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It’s hard to travel without a cell phone or  tablet. If you don’t plan in advance, you’ll spend a fortune just planning your day, consulting a map, booking a restaurant or train, doing online banking and purchasing, taking photos, replying to messages, and dealing with emergencies. Here are some tips for paying less for your cell phone when traveling.

A package for a trip to the U.S. will cost between $10 and $15 per day with Bell, Rogers and Videotron. In France, the same suppliers charge between $14 and $16. This means spending $182 to $224 for two weeks, even if you only exchange an e-mail or make a few minutes of phone calls each day. And without a travel package, opening an e-mail or answering a text message could cost you as much as $20 or even $30!

Fortunately, there are several ways to save money.

eSIM card

The simplest is to buy an eSIM card, which is a digital SIM card that you download before you leave and that creates a new number for your phone, without removing the physical SIM card (the chip that links you to your cellular operator).

With Apple, you need an iPhone XS (2018) model or newer. For Android, some manufacturers allow it, others don’t (Samsung has been offering it for its Galaxy S20 since 2020).

Simply visit the website of a wireless operator offering the service (AT&T or T-Mobile in the USA, Orange in France, Vodafone in Germany and the UK) and follow the instructions. You’ll be entitled to a package, for example, $50 for 1,000 text messages, 20 GB of data and 2 hours of calls. Some providers offer worldwide packages, such as Airalo.

Local physical SIM card

To use your cell phone when traveling, you can also replace your phone’s SIM card with that of a local operator, purchased in that country at the airport, convenience store, operator’s store or simply online (on Amazon)

Don’t forget to keep your original SIM card in a safe place. If your phone is older than 2017, check with your operator to see if it is “barred.”

This option has its drawbacks: you can’t be reached at your Canadian phone number. What’s more, some cards come with activation fees of $15 to $20, or cannot be recharged after a week or a month.

With a SIM or eSIM card, you’ll pay less than 10% of your Canadian operator’s package price.

WiFi

Some people are content to use WiFi in airplane mode, after deactivating roaming data. This is the cheapest way to make a call, but you need to use an application (Skype, Messenger, FaceTime, Google Duo, SnapChat, Fongo).

There are several applications for locating free public WiFi networks, including WiFi Finder. Avoid sites that require passwords, as these networks are not secure, or subscribe to a VPN (NordVPN or Surfshark: Roughly $15 per month).

Finally, some GPS applications (CoPilot, Sygic) allow you to find your way without using data. You can also download maps from maps.me and Google Maps before you leave.