HOW DO WE STAY CONNECTED WHILE OVERSEAS?
One important thing to consider when you are planning to travel to another country, is what you’ll be using to keep your cell phone connected. In modern society, it’s almost impossible to function without having at least some access to the internet. Whether it’s ordering an Uber, or finding directions to your Airbnb or hotel, you’ll need to have access to those apps quickly on your smartphone soon after arriving at the airport. Sure, most airports have WiFi available, but it’s been our experience that airport WiFi is notoriously unreliable. (And the more you need it, the less reliable it becomes!)
And, what if you are actually moving to another country with no plans to come back to the U.S anytime soon? You probably won’t want to keep paying for a cell phone plan in the U.S. after finding out how much cheaper most plans are overseas, but you still might desire to maintain a U.S. phone number in order to make and receive calls to your family back home, and receive two-step verification codes from your bank (banks won’t send those codes to overseas phone numbers). So what do you do in that case? How can you stay seamlessly connected?
Whether you are just visiting a new country, or you’ve decided to live there, I have good news! You can stay connected no matter where you are in the world (except for certain areas in WV 😂) and in this blog I want to share with you what Michelle and I have learned over the last 2 years, and what we use in order to ensure that we keep connected.
What if I'm just visiting?
Some U.S cell phone plans come with packages that include data usage whenever you are overseas, but make sure to check the small print! Many times the speed is reduced to 3g, and the amount of data is very limited. If you go over that amount, the cell phone company starts to add roaming charges which can add up quickly. There are two ways to avoid this!
- Buy a SIM card upon arrival- (some countries calls these “chips”) – In almost every airport there will be kiosks set up, usually found after you’ve gone through Customs and Immigration, where you can purchase pre-paid SIM cards. Normally the SIM card will be good anywhere from 7 – 30 days and will contain a specified amount of data that you can use during that time. It also immediately gives you a local phone number so that you can make and receive calls. You’ll need to show your passport in order to purchase the SIM card. Most likely you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the cost, as it’s usually much cheaper than in the U.S. (Note that your cellphone will need to be “unlocked” by your cell phone carrier at home prior to arrival in the new country)
- Purchase an “eSIM” for your phone before traveling – An eSIM is an electronic SIM card that most newer cell phones are able to utilize. There are a number of companies that offer eSIMS for virtually any country (or continent). Two of the most widely used are “Airalo” and “Holafly“. We have not used Holafly yet, but we’ve used Airalo several times and it’s been great so far! Prior to traveling, simply visit one of their websites and follow the instructions to purchase and install the eSIM. (installation is quite easy). Then, when you arrive in your new country, simply turn your phone on when your airplane lands, wait a minute or two, and you will immediately be able to access the internet. The eSIM uses the local cell phone carrier’s network, so you have access just as if you were using their SIM card, with one exception. An eSIM won’t give you an actual phone number. It only gives you access to the internet, which in most cases is all you will need.
- One disadvantage to using the eSIM is that Amazon in other countries requires you to have a local phone number, otherwise they won’t deliver your package. Michelle and I learned this the hard way when we were in Kuala Lumpur!
- But one advantage to using an eSIM is that you can either purchase it for the country you are going to or the “region” you are going to. When we were in Asia last year, one eSIM could work in Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia without having to switch. This just makes it easier if you plan on visiting more than one country in the same region.
- Outside of the U.S, most people use Chat Apps to make and receive phone calls because it doesn’t count against their minutes or text limits. Two of the most popular are “WhatsAPP” and “Messenger”. Messenger doesn’t require having an actual cell phone number, but WhatsApp does. In both cases, the person you want to contact needs to have that App installed on their phone and they need to be signed in. Having either an eSim, or a physical SIM card will allow you to use either of these apps whenever you are out and about in your new country. Both Apps allow you to make and receive phone calls and texts worldwide and at no cost.
But what if I'm moving there?
