Once you try it you’ll never go back to a physical SIM card

In the past, I’ve also used Airolo’s eSIMs in several countries and never had a problem, although Jetpac’s eSIM was a better fit for my current needs and cheaper.

Unless you’re using a mammoth load of data per day, using an eSIM from a foreign service provider costs far less than the daily data roaming plan offered by the major Aussie telcos. Telstra charges between $5–10 per day for its International Roaming Day Pass, which delivers 2Gb of data per day. Optus Daily Roaming costs $5 for 5Gb of daily data. In a week of travel in Italy I’ve used less than 5.4Gb of data on my Jetpac eSIM, at a cost of $14.25.

While local prepaid SIM cards deliver better value, these can only be bought on arrival, and the activation process can be complicated, as anyone who has ever bought a local SIM card in India or Italy will confirm. By comparison, eSIMs are the easiest way to stay connected when you travel overseas.

Activating your eSIM

Regardless of which eSIM you might use, the process is similar. Install the app of your chosen provider and buy whichever eSIM you need for your destination. Go through the installation process, and the app should walk you through it step-by-step. When you get to your destination, activate your eSIM. If this sounds complicated, there are usually YouTube videos that demystify the process. If you’re still not connected at the end of the activation process, try turning your phone off and on again. This is often required with Airalo eSIMs.

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Next, you probably want to avoid horrendous global roaming charges which means deactivating the cellular data feed to your usual phone number. On an eSIM-compatible phone, in the Settings app you can turn off cellular data on your primary SIM or eSIM while keeping that active for phone calls and messages while overseas. Whichever model phone you have, the support section on your phone maker’s website provides the necessary steps.

Try an eSIM on your next overseas trip, and you’ll never look back.

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