24 May 2023

Our Guide for using your Mobile Phone when Abroad

We look at the cost-effective option for using your phone abroad

Welcome to the third instalment of our travel saving tips! We’re following on from our last article in terms of talking about SIM cards and specifically Airalo eSIMs and how useful they can be when travelling abroad.

If your current SIM provider allows you to roam for free, the likelihood is that not all countries are covered. More often than not there are exclusions for countries that are outside of Europe and many of those are popular for us to travel to such as Turkey and South Africa.

Airalo have come up with a brilliant solution for this. They are an online marketplace and can provide eSIMs for over 200 countries through both their webpage and app. These eSIMs sound complicated but are compatible with many Android and iOS devices and are easy to install and use and mean you can keep connected to the internet when you’re abroad.

This means you can not only browse the internet and access your email, but use messaging, and even make whatsapp calls. Do note that normal calls are not supported though.

Once you’ve selected which country you’re off to through Airalo you’re given the choice of packages to go for (bear in mind they do also offer regional and global eSIMs if you’re off to a few countries!). The packages differ in the amount of gigabytes and also the period they’re valid for. For example they have packages which are valid for 7 days, 5 days, 30 days and so on for 1GB, 3GB, 5GB etc. These packages are provided for a one-off charge so you don’t need to sign up for a lengthy and complicated contract.

Whilst you can consider bolt-ons from your usual SIM provider when abroad, these often come at a daily price – usually between £2 - £5 a day – which adds up over a week or two! More often than not you can find an eSIM from Airalo for less than that for the period you need.

We love Airalo in our team as it’s such a convenient way to keep connected with friends and family when you’re abroad and avoid hefty roaming charges from your usual SIM provider. The fact they’re electronic makes it even easier as there’s no chance of losing your SIM! To find out more and purchase an eSIM for your upcoming holiday visit Airalo here.

Apple iPhone models which support an eSIM:

• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone SE 3 (2022)
• iPhone SE 2 (2020)

Apple iPad models which support an eSIM:

• iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen or later)
• iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen or later)
• iPad Air (3rd Gen or later)
• iPad (7th Gen or later)
• iPad mini (5th Gen or later)

Android Smartphone models which support an eSIM:

• Arrows A101 FC
• Fairphone 4
• Google Pixel Fold
• Google Pixel 7a
• Google Pixel 7 Pro
• Google Pixel 7
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
• Google Pixel 6
• Google Pixel 6a
• Google Pixel 5
• Google Pixel 4
• Google Pixel 4a
• Google Pixel 4 XL
• HONOR Magic 4 Pro
• Huawei P40
• Huawei P40 Pro
• Huawei Mate 40 Pro
• Motorola RAZR 40 Ultra
• Motorola EDGE 40 Pro
• Nokia G60
• Nokia X30
• Nuu X5
• Oppo Find X3
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
• Oppo Find X5
• Oppo Find X5 Pro
• Oppo Find N2 Flip
• Oppo Reno 5 A
• Oppo A55s
• Rakuten Mini
• Rakuten Big‑S
• Rakuten Big
• Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
• Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Fold
• Samsung Galaxy Note20
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy S23
• Samsung Galaxy S23+
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy S22
• Samsung Galaxy S22+
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S20
• Samsung Galaxy S20+
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G Fold
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
• Sharp AQUOS sense4 lite
• Sony Xperia 10 III Lite
• Sony Xperia 1 IV
• Sony Xperia 5 IV
• Sony Xperia 10 IV
• Xiaomi 12T Pro