Scared of getting hit with crazy roaming fees when you travel abroad? Enter electronic SIM cards or eSIMs. A great solution for Android users who love to travel, an eSIM travel plan is easy to buy and simple to activate. The best part? You can stay connected to friends and family all over the world even when you’re in different countries.
Here’s how to avoid roaming charges with an eSIM for Android. We’ll also walk through how to turn off roaming on Android.
Mobile carriers offer service through country-based networks. When you travel outside the country, your carrier has to connect to a different carrier’s network. This comes at a cost, which is passed on to mobile users in the form of roaming fees.
Often these fees are charged per minute (pay-as-you-go) or per day. As of the time of writing, Telus charges $14 per day of roaming in the United States or $16 per day of traveling to 200+ other countries. Similarly, Bell charges $13 per day for roaming in the United States or $16 for roaming in many other countries.
Instead of letting roaming fees cut into your vacation spending, why not buy an eSIM plan for your Android device online and pay way less?
Basically a digital SIM card, an eSIM is built into the hardware of mobile devices. Getting rid of the need to buy and manually install a physical SIM card, eSIMs are a convenient time saver. Activated and managed remotely, eSIM plans are easy to switch between as you travel between countries.
The cost of an eSIM plan varies depending on how much data you need, where you’re traveling, how long you’re staying, and other factors. But you could pay as little as a few dollars for 1 day of travel and <1GB of data or as high as $100+ for a year of travel and 50+ GB to unlimited data.
The steps for disabling roaming on Android are pretty straightforward. Whether you’re using a Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, Huawei phone, or another device, here’s what you need to do:
Turning off roaming on your Android phone before you travel is a great way to make sure you aren’t racking up fees in the background without realizing it.
Whether you’re an Android or iPhone user, an eSIM card is a great way to skirt around roaming charges when you travel internationally. Pre-installed on compatible devices and able to be activated remotely, eSIMs are way more convenient than physical SIM cards. Plus, it’s easy to switch plans while moving between countries.
As a general rule, if you set your regular (home) SIM card as your primary or preferred SIM card, you definitely need to turn off roaming before using an eSIM for travel. Otherwise, data roaming may still be activated the moment you leave the country—even if you have an eSIM installed on your Android device.
Android users can use an eSIM in just about any country in the world. Of course, providers offer varying plans. But many eSIM plan providers, including Airalo, Ubigi, and KnowRoaming, offer plans for most countries and regions in the world.
Traveling internationally should be fun, not a headache. Avoid getting stuck with unexpected roaming charges by using an eSIM on your Android phone. With an eSIM, you can travel between countries without disconnecting from friends and family. Get an eSIM for Android to avoid the hassle of manually handling a physical SIM card and enjoy seamless connectivity while you’re abroad.
