This travel hack can save you money on your next vacation
Nicola Wilson spends nearly half the year on the road. As co-owner of Finisterra Travel, a self-styled international travel design company based in Vancouver, she journeys around the world leading small group trips and scoping out new destinations while trying to keep in contact with clients, family and friends at home.
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Like most business and leisure travellers, staying in touch while travelling is key for Wilson. And like many savvy travellers today, that means using an eSIM for her smartphone. 'I love landing in a place and being able to turn data on right away, instead of having to wait until I get into the terminal to buy a physical SIM card,' she said.
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Nearly all iPhones since the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR series support eSIM, as do newer phones from the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy families. Before downloading an eSIM app, check with your mobile provider or retailer to confirm that your smartphone model supports eSIM.
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You can use eSIMs both at home and abroad, but it's when you journey outside of Canada where they become a true travel gamechanger.
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Frances Johnson lives in Coquitlam, B.C. and has used an eSIM on her iPhone 13 on trips to Portugal, Greece and Japan over the past two years. 'They've been an inexpensive alternative to using mobile WiFis or the international rates offered by our phone carrier,' said the 72-year-old world traveller.
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Canadian mobile phone providers are exceptional for charging some of the highest rates in the world. And that includes roaming charges for Canadians travelling beyond our borders. Bell, Telus and Rogers all currently charge a $16/day roaming rate for international destinations.
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Some telcos may allow you to use home data through individual plans, but data caps may apply and those high fee roaming rates will then kick in automatically. Keeping track of data usage and counting gigabytes is nobody's idea of a fun family vacation game.
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By comparison, an Airalo eSIM of 1 GB for seven days coverage in Japan or France is C$6.50. A regional Island Hopper package that provides the same coverage among 26 countries in the Caribbean is C$11.50.
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Also, eSIMs plans are flexible. You can customize an eSIM plan by amount of data and length of time, and it's easy to top up data plans halfway through your holiday.
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Using an eSIM eliminates the drudgery of waiting to purchase a physical SIM card in a busy foreign train station and the maddening hassle of trying to remove and reinstall that miniature chip into your phone.
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The process to install an eSIM in your mobile phone begins at home before you leave. Download and install your eSIM of choice for the country (or countries) you're visiting. Then activate the data and service plan upon arrival with the supporting mobile carrier.
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Canadians can choose from many eSIM companies and providers. Airalo eSIMs are easy to install and can be purchased for nearly every country in the world. Airalo also offers regional eSIMs, covering 42 countries in Europe or an Island Hopper plan for 26 Caribbean countries, and even global packs covering 137 countries. Other eSIM providers include GigSky, Global YO, Alosim and Saily.
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You can choose from 1 GB of data valid for seven days, or up to 20 GB for 30 days, at a sliding price scale depending on destination. Plans can be easily topped up when data runs low, the eSIM app will notify you at the 500 MB mark. If you need to top up, buy more data coverage before your plan runs out, especially if not in WiFi range.
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Choose the eSIM app of your choice in the iPhone or Google app stores and download it to your smartphone. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the eSIM app before you leave on vacation, particularly if you're new to the world of eSIMs.
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Follow the instructions carefully when you're ready to purchase an eSIM package. Remember measure twice, cut once? Read twice, install once. The eSIM can only be installed on the phone if there is consistent data coverage or WiFi.
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Install the eSIM onto your smartphone at home or at the airport where there's a good connection. Activate it upon landing at your destination, ensuring that your 'primary' (home) cellular settings are OFF and your eSIM setting is ON. You can label the eSIM as Travel, Business or Secondary in your phone's settings app, to keep track of which line is which.
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