iPhone 14 No SIM Card Implications

Submitted by Ok_Drive1036 t3_yem6lu in iphone

I am a frequent international traveler. I currently have an iPhone 6 and was considering getting the iPhone 14 due to its superior camera. However, the 14 has no SIM card.

What does this mean for international travel with the 14? Does this mean I would either have to use eSIM and hope it works in that country? Or buy a roaming plan with my current carrier and hope that works? Unfortunately, my current carrier doesn't cover all countries and it's expensive, or has slow speeds. (I'm sure many countries in Europe would accommodate this, but let's say that I wanted to go to Ethiopia, these options wouldn't work at all). I'm used to using local SIM as it is a nice and cheaper option.

I and my family have been long-time user of the iPhone, and I admire the interface. With the need for an upgrade, but also looking for a phone with a SIM card and also a good camera, I may have to look at other options. Unfortunately, the iPhone 13 Pro, which has a SIM and great camera, as been discontinued.

As a frequent international traveler and who goes to visit family abroad, I have been relying on the SIM and don't think many countries will adopt eSIM anytime soon. I would be disappointing if I