eSIM for land-based travels and cruises
Check if your cell phone is capable of using eSIM before
purchasing eSIM:Dial *#06#
eSIM capable phone will show a 32-digit long EID number.
Your phone must be carrier unlocked.
With data-only eSIM, you can use WhatsApp, WeChat, Rakuten Viber, fongo, Facebook Messenger, YouTube, iMessage, Facetime, Uber, Google email, Google Chat, Google Maps, etc.
You can make "phone calls" with data-only:
e.g. use "Rakuten Viber Out" to call landlines/mobile phones. It costs a few cents/minute.
e.g. For Canadians, use "fongo" to make free calls to Canadian landlines/mobile.
Super important setup
Settings...Cellular....
Cellular Data Options : Roaming Off
if you have 2 SIM profiles:
Settings...Cellular...
Primary....Data Roaming... Off (slider switch is grey out)
There are many eSIM providers, here is a selected list.
At home, download and install the Saily app (or other app that you
choose to use).
Extensive global coverage
Bundles VPN, minimal Caribbean
footprint
Initially costs more.
Unused data never expires. Able to call to PSTN.For land-based travels
image generated by
ChatGPT A few days before travel, purchase a destination eSIM (e.g. Spain, 3GB, 30 Days)
Open the app, tap "My eSIMS", select the eSIM you purchased,
Install the eSIM (you absolutely need WiFi or cellular data connection to install eSIM).
After install (it takes a few minutes), you will be prompted to "Activate".
Airalo app allows you to stop here and activate later at destination.
Some apps may not stop here and start to activate immediately. The activation (without any destination signal) may appear to hang. If you have another eSIM profile, just turn on that eSIM profile. This action forces the apparent "hung process" to be pushed to the background and eventually it will settle down.
During activation, you will be asked these two questions:
Default Line ? tap primary
iMessage ? tap primary
You will be asked to choose which line for "Cellular Data".
If you are at home, tap Primary.
If you are at destination or outside your home cellular coverage, tap Secondary
At the destination, check 2 things:
Settings...Cellular...Cellular Data....
If it shows Primary, change it to Secondary.
Most likely you need Secondary's Data Roaming to be toggled ON
Settings...Cellular
tap the Secondary line
toggle Data Roaming to ON
Land-based travels trouble shooting
procedure:
-Turn ON Airplane mode then turn OFF Airplane mode (this
forces the phone to reconnect to the destination wireless
environment)
-Check Secondary line's Data Roaming is ON.
For cruise-ship travels
GigSky is specifically priced and designed for use on cruise ships and at ports/land excursions.
Some cruise lines (and their frequent cruisers) include free ship-WiFi, in that case, GigSky is not for you.
GigSky is significantly cheaper than regular ship-WiFi. It allows tethering to other devices for more savings.
Click on the GigSky logo above (scroll down) to check the ship/cruise line of your next cruise to see if there is GigSky mobile data on board.
With GigSky your must not turn on "Airplane Mode".
Turn off your Primary line; Turn on the GigSky line.
When the ship is on international water (12 nautical miles from shore), your phone will connect to "Cellular at Sea" or "901" network.
Depending on ship's construction and wireless infrastructure planning, some areas on the ship will have better "cell signal" than others.
When the ship is near port, your cell phone will connect to the local land-based cellular network. Same for land excursions.
There is a grey zone around international water boundary where GigSky will not work because it picks up both the "Cellular-at-Sea" and land-based cellular networks.
If the ship/cruise line (Cunard, P&O Cruises, Stena Line, Viking) of your next cruise does not have GigSky, click the "Red-Bull-Mobile" logo below to see if Red-Bull-Mobile provides mobile data on board (scroll down) .
Note:
Leave primary line in the "OFF" position to avoid accidental roaming charges.
Occasionally, e.g. in a hotel or at port, I turned the primary line to "ON" for a few minutes and let all the accumulated SMS comes in and then turn primary line "OFF" again.
Note:
With fongo, you will be given a Canadian phone number during sign up, that number can receive inbound SMS sent from another cell phone.
To receive bank's verification SMS on fongo and sending SMS from fongo require an add-on subscription ($4 per month).
Note:
To minimize data usage while using travel eSIM:
-Settings...App Store..Turn off cell data and/or auto update
-Settings...Privacy...toggle location services off