Travel to Europe

NCalJohn
Novice

I'm planning a trip to Europe next year and am trying to figure out how the cell phone will work.  I've read all the posts in the Community that discuss this, so I understand that my phone  will make and receive calls when connected to WiFi (if I have this featue activated.)   But I can also purchase and install a European SIM card for cell tower coverage.  But, can someone explain things a little further?  For example, when I install a European SIM card, my phone number changes, right?  So, if I'm connetced to Wi-Fi, do I still receive phone calls and texts being sent to my US number?  It doesn't make sense that I would.  So, do I have to keep switching between the two SIM cards- using the European one when I'm not in WiFi range and then switching to my US one when I am?  Has anyone actually done this and can describe how it actually works?  Finally, I found a European SIM card that I can buy in advance from a company called SIMSDirect.  Has anyone used them?  Thanks - John

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

If your phone doesn't sopport eSIM and you take out your American SIM and you insert a European SIM you will not get your calls and text from your American phone number because in order Wi-Fi calling should work the SIM has to be in the phone, if your phone sopports eSIM you can get a European eSIM and leave your phisycle SIM in your phone (and enable both plans eSIM and SIM) you can get a European eSIM from eSIM.net 

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5 REPLIES 5

Lfm
Novice

I run a physical visible sim and a Google Fi esim.  When traveling abroad I activate my Google Fi and the visible sim actually uses data from the esim and maintains service. I used my phone as if I never left home.  Ringing and outgoing.  I think the only thing that didn't work were sms messages. 

 

I didn't have this experience with my pixel 4 but was presently surprised on the iphone that it piggyback onto the data of the other sim

Hi could you please give us a little more info on adding the google Fi esim?

Question: Where you able to receive and make phone calls on your Visible number, or did you receive and make calls on the Google ZFi phone number?

If your phone doesn't sopport eSIM and you take out your American SIM and you insert a European SIM you will not get your calls and text from your American phone number because in order Wi-Fi calling should work the SIM has to be in the phone, if your phone sopports eSIM you can get a European eSIM and leave your phisycle SIM in your phone (and enable both plans eSIM and SIM) you can get a European eSIM from eSIM.net 

I am doing something similar right now.  Visible has an embedded SIM (eSIM) too, and if the phone supports eSIM, NCalJohn can activate it very simply right here: https://www.visible.com/help/pSIM-to-eSIM.

 

By the way, it's CRITICAL to activate the eSIM first, before upgrading to an international calling plan, as I am.