explain e-sims to an idiot (iphone, USA)

going to the states for 2 weeks.

want to be able to use my phone for normal smart phone things, so mostly data use but possibly the need for an actual cellular phone call. not huge amounts of streaming.

iphone 13

how do I buy an esim? One off use.

what do I have to do to make sure my regular sim doesn’t do anything (costing me money) while abroad?

will my whatsapps (to communicate with people back in the UK) still come from my regular number?

any recommendations for a network with good reception in lake tahoe?

as a comparison, would cost me £25 just to get the EE roam abroad pass and use my regular sim while there. benefits of roaming so can jump on any network.

There’s a few companies but I use Nomad when in the UAE.  Download the app and follow the prompts!
(they’re currently doing 10Gb over 30 days for $18

It’s very easy.

what do I have to do to make sure my regular sim doesn’t do anything (costing me money) while abroad?

I’m on Android but basically something along the lines of:

Settings > Network > Sim
Switch off your regular SIM

will my whatsapps (to communicate with people back in the UK) still come from my regular number?

Yes, because you’re not changing your number…. just using the esim for data connection (same as when you’re using hotel wifi)

sounds good.

what happens if I need to actually phone someone in the USA? Or worse if they ask for my number so they can call me?

Anyone calling my UK number will get unavailable – or will they, will it work like wifi calling?

Anyone calling my UK number will get unavailable – or will they, will it work like wifi calling?

Again, I’m on Android where you can choose which SIM does what… so you could switch off roaming and data on your EE sim (which leaves calls on) and assign data only to the eSim.
I’m sure iOS allows the same I expect.

That way if you call someone it will be on your EE sim (and associated call charges from the US) – if someone calls you it’s not really your problem!
Or use WhatsApp for calls to the UK.

Following this with interest. My daughter is off to the States at the weekend for three months. She planned to just buy a SIM when she was there, so interested to see if this is a better option.

Are they like a normal SIM, but for lazy people?

normal sim = card you put in your phone

e-sim = virtual card that you add to your phone by magical trickery of some kind

Looking for a non eu holiday too…

If you disable the normal sim on the phone and ask it to use the e sim – how does it retain the existing number (e.g. for whatsapp) though as I thought that was associated with your normal SIM/provider?

I used AirAlo for an eSIM on my iPhone14 when in the states last year.  I (a computer idiot) got it working by following the instructions, but not sure how.  It worked faultlessly whilst there, used it like normal but admittedly didn’t call anyone, and I came home to no extra charges.   MrsBS, who knows a bit more about tech, but isn’t one for reading much, came home to a £50 bill despite hardly using the phone, she successfully negotiated with 02 for a refund somehow.

how does it retain the existing number (e.g. for whatsapp) though as I thought that was associated with your normal SIM/provider?

No idea…. but it’s defo not associated with your SIM/provider, it’s associated with your phone.
(you can test this by switching off your sim at home and sending a WA)

MrsBS, who knows a bit more about tech, but isn’t one for reading much, came home to a £50 bill despite hardly using the phone, she successfully negotiated with 02 for a refund somehow.

She may not have switched off roaming/data on her sim and the phone was doing a bit of background data stuff.

I used Maya mobile for a trip to Asia. I don’t really know how it works but it did work. As above, follow the prompts on the email from the e-sim seller and turn off roaming on your normal SIM when you get to your destination.

I got a Three SIM and bought some bolt-on or other, cost me ten quid for a couple of weeks in the US. The comparable charge on my O2 contract would have been in the hundreds.  OK, I couldn’t receive calls on my regular number, but I gave the new number to the two people who might actually have cause to call me.  A dual-SIM phone or an e-SIM would have resolved that I assume.

These days I’m with Smarty, roaming (in most countries) works just like being at home, there’s no extra charges.

what do I have to do to make sure my regular sim doesn’t do anything

Take it out?

what happens if I need to actually phone someone in the USA? Or worse if they ask for my number so they can call me?

Anyone calling my UK number will get unavailable – or will they,

‘Plus’ is your friend here, followed by the destination country code.  It’s the shortcut for “dial internationally regardless of where I am” on a mobile.  In the UK it replaces the legacy “dial nationally” leading zero.  So if your friend’s number is [01234…] change it to [+44 1234…]  Dialling the US is the same only it’s +1 instead of +44.  This Just Works wherever you are globally including calling numbers in the country you’re in.  All of my contacts are entered in this format.

will my whatsapps (to communicate with people back in the UK) still come from my regular number?

and

how does it retain the existing number (e.g. for whatsapp)

WhatsApp requires a phone number to set up.  It doesn’t require a phone number to use.  I have the app on my desktop PC and that’s never seen a SIM, e- or otherwise.

