Carrier eSIM not great for international travel!

[lordhamster]

This is a US Forum?

Oh ****. I am not welcome here then with my 2 nano-SIMS dual China model. Bye!

I know you are being cute here but I'll bite.

This forum does have an overwhelmingly large proportion of people from the US and Europe. This thread in particular is ONLY relevant to people in the US, as for the rest of the world literally nothing has changed WRT eSims and iPhones.

So yeah, it is silly to whine about something that effects purely those in the US context from the lens of someone NOT in the US. That is not to say others shouldn't be welcomed to comment. I was just responding to the person who was accusing folks on this thread of being fixated on the US point of view. This fixation is justified IMO given that the topic of the thread exclusively impacts the US.

 

[ChoiMinji]

This is a US Forum?

Oh ****. I am not welcome here then with my 2 nano-SIMS dual China model. Bye!

Some are just hopelessly helpless. I’m glad I don’t worry about the prejudices of others 😀

 

[Mezoxin]

I know you are being cute here but I'll bite.

This forum does have an overwhelmingly large proportion of people from the US and Europe. This thread in particular is ONLY relevant to people in the US, as for the rest of the world literally nothing has changed WRT eSims and iPhones.

So yeah, it is silly to whine about something that effects purely those in the US context from the lens of someone NOT in the US. That is not to say others shouldn't be welcomed to comment. I was just responding to the person who was accusing folks on this thread of being fixated on the US point of view. This fixation is justified IMO given that the topic of the thread exclusively impacts the US.

But we did prefer buying your 1st world country cheaper us versions you see so it still affects some of us 😂

 

[barkomatic]

The teardown reveal a plastic spacer in US models where the sim slot would be. At scale, the cost of making and inserting that plastic spacer would probably be nearly equivalent to just having a SIM card slot. This is purely Apple driving carriers worldwide to adopt eSim. US carriers are going to absolutely love it though as this bolsters their international plan revenue in the meantime.

 

[lordhamster]

But we did prefer buying your 1st world country cheaper us versions you see so it still affects some of us 😂

haha. Fair enough. The iPhone prices here are outrageous. The iPhone prices in Europe are Obscene. In fact this is the reason I left Germany in 1981 to move to the US....better iPhone prices.

 

[Fred Zed]

haha. Fair enough. The iPhone prices here are outrageous. The iPhone prices in Europe are Obscene. In fact this is the reason I left Germany in 1981 to move to the US....better iPhone prices.

Yep. The land of the free 😂

 

[doxielover]

Esim reminds me of the old days using sprint CDMA where there was no sim it was a big pain for them to activate we all wanted physical sims to make it easy switching phones and now it feels like a step back.

 

[TurboJobo]

Esim reminds me of the old days using sprint CDMA where there was no sim it was a big pain for them to activate we all wanted physical sims to make it easy switching phones and now it feels like a step back.

yup I remember when cricket was cdma and if you wanted anothers carriers phone you had to flash them and even then data might not work as good. SIM was the best thing to happen to phones and why most people prefered gsm over cdma even if the coverage was not as good.

 

[Oridus]

Esim reminds me of the old days using sprint CDMA where there was no sim it was a big pain for them to activate we all wanted physical sims to make it easy switching phones and now it feels like a step back.

Back then you couldn’t activate on a website or application. You can now.

 

[dhershberger]

I’ve always been interested in Google Fi. Is the coverage good in the USA? Also, I’m guessing they don’t have support for data devices like iPads or Apple Watch?

I believe Fi's US coverage is the same as T-Mobile since it's the underlying network used for iPhones.

They do offer data-only options for iPad, but not for watches yet. The super-nice thing about Fi is that all devices share data at no extra charge. It costs me nothing extra to have my iPad connected to Fi.

Also, they are coming out with their own watch. So hopefully data for watches may soon become an option.

