February 23, 2023
Travel eSIM with Phone Number: The Ultimate Vacation Hack
Friends don’t let friends overpay to stay connection on vacation, so if you’re going to be traveling abroad soon, you can save a lot of money by using a travel eSIM with phone number. Just a few minutes of set-up prior to your trip can save you hundreds of dollars. (You can thank us later.)
Not sure why this is so important? Okay, picture this: You’re traveling to another country, having the most amazing time (eating, shopping, exploring, relaxing — your choice). Your phone popped up with some weird message about how it’s now “roaming,” and honestly, you weren’t too sure what that meant so you ignored it. Your regular phone number is working just fine, which is cool.
Then you get your next cell bill and your stomach turns to ice. You realize you’ve been hit — no, attacked — with a triple-punch of frustrating charges. What happened over there?! How did your perfect trip turn into a nightmare of a bill that’s going to really, really hurt to pay?!
YIKES #1: Your carrier charged you expensive data roaming fees. All because you dared to check email, scroll your socials, or stream a show. How rude!
YIKES #2: Your carrier also charged you long-distance fees for every calling minute. All you did was answer your phone! You didn’t even want to talk to that person, and now you have to pay $2.50 for every minute they kept you on the phone. Ugh.
YIKES #3: Your carrier also charged you for every single text sent or received on your trip abroad. Even if the texts were from that annoying friend who sends a zillion of them in a row. Now they’re each costing you 75 freakin’ cents!
Why is it so expensive to use your phone on vacation?!
Let’s say you live in the U.S. and you’re traveling to France. If you rely on your regular ol’ U.S. cell phone plan to keep you connected in France, you’re going to pay a lot of money for that convenience. Sure, your U.S. cell phone provider will take care of all the background details — making sure your phone number works overseas, connecting your calls, sending and accepting your texts, making sure you have the data you need to power your favorite apps — but they’re going to charge you for that service. Like, really charge you.
How do I avoid roaming charges and long-distance charges?
Savvy travellers understand how to avoid data roaming charges and long-distance fees by setting themselves up for success. They still want to be able to use mobile data, talk on the phone, and send/receive texts while they travel — and they’ve found a way to do this affordably.
Instead of using their regular data plan from back home, they avoid roaming charges by using a digital SIM card for the country they’re visiting. A digital SIM card is called an eSIM, and it’s much easier than messing with a physical SIM card. By using a local SIM for data, they’re paying local prices — not fancy touristy I’m-not-from-here prices.
Instead of using their regular phone number, they’re using a temporary phone number that runs over Wi-Fi or data. It only takes a second to switch off their primary SIM (which is safer than physically removing a SIM card), and they can grab a cheap temporary phone number for calling, texting, and voicemail to use during their trip.
How do I get a travel eSIM with phone number?
1. Use aloSIM to get a travel eSIM for mobile data
2. Use Hushed to get a cheap temporary phone number
(Did you know aloSIM is our sister app, and we’re all part of the same team? Fun, right? Hushed has been around for more than a decade, and aloSIM is barely six months old. Just an adorable widdle baby app!)
How much does a travel eSIM with phone number cost?
A travel eSIM can cost as little as $4.50 for a full week’s worth of data, depending on the location you’ll be visiting. (Data costs vary around the world.) And you can get a temporary phone number for as low as $1.99 for a week or $3.99 for an entire month. So you could be getting a travel eSIM with phone number for under $9. Wow!
Okay, but how do I set everything up?
When you’re preparing for your big trip, here are the steps you can follow to set up your travel eSIM with phone number. (It’s easy! We promise!)
1. Buy an eSIM data package.
- Download the free aloSIM app (via App Store or Google Play) or shop on alosim.com)
- Choose the country or region you’ll be visiting (there are 130+ options)
- Pick a data package based on how much travel data you need, and how long you need it
2. Install your eSIM (digital SIM card).
- Our team over at aloSIM will walk you through how to install the eSIM on your device, whether you have an iPhone, a Google Pixel, a Samsung, or any other eSIM compatible device
- You’ll have this digital SIM card forever, and you can use it on future trips
3. Buy a temporary phone number.
- Install the free Hushed app (via the App Store or Google Play)
- Choose any number you want (300+ area codes) and how long you want to keep it
- This phone number will work over Wi-Fi or data, home or away
4. Right before you leave, switch off your primary SIM.
- It’s easy to switch off your primary SIM, and it only takes a minute
- This is safer than physically removing your SIM, because you don’t want to lose it
5. Once you’ve arrived at your destination, use your eSIM for data + use your temporary phone number for calls and texts
- It only takes a minute to activate your eSIM data package (to start that data flowing) with the instructions in your aloSIM app
- Your temporary phone number is already available in your Hushed app
Now you have local mobile data + cheap calling & texting on vacation.
NO ROAMING CHARGES: Because your primary SIM card (regular data plan from back home) is disabled, your carrier can’t charge you roaming fees. You’ll be relying on your eSIM for data instead, and there aren’t any roaming fees with an eSIM.
NO SURPRISE FEES: If you happen to use all of your prepaid eSIM data, your data will simply stop. Then it will be up to you if you want to top up your eSIM with more data, or just use Wi-Fi for the remainder of your trip. aloSIM will never activate anything on your behalf, or charge you for anything without your consent.
NO LONG-DISTANCE FEES: When you’re using Hushed for calling and texting, you never have to worry about long-distance fees when calling U.S., Canada, or U.K. numbers. (And international plans start at $4.99 a month if you want to call anywhere in the world at great rates.)
