Sim/Cell Cards

[gskywalker]

I don't want to use our cell phones for roaming and instead want to get a sim card for down in the States can anyone please advise. I looked into this a few months ago on Amazon and thought I found nice and simple sim cards to use there, now I can't seem to find anything except Sim cards for the purpose of getting a cell phone plan down there. What has worked for you if you have bought a card to use down there in your phone?

 

[CanucksRock]

If your phone supports eSIM, I use Airalo.

 

[LisaDKG]

I’ve bought them twice now in the past 3 months from Amazon with unlimited talk and text for my iPhone. It’s a T-mobile card and I think the seller is Roaming Saver. I had zero problems both times. I really wish I could find a seller for dual SIM cards though in order to use my own phone number in addition to the US card.

 

[gskywalker]

If your phone supports eSIM, I use Airalo.

I have no idea, partly because I have no idea what esim is. Well have to look that up

 

[gskywalker]

I’ve bought them twice now in the past 3 months from Amazon with unlimited talk and text for my iPhone. It’s a T-mobile card and I think the seller is Roaming Saver. I had zero problems both times. I really wish I could find a seller for dual SIM cards though in order to use my own phone number in addition to the US card.

Thx. Maybe I should clarify that mostly I need the data. I have a texting app for text or calling. I need the data for Google maps in the rental car.

 

[chrispgross]

Google Fi could be a good option. They have an option for physical SIM cards and eSIM.

 

[LisaDKG]

Thx. Maybe I should clarify that mostly I need the data. I have a texting app for text or calling. I need the data for Google maps in the rental car.

Sorry, I should clarify too! It was unlimited talk AND data! Invaluable on vacations these days.

 

[chrispgross]

Sorry, I should clarify too! It was unlimited talk AND data! Invaluable on vacations these days.

The advantage is Google Fi is pay what you use at a reasonable price. I have found you have to consume LOTS of data for it not to be a good deal. In addition, it runs on 3 (I believe) different networks and is month to month. You can activate before your trip and deactivate when you get home.

 

[LisaDKG]

The advantage is Google Fi is pay what you use at a reasonable price. I have found you have to consume LOTS of data for it not to be a good deal. In addition, it runs on 3 (I believe) different networks and is month to month. You can activate before your trip and deactivate when you get home.

I had never heard of Google Fi before but I'm excited to try it! It does sound like a good deal since the T-Mobile sim cards cost about $40 per phone for about only 8 days - thanks!

 

[pigletto]

I would love a little more info on the Google fi. I checked it out briefly. Does it assign you a US number ? Where do you get the SIM card from ?

 

[gskywalker]

I’ve bought them twice now in the past 3 months from Amazon with unlimited talk and text for my iPhone. It’s a T-mobile card and I think the seller is Roaming Saver. I had zero problems both times. I really wish I could find a seller for dual SIM cards though in order to use my own phone number in addition to the US card.

So I bought a 10 day t-mobile card for $28 on Amazon. Hopefully it works. It was a different seller but fulfilled by Amazon.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Bumping up an older thread, but I wanted to report that I used an Airalo eSIM for our recent travels and was very happy. In the past, we would have one of us do a "roam like home" and the other one would just tether to their hotspot - but this was always so annoying.

We both have newer iPhones, so the eSIM worked great. We paid $35 for a 5gb global eSIM that lasted 30 days, and then this past weekend we travelled to the US and bought a 1gb US eSIM for $4.50. Excellent pricing, and no need to find a store for a physical SIM.

 

[starvenger]

Can you tell me if you used your phone to call around? I can talk to family on WhatsApp but what if I wanted to make a phone reservation?

 

[MamaLema]

Bumping up an older thread, but I wanted to report that I used an Airalo eSIM for our recent travels and was very happy. In the past, we would have one of us do a "roam like home" and the other one would just tether to their hotspot - but this was always so annoying.

We both have newer iPhones, so the eSIM worked great. We paid $35 for a 5gb global eSIM that lasted 30 days, and then this past weekend we travelled to the US and bought a 1gb US eSIM for $4.50. Excellent pricing, and no need to find a store for a physical SIM.

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you. I’m off to purchase.

 

[isabellea]

With the Airalo eSIM activated for data (I have a iPhone 12 Pro so I think it is supported), can I still receive phone calls on my Canadian phone number? For some weird reason, I always get important phone calls when we are on vacation (mostly for medical appointments I've been waiting for) so I need to be able to receive them. I understand that if I answer the phone calls, I will pay roaming fees.

 

[bgula]

I tried out Ultramobile which you can buy at Walmarts in the US. It is $19.88 and gives you unlimited talk, text and data (3GB at 5G or 4G, then reduced speed) for 30 days. You can text or call to Canada for free while in the US. It worked great for me and I would use again. Only problem is sometimes finding the cards in the store as they do sell out.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Can you tell me if you used your phone to call around? I can talk to family on WhatsApp but what if I wanted to make a phone reservation?

With the Airalo eSIM activated for data (I have a iPhone 12 Pro so I think it is supported), can I still receive phone calls on my Canadian phone number? For some weird reason, I always get important phone calls when we are on vacation (mostly for medical appointments I've been waiting for) so I need to be able to receive them. I understand that if I answer the phone calls, I will pay roaming fees.

With the Airalo eSIM it is data only, no phone calls using that plan. So basically how it works is that you set it up as a secondary plan and set your phone to only use the data from that secondary plan. Your primary line remains the line for phone calls, iMessage, FaceTime etc.

So yes when you get or make calls it will come in on your main line and you pay the applicable fees to your main carrier.

The advantage to the eSIM is actually that you can still get calls on the main line ! No switching out of the main SIM card.

 

[isabellea]

With the Airalo eSIM it is data only, no phone calls using that plan. So basically how it works is that you set it up as a secondary plan and set your phone to only use the data from that secondary plan. Your primary line remains the line for phone calls, iMessage, FaceTime etc.

So yes when you get or make calls it will come in on your main line and you pay the applicable fees to your main carrier.

The advantage to the eSIM is actually that you can still get calls on the main line ! No switching out of the main SIM card.

Thanks for the info! Can we tether other phones for the data using Airalo?

Now I need to check the Airalo plans and compare with Fizz (I was thinking of upgrading my daughter's plan from ultra basic QC only to a USA plan since they are super cheap compare to roaming with Telus and to use her phone as our main phone while in the USA). I'm sure she would love it if we don't use her phone all the time for data, even if that means she won't have any data or texts on hers (airplane mode).

 

[pigletto]

I used Airalo this weekend with mixed results. We were in the Adirondack region of New York State. I could get data to my apps but not Safari ( my browser). I know that was likely something to do with my settings but I couldn’t figure it out and I couldn’t look it up since I didn’t have data. So I could watch YouTube for example but couldn’t Google anything or use some apps.

Also the cell service was awful where I was anyway so since the data is through AT&T or TMobile I couldn’t access it for some of the drive through dead zones. I think that will be less of a problem in Orlando.

I’m totally willing to give it another shot but I have to work it all out before Disney. I don’t want to be stuck trying to make the MDE app work when it’s almost time to book Rise of the Resistance.

 

[CanucksRock]

Airalo works fine in Orlando. I have used for multiple trips since Jan 2020.

I have Public Mobile, so I can add just a phone plan for $8/10 days while the US , so if I need calling, I add that and use in correlation with Airalo. You can set one SIM for Voice Calling, other for Data.

With PM I am still able to receive SMS messages for no cost. So for example when you check in for ADR, I can still provide my Canada number and I get the text message.