eSim & Sim - Roaming

[Tricky2910]

I currently have a sim in my Pixel 8 and am travelling to S. Africa. Roaming bolt ons are so expensive, so i've been advised that eSim are a better option.  How does this work, can I have an eSim and a physical sim in my phone at the same time, or do I need to get rid of my physical sim and go full esim?

Can I get an esim before i arrive so I am up and ready as soon as I land?

[bristolian]

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@Tricky2910 wrote:

I currently have a sim in my Pixel 8 and am travelling to S. Africa. Roaming bolt ons are so expensive, so i've been advised that eSim are a better option.

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There's nothing about an eSIM specifically that makes them better or worse than any other type of SIM - what I suspect you're thinking of is a travel or roaming-SIM, which generally promote eSIM for apparent convenience.

The travel SIM provider will generally provide a local number in your host country, and that's used to bill you for voice calls, data usage & text messages. One benefit of a local eSIM is that you simply install it whilst keeping your existing EE SIM working. Your phone will have a menu option to choose which of your multiple SIMs (be they physical or electronic) is default for calls, texts & data.

As to when & how you purchase a local SIM, you'd have to enquire of the provider you choose. EE can only provide their SIMs and offer roaming services.

[Tricky2910]

Great, you are correct its for travel purposes only. Roaming bolt on is £25/week whereas esim is £12 for 5GB. If I'm using an esim at the same time as my physical sim, can I still receive calls on my default UK phone number when abroad?  Sorry if these are daft questions, I've never used esims before!  

Also, are esims country agnostic? IE if I have an esim in SA, could I use the  same one in France?

[bristolian]

EE's roaming passes enable full use of your UK allowances for the duration, they are not data-specific. The £25/week option enables you to receive calls on your UK number, make outbound calls to the UK and South Africa, as well as accessing your UK data allowance & sending texts within the UK & SA - all inclusive and at no additional cost.

As mentioned, your phone's menu will let you choose which SIM is active for calls, texts & data at any given time - you could potentially set the travel SIM as default for outgoing calls, while enabling your EE SIM to be on standby to receive calls. Be aware though, without a roaming pass - receiving calls abroad is chargeable, whereas a roaming pass makes incoming calls free. This means a UK caller would contact you entirely as normal (including charges), and your charges are covered by the pass.

Put aside the eSIM piece while you get your head around it, and just think of it as a foreign SIM issued by a foreign/local operator. You'd have to ask the local/foreign provider how their specific setup works, but bear in mind the complete picture of calls, texts & data that the roaming pass covers - whereas you seem to be focusing on data-alone for your travel SIM. It's unlikely to have a UK number, for starters.