Carrier travel plans are when you’re charged a daily flat rate – anywhere from $10/day to $30/day – to use your regular phone plan on vacation. They’re designed for people who make lots of phone calls, send lots of texts, use lots of data, and generally want to use their phone “just like normal” when they’re travelling.
However, these plans can be expensive – and not everybody wants to use them.
Travellers who don’t want to call/text much on vacation often choose to opt out of a carrier travel plan and choose a cheaper option instead.
How to opt out of a carrier travel plan
So if you don’t like the idea of paying $20 or $30 per day to use your phone on vacation, we totally hear you – and we can explain your alternatives.
It all comes down to whether or not you want to use your regular phone number, provided by your wireless carrier. If you take action before your trip, you can avoid being charged for something you didn’t actually want.
Carrier travel plan alternative #1: Call and text cautiously at pay-per-use rates, use an eSIM for data
A few days before your trip:
- Tell your carrier you will soon be travelling out of the country, but you do NOT want to be placed on a carrier travel plan
- Make sure they put a note on your account that you are refusing the carrier travel plan, and only want to be charged pay-per-use rates
- Ask them how much you’ll be charged per calling minute and per text, so you know what to expect (often $1/minute or 50 cents per text, but it depends)
- OPTIONAL: Buy a prepaid data package and install a local eSIM, so you can have cheap data on vacation
Right before international travel:
- Keep your primary SIM toggled on (so your phone number still works)
- Toggle off ‘Data Roaming’ for your primary SIM (so it can’t be used for data)
- OPTIONAL: Adjust your phone settings so your eSIM is your sole data source and it will start working as soon as you arrive at your destination
- OPTIONAL: If you’ve purchased data from aloSIM, claim your free international phone number from our sister app, Hushed
While you’re on vacation:
- Be careful not to call or text too much, since you’ll be charged on a pay-per-use basis
- If you have claimed a free international phone number from Hushed, feel free to use it anytime (This is a great way to reduce calls/texts on your regular phone number)
- If you are calling and texting more than you expected, and you suspect you might be racking up more in pay-per-use fees than you would with a flat rate carrier travel plan, you can always contact your carrier and ask to be switched to a carrier plan
Carrier travel plan alternative #2: Call and text cautiously at pay-per-use rates, use Wi-Fi only
A few days before your trip:
- Tell your carrier you will soon be travelling out of the country, and specify that you want to opt out of their carrier travel plan
- Explain you will be calling and texting sparingly, and only want to be charged pay-per-use rates
- Ask them how much you’ll be charged per calling minute and per text (often $1/minute or 50 cents per text, but it depends)
Right before international travel:
- Keep your primary SIM toggled on (keeping your phone number active)
- Toggle off ‘Data Roaming’ for your primary SIM (preventing your SIM from using any data)
While you’re on vacation:
- Access free Wi-Fi whenever you need internet access, since your SIM won’t provide any data on vacation
- Be cautious about how often you call or text, since you’ll be charged on a pay-per-use basis
- If you are calling and texting more than you expected, you can always contact your carrier and ask to be switched to a carrier plan
Carrier travel plan alternative #3: Call and text on a free phone number, use an eSIM for data
A few days before your trip:
- Buy a prepaid data package and install a local eSIM for cheap data on vacation
Right before international travel:
- Toggle off your primary SIM (so it can’t be used for calls, texts, or data)
- Adjust your phone settings so your eSIM will connect to a local network as soon as you arrive at your destination
- If you’ve purchased data from aloSIM (thank you!) be sure to claim your free international phone number from our sister app, Hushed
While you’re on vacation:
- Your eSIM will provide fast local data anywhere you go
- You can call and text on your free international phone number
- Your regular phone number won’t work (since the SIM is toggled off)
- If you need quick access to your regular phone number in an emergency (like receiving a two-factor authentication code from your bank), you can toggle your primary SIM back on anytime – however, this will result in carrier charges and should only be done if absolutely neccessary
Before your next international trip, think about how you’ll be using your phone and decide whether it makes sense to use a carrier travel plan.
Opting out of a carrier travel plan only takes a few minutes, but it could save you hundreds of dollars on your next mobile bill.
Questions? We can help! Our friendly team is available 24/7 via email and live chat.
