For ALL enquiries on SIM Cards and E-SIMS

[Bigcats]

A really useful post, made a sticky.

Richard

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Just a reminder that most modern smartphones now can take what is known as e-sims as well as physical sim cards.

You no longer need a physical sim card from a provider. You can go onto their website and purchase an e-sim, you then get a 'code' (normally a QR code) and you scan/put that into the SIM Manager area on your phone and heh presto you have everything for your travels before you even arrive.

Again most modern phones can take 2 physical sim cards, which allows you to select what sim you use for data, calls and messages.....

SO you can have two physical sims loaded and then add a e-sim as well. However the phone will only allow the use of TWO sims at any one time.

You can even go to your provider today and swap your current physical sim over to an e-sim so that you free up the physical slots for when you travel if you would rather do it that way.

To check if you have e-sim capabilities on your phone

Android = settings/connections/SIM Manager/Add eSIM and whilst in there you will see the setting for selecting what sim provides the calls/messages or data (this will be blanked out if you only have 1 sim)

iPhone = Settings/Mobile Data/ Add mobile data plan

As I mentioned you can visit a countries providers website before travel and set up an e-sim at no extra cost!

 

[John Armstrong]

My Samsung Galaxy A50 doesn't have the e-sim capability.

For me, in settings I see "SIM card manager" and no add e-sim option, only the option for two physical ones.

 

[ShakeyGS]

Use to know. Thanks.

On the iPhone, you can add an e-Sim under the Mobile Data settings.

 

[Arsey]

iPhones only have one physical sim slot , not two .
US-bought iPhones don’t even have a physical sim slot as it’s all esims over there .

Vodafone UK now support esims so I’ve switched to the esim with them and use the sim slot for my local phone provider . Handy just having one phone with 2 numbers .
If I’m in a country that Vodafone doesn’t support free roaming , I just buy an esim using the Airalo app . Works great

 

[Barnoe]

Interesting, i never knew this.

 

[Bigcats]

My Samsung Galaxy A50 doesn't have the e-sim capability.

For me, in settings I see "SIM card manager" and no add e-sim option, only the option for two physical ones.

I did say modern smartphones....sorry

 

[Bigcats]

iPhones only have one physical sim slot , not two .
US-bought iPhones don’t even have a physical sim slot as it’s all esims over there .

Vodafone UK now support esims so I’ve switched to the esim with them and use the sim slot for my local phone provider . Handy just having one phone with 2 numbers .
If I’m in a country that Vodafone doesn’t support free roaming , I just buy an esim using the Airalo app . Works great

I should mention in my post that I am not an Apple fan so don't pay to much attention to the abilities of the ohones but I do know they can do esim which is the main point.

I honestly didn't know they didn't have two sim slots thought so thank you

 

[Bigcats]

Interesting, i never knew this.

Its suprisingly simple to do and much easier than visitinig a shop. However you may get a better deal but for speed and simplicity an esim is quick and easy and can be done before arriving in country

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

My Samsung Galaxy A50 doesn't have the e-sim capability.

For me, in settings I see "SIM card manager" and no add e-sim option, only the option for two physical ones.

My S8 doesn't even have SIM card manager.

 

[Loiq]

why not take a netgear nighthawk and top that up with local sim and use the wifi setting to operate the phone..?

 

[Bigcats]

why not take a netgear nighthawk and top that up with local sim and use the wifi setting to operate the phone..?

Because you can use your phone to do exactly that.....why take another device when your phone already does that?

 

[Loiq]

good point...

 

[John Armstrong]

My S8 doesn't even have SIM card manager.

Oh the shame we must feel

 

[Boxerboy55]

And some of us are plodding along (happily) with a single digit iPhone, so that’ll be eSim another day.

 

[jonnie comet]

Its suprisingly simple to do and much easier than visitinig a shop.

It is.

iPhone is now simply....Settings - Mobile Data - Add eSIM.

 

[Alpertonian]

Thanks. Great tip. Didn't even know this was a thing.

My Google pixel 6 has the following path

Settings/Network & internet/SIMs/(click on the +)/Download a SIM instead? -add a number using eSIM

 

[Bigcats]

Oh the shame we must feel

Technology moves way to fast for some folk to keep up....my dad calls computers 'magic tellies' and despite showing how much better google maps is over his TomTom (which is amazingly out of date) he cannot grasp how to use it.

 

[Khulu]

Not on my Samsung A12.

Mind you I don't have 4G on it either which I assumed I would have as I only bought it, new, two years ago.

 

[EPG_19]

Its suprisingly simple to do and much easier than visitinig a shop. However you may get a better deal but for speed and simplicity an esim is quick and easy and can be done before arriving in country

and often not good value or available in lots of places.

 

[Bigcats]

Not on my Samsung A12.

Mind you I don't have 4G on it either which I assumed I would have as I only bought it, new, two years ago.

The Samsung A12 does have 4G...just not 5G

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