 

[upnorth85]

What good is this??? You make a local call in Chiangmai or Inchon, will they pick up? Will they call back??? I think not. The use of a removable sim is to put a local sim in and start making and receiving calls. Most of us the need this use prepaid, where most of the world won’t allow esim on prepaid. If you don’t understand the hassles esim only causes, then don’t hast presumption

I travel a lot and much of it is international travel and most of my visits are business related. I don't have the time nor interest in buying a local SIM in each country. Even if on a personal visit, I would still pay for a 15 or 10 day pass and be done with. As for local people calling, most businesses have no issues calling back. Then there is always WhatsApp call back, if someone can't afford to call me back on my US number.

 

[beerseagulls]

I believe Fi's US coverage is the same as T-Mobile since it's the underlying network used for iPhones.

using iPhone on Fi means no 5G... it will be T-Mobile 4G service only. T-Mobile 4G is painfully slow in my area, usually less than 45mbps.

 

[upnorth85]

I believe Fi's US coverage is the same as T-Mobile since it's the underlying network used for iPhones.

They do offer data-only options for iPad, but not for watches yet. The super-nice thing about Fi is that all devices share data at no extra charge. It costs me nothing extra to have my iPad connected to Fi.

Also, they are coming out with their own watch. So hopefully data for watches may soon become an option.

I used Fi and it is nice. But one does not get the full advantage of Fi on an iPhone due to its inability to switch networks etc. That was some 5 years back. I am not sure if this is still an issue. I kept an extra phone for a year. Later, T-mobile came out with roaming packages and I thought that was cool. In any case, Tmobile has free 3G roaming and one can use WhatsApp calls if need be. So the novelty of Fi went away.

 

[upnorth85]

I see.

I'm not american, so the concept of listing the price of a product (not just phone bills, but other small scale purchases like food, consumer electronics etc) without including the fees and taxes is...bizarre to say the least.

Yes, appreciate taxes vary from county to county, region to region, state to state. Wouldn't it be easier to be like most other countries and list the price of an item inclusive of all fees and taxes? So the price you see listed is the actual price of the product, and not "price + 0-10% depending on where you buy it".



Ultimately it depends on what you need and what you value.

If you need a local number, eSim (based off what sites such as Airalo, Mogo etc offer) isn't great at present. You'll need to get a local sim. Hopefully eSim offers will improve in the future...

If you need data only, eSim works...but you're paying a premium for the service. At present, it's generally better value (data wise) to purchase a local sim. eSim works for people who value convenience and are willing to spend more money to avoid the time and (potential) hassle of gaining a local sim...

There's no right or wrong answer; it just comes down to the individual and what they need and value.

I get it that in many countries the price you see is what you pay. In the US, that applies only for gas or "petrol". The taxes vary from one county to another, some states such as MN have no taxes on clothes, shoes, food etc. What you see is what you get. But most American expect to pay 7-8% extra as taxes. Second, most people pay using cards so not knowing the exact final price of each item is not needed.

Regarding eSim, I expect that to very quickly become the standard world wide. Apple introduced it in the US and in other countries larger carriers may charge more in the short term but other smaller carriers will jump on the bandwagon to get the tourist dollars. But as carriers provide roaming at more affordable cost, business travelers just use their US phone number in roaming to use overseas. T-mobile offers plans that include Canada, US and Mexico as a single calling area for purpose of data and calls. In a few years, I am sure that may get extended to between countries where there is more travel.

If Samsung follows Apple in offering only esims, a physical Sim may disappear in a few years globally.

 

[saber32au]

What you see is what you get. But most American expect to pay 7-8% extra as taxes. Second, most people pay using cards so not knowing the exact final price of each item is not needed.

