my primary (home) line off for the duration of my stay. I couldn't get my head round it before I left but it was actually quite straightforward.

I did use the call function (to book something) and the text function to set up a US version of Ringo for parking - they wanted a US mobile number.

For my two teenagers who I knew would not need non internet based calls or texts I got them the unlimited Holafly data plan. This was really good and it just meant that once I had paid for it at home I didn't need to worry at all about them using data. I just factored it in to the overall cost of the trip. Think it was about £75 for two unlimited sims for a 15 day trip. If I needed to call them we just used WhatsApp. I could have been stricter about their data use and got a cheaper plan but I just decided it would make for a less stressful holiday if I didn't have to keep checking up on them and what they were using.

With my Airalo I did actually need to top it up half way through as I under estimated my data use which was very easy to do but the Holafly unlimited data was perfect for teens. They just scanned a QR code, switched the second line on when we arrived and switched their home line went off. As a back up I put a nominal cap on their home account of £2 before we left so if something went wrong then I knew we wouldn't be burning through data as the cap would be reached very quickly!

No, most travel esims (like the ones for the US) don’t give you a US number, they’re usually just data-only. Your UK number still stays on your phone, but regular calls/texts won’t come through unless you have roaming or your provider supports wifi calling. Whatsapp works totally fine though, since it stays linked to your UK number no matter what. I used gigsky for a recent trip, I installed and activated it before leaving, and it kicked in as soon as I landed. Setup was simple and the data connection was solid the whole time.

I’d also recommend Airalo. They give you a very good walkthrough of how to install the eSIM with screenshots so it’s dead easy.