RozzysMom

We are going to Scandinavia next month and I'm thinking about using Orange for eSIMs for our phones. I want to have data and voice options but I'm confused as to how the voice part works. How would calls to/from the US work? Will I have a new phone number while using the eSIM. If not, won't I be charge by my carrier (Verizon) if calls are made or received? Is there some specific way calls would have to be made to ensure there are no charges from Verizon? Thanks, in advance, for your help.

twk

I used an Orange e-sim on my T-Mobile iPhone Pro 12 for my trip to France in 2022. Because T-Mobile had reasonable international roaming for voice (it's very limited data is why I got a local sim), I was able to put the phone in dual sim mode, meaning that both my T-Mobile and Orange sims were active at the same time. So, I could field calls and texts on both lines. I don't know if Verizon would have a similar option. If they do not, you will want to turn off your Verizon sim (which you should be able to do from the settings) and just use your Orange e-sim, which will come with its own local number (and you will need to let folks back home know to contact you on the Orange number). But, as I said, if it works for you to have Verizon in roaming mode, you can use both.

geetika

I used an Orange e-sim for France in August 2022, which later worked in Holland and also on our Norway fjords cruise. I had a local French number folks could reach me on, I could also call anyone in Europe. I believe the sim came with some free minutes of international calls, which I never used. Apart from that all other international calls were billed as per local charges.

That said, today international calling is simple and free, with apps like whatsapp, etc. You only need wifi/data to call anywhere in the world for free.

We were in Rome in November and again I had an e-sim, Sim Options this time. If you don’t want a local number, you can get a data only e-sim, which is even cheaper, we had one of those too.

Your US number/sim will be deactivated when the e-sim is in use, so you won’t be billed by your provider. I hope this answers some of your questions, others will certainly post with their experiences too.

AlessandraZoe

We're going to Scandinavia this year, too.

I researched this topic to death last year, driving myself nuts. See my adventures on my post: Who has tried out the Orange eSim? My husband watched me spin in circles for days and weeks, and then just said, "We're spending thousands, and you are now worried about comparative pennies."

Yeah, but...

Here's the deal. In days of old, Verizon and other plans basically robbed us blind if we used an international plan. We somehow would get insane extra fees afterwards and slow internet during. For that reason, I did ANYTHING but rely on American carriers. I was a SIM card fanatic.

But now with smartphones that can handle international frequencies and now with Verizon finally stepping up to the plate in January 2023 with reasonable fares and quite reliable internet speeds, it just makes sense to use their plans.

Last year we traveled for 21 days in England and Ireland, and I bought the Verizon monthly international plans for both of us. Worked like a charm. We only had a problem when local cell phone towers were hit by lightning. All the local people were impacted too!

This year we will only be gone for two weeks and I'll probably use "Travel Pass". As part of my level of contracted phone plan, I can get 12 "free" Travel Pass days on Verizon for our upcoming trip to Scandinavia and may have to pay for 2 more. My husband's days will cost per diem. The advantage is that we don't have to do anything but turn our phones on and off whenever we move from country to country.

Sidenote: Me being me (anal retentive), I made sure Verizon had our information, our plans, etc completed TWICE before we left. And then when we came back, I monitored everything again. Doesn't hurt.

Good luck.
AZ

And another big advantage is that I have instant access to my credit card companies and their two-factor authentications.

nyse

I also believe in “keep it simple, stupid” and happily use Verizon’s TravelPass. Only have to sign up once, and then it’s there if you need it.

J62

Adding a esim to your phone is about as simple as it gets. I get a several gig local data only esim thru airalo dot com for less than $1 per day. When i had verizon i would completely disable / turn off the Verizon sim so thst i didnt get hit with $10/ day per line charge. Now that i switched to Spectrum mobile i can leave that sim on, but set it to secondary. Spectrum doesnt charge a daily fee when roaming.

With a data only esim you still have full access to 2fa, messaging apps like imessage or whats app or facetime.