So if I bought this (or similar) data only USA eSim

https://mobimatter.com/travel-esim/sparks-usa-15-gb-esim?destination=US

which says: “This is a data-only eSIM. It does not come with a phone number.”

Turn off my real sim at Heathrow, turn on the eSim when I land…

How would I (in the US) phone someone who is also in the US? If I wanted to book a restaurant, or needed to leave a functioning number for a hire car?

Receiving calls on my UK number would be £1.66 a minute!

WhatsApp requires a phone number to set up.  It doesn’t require a phone number to use.

Exactly.
I’ve just changed phones. Before I even put a SIM into the new phone I installed WhatsApp and registered my existing number – I immediately got a message on my old phone saying that the number was no longer registered to that phone and it worked fine on the new phone just using the house wifi.  I then swapped registered it back on my old phone and the opposite happened.

Lesson learned is that you can have multiple devices with WA installed and you can swap which one your number is registered with.

How would I (in the US) phone someone who is also in the US? If I wanted to book a restaurant, or needed to leave a functioning number for a hire car?

you either re-enable your normal sim and use that (at an eye watering cost) or you don’t have an ability to use the phone functionality. Some e-sims support calls, but they’re relatively rare. Booking restaraunts is mostly online these days, and you don’t need to leave a functioning number with the car hire company, so for me its a non-issue

We’ve just bought daughter a new iPhone and it’s e-sim. Do we just phone up EE and let them know and they send a QR code or some such to switch the physical sim details over ? She’s not got the new phone yet as birthday not for another week. Keeping same contract.

Don’t turn off the physical sim, just run dual sim and tell each sim what you want it to do. In my case I activate the eSIM for data but nothing else, disable data on the primary (physical) sim.

or, you could switch off the physical sim entirely and use wi-fi calling… but you’ll miss out on SMS from people back at home, if that is a concern.

or, you could switch off the physical sim entirely and use wi-fi calling… but you’ll miss out on SMS from people back at home, if that is a concern.

SMS (or calls) from people in Britain not a concern, any anticipated communication via whatsapp for family and friends, and email for work. Have even taught my parents to use whatsapp as first preference.

Apple’s support page on dual-sim is quite good, once you’ve decided to go ahead and do it.

“This is a data-only eSIM. It does not come with a phone number.”
…
How would I (in the US) phone someone who is also in the US?

Payphone?

If I wanted to book a restaurant, or needed to leave a functioning number for a hire car?

Get a SIM which is fit for purpose rather than data only?

Receiving calls on my UK number would be £1.66 a minute!

I highly doubt that. No-one’s charged to receive calls in decades. If you’re auto-forwarding one number to another then perhaps.  Or if it’s a quirk of e-SIMs, they’re not something I’ve personally dealt with.

We’ve just bought daughter a new iPhone and it’s e-sim. Do we just phone up EE and let them know and they send a QR code or some such to switch the physical sim details over ? She’s not got the new phone yet as birthday not for another week. Keeping same contract.

Take SIM out of old phone, insert into new phone, ignore e-SIM?

I highly doubt that. No-one’s charged to receive calls in decades.

https://ee.co.uk/help/mobile/roaming/roaming-costs/countries/usa

pay monthly, without purchasing any add ons

Data/internet Buy data add on
Calls to numbers in EE Europe zone
and back home including voicemail £1.66 per minute
Calls to numbers outside EE Europe zone  £1.66 a minute
Receiving calls £1.66 per minute
Texts to numbers in EE Europe zone  and back home 82p per text
Text to numbers outside EE Europe zone 82p per text
Sending picture messages 89p a picture message

Payphone?

I’m going to semi-rural California, not 1999.

Get a SIM which is fit for purpose rather than data only?

this is likely the solution.

Do we just phone up EE and let them know and they send a QR code or some such to switch the physical sim details over ?

Yes, or do as Cougar says …. just swap the Sim over (no phones are purely eSim yet).

I have an eSim for my [everyday] Tesco mobile account and when I changed phones I still had to wait 3 days for them to post a piece of paper with a barcode on it 🤦‍♂️

In Japan recently I used an eSIM from Ubigi. What I learned was as people say above:

-it is way easier to do than you think it will be and works well with iPhones (and no doubt Android)

– you can buy a data or a data+calls version.

– you can designate the status of each of multiple SIMs in your phone’s options, such as primary or disabled

– WhatsApp works fine

It is one of those miraculous pieces of new technology that simply works way better than you expect.   Plug in WiFi packs are now RIP, unless you have an ancient phone.