It's not so much using cash to pay for items (card payment are the preferred payment medium in many countries); it's moreso the case of thinking you're going to pay X for an item (or for several items), but you end up paying X+0/2.5%/6.35%/10.1% depending on the item you purchase, where you purchase item the etc etc. Appreciate for people living in the States it's expected you'll pay more than the sticker price, but for people who travel to the US it's a...different concept which can cause some initial confusion. A bit like tipping: how much to tip, who to tip etc etc (no need to go down that rabbit hole!).

business travelers just use their US phone number in roaming to use overseas

Yes, I've used my work phone many times overseas. When I landed, I got a message stating I'm now in country X, and these are the charges etc etc. Never bothered me, as my employer was picking up the tab (though I was reasonable with my use of calls and data on the work phone)!

a physical Sim may disappear in a few years globally.

Guess we'll need to wait and see! It'll certainly be interesting to see what eSim packages are offered in the future...

 

[VuvuzelaiPhone]

I prefer the ease of eSim for travel having pre-loaded a couple of eSims for Europe, but I won't know how well it works for another week.

 

[Mcrumors David]

Do any of the local carriers in Japan have esim plans for tourists? I’m going on Monday.

Buy the iphone there?!
Or better, get the HK version, has two physical sim slots

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I don't have a problem with eSim but I will say that there are also benefits to physical Sims. I've had to deal with Hurricane Ian the last 5 days and having all my phones allowed me to switch between them instantly while I've had no power and the internet has been down. Physical Sims makes things convenient.

 

[saber32au]

Decided to use Airalo on a work trip to Singapore (I'll be working in the country for 2-3 weeks).

Working well so far. Yes, a local sim provides more data (it's always nice having more data!) and a local phone number (no need for one for this trip), but I'm happy with my 5GB data allocation. I have internet access in both the office and hotel I'm staying at, so the esim data allowance is used when I'm out and about.

Strangely enough, the reception strength appears to be slightly different between overseas sim card and esim (both are using the Singtel network). eSim reception appears to vary more; there are several times I've noticed where esim is listed at 3 bars, whilst the sim card shows 4 bars. Not sure why, but so long as the data works I'm happy.

 

[Fred Zed]

Decided to use Airalo on a work trip to Singapore (I'll be working in the country for 2-3 weeks).

Working well so far. Yes, a local sim provides more data (it's always nice having more data!) and a local phone number (no need for one for this trip), but I'm happy with my 5GB data allocation. I have internet access in both the office and hotel I'm staying at, so the esim data allowance is used when I'm out and about.

Strangely enough, the reception strength appears to be slightly different between overseas sim card and esim (both are using the Singtel network). eSim reception appears to vary more; there are several times I've noticed where esim is listed at 3 bars, whilst the sim card shows 4 bars. Not sure why, but so long as the data works I'm happy.

Glad you’re happy. But alas limited. 👍🏼😂

 

[Nahmeanz]

Bought an eSIM from HolaFly for Japan, 15 days unlimited data for $47. They sent the QR code via email, had to open up the email on my laptop to activate the eSIM via my phone's camera. So if I was traveling without my laptop or another device, that would've been an issue.

Also, when I activated the eSIM, it was a CMHK (Hong Kong) eSIM. So I guess I'm using a Hong Kong eSIM roaming on KDDI Au in Japan. Speeds are about 60-65 Mbps.

 

[Mcrumors David]

...alas, the good old Prepaid-Sim-Hunting-Days 👉🏻🎢

 

[Jackbequickly]

Our government likes eSIM. It is much easier for them to control and that is the whole point of eSIMs. The Wild West days of pulling out your SIM card and sticking it in another phone or device is over.

 

[Mikeske]

It really does not matter to me having a eSIM in iPhone 14 Pro. My wife and I are going to the Philippines for the first time in three years and my wife has a iPhone 13 mini with SIM card and we have a T=mobile plan that allows for free data and text messages and .25 cents a minute on the plan. That is what we used 3 1/2 years ago when we were there on a pair of iPhone 11's. In the two weeks there we had one phone call that my wife forgot to text me for a minute so it cost all of .25 cents extra. All other items were done via text, or internet video calls. I do not want to worry about that and I am not.

 

[martiansoldier]

Yep. The land of the free 😂

Except nothing is free