Getting Set Up with a local carrier
One of the first things Michelle and I learned when we got to Ecuador was that we could save a lot of money on our cell phone bill by switching over to an Ecuadorian cell phone plan. When we arrived in Manta in January 2022, we were using T-Mobile as our cell phone carrier back in the U.S. and we were paying $45.00 per line. Once we learned that we could get cell phone service in Ecuador for $11.00 per line (and since then we found a plan for $7.00 per line) it was a no brainer! We immediately cancelled T-Mobile and signed up with “Claro” (one of the big cell phone carriers in Ecuador). This gave us our first functioning Ecuadorian phone number, however with only this number we couldn’t make or receive calls to and from the U.S. without having to pay long distance charges. Thankfully, previously while we were still in the U.S., we signed up with Skype to get a cell phone number through them. This allowed us to have a functioning cell phone number that we could use to make and receive phone calls from the U.S. Prior to leaving the U.S, we updated this number on our bank websites so that they could still get in touch with us. This also allowed my mother in Pennsylvania to be able to call me for free since it was considered a local number for her. And since we had established this phone number with our banks before we left, they were able to use it to send us two-factor authentication codes. This worked well for several months until we started having some issues with Skype. So we did some research and found Google Voice
Google Voice is free if you happen to use Google Mail. It gives you a free cell phone number and you can pick from a list of area codes and numbers to use as your phone number. It gives you free talk and text to any U.S. phone number, and can be used for overseas calls if you purchase pre-paid credits to add to your account. We’ve been using Google Voice for about a year now and so far it’s been great! Not only is the call quality very good, but our banks are able to use this number to send us the two-factor authentication codes that most banks require these days.
As I mentioned in a preceding paragraph, many people outside of the U.S. use WhatsApp to make and receive local phone calls, and this is especially true in Ecuador! Doctor’s offices, restaurants, local businesses, and just about everyone in Ecuador will only use their WhatsApp phone number. If I want to make an appointment with a Doctor, all I need to do is send a text to their WhatsApp number and within a few minutes I’ll get a reply back. Same with ordering food from a restaurant or making an appointment with a barber or hairstylist. After seeing this App used in this way so often, it makes me wonder why people back in the U.S. aren’t using it more! It can be used world-wide and doesn’t cost anything.
Currently, Michelle and I use “Tuenti” as our local cell phone plan in Ecuador. It’s a pre-paid plan that costs $7.00 per month for 5gb of data for 30 days. We found that this is more than enough for us (and in fact any unused data is rolled over to the next month so I currently have much more than I’ll be able to use while we’re still in Ecuador). To “recharge” it every month is easily done on their App. We’ve been really happy with it!
Is it really this easy?
Keeping your cell phone connected to the outside world has never been easier! Between SIM cards, eSIMS, and Chat Apps, there is nothing to worry about regarding connectivity when you visit or live in a foreign country. And in most places, it’s much cheaper than it is in the U.S.!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me below. Have a great day everyone!
Another excellent informative “Blog”, however I do have some questions about Google Voice? First, can I get a Google Voice phone number while I’m already living in another Country? Second, in order to contact the US via a phone call we have to put money into a Google Voice account like we do with our Skype account? Third question, does the person have to also have a Google account in order to receive calls or texts. I think that’s all I need to know right now. I can FaceTime my 86 year old Mother on Meet, but she misses the ability to text with me. Getting her signed up to use WhatsApp has been a “No go so far!” Even though we’ve tried to explain to her we could still FaceTime or just talk, text back and forth plus a bonus could send pictures, she’s not quite there yet ( heck I probably wouldn’t be either at 86). Anyway any clarification you could share would be appreciated! Thanks my Friend!!
Hi Chris! Those are very good questions I should have addressed in the blog. Thanks for asking. I hope these answers will help!
1. First, can I get a Google Voice phone number while I’m already living in another Country?
– Yes you can, but you’ll need to have a VPN (we use Surfshark). Set your location anywhere in the U.S. and it will let you set it up because it will think you are in the U.S. Once it’s set up, you won’t need the VPN to use it.
2. Second, in order to contact the US via a phone call do we have to put money into a Google Voice account like we do with our Skype account?
– no, your google voice number will be a U.S. cell phone number and it will be free to make and receive phone calls to the U.S. You only need to add credits if you are going to use google voice to call an overseas number.
3. Third question, does the person have to also have a Google account in order to receive calls or texts. I think that’s all I need to know right now.
– No. The other person doesn’t need to have a google account. When you dial their number, it will go straight through to their phone. They will not even know you are calling from google voice. It will appear to them as just call from another cell phone. Likewise, when they dial your google voice number, it’s just going to be a regular call for them.
I understand about trying to get your Mother set up on WhatsApp. 🙂 My mom doesn’t even have a smartphone, or even internet. She still lives like it is back in the early 90s or before!
I hope these answers help. Thank you again for your questions and your encouraging words! I really appreciate it!
Randy
Found it! If it had
been a snake 🐍 I’m sure it would of bit me. You answered my questions perfectly. Thanks again for the informative Blog and your response, plus helping a somewhat non savvy user where to look. Have a Fabulous Day! Now I can go onto your latest Blog for I’m sure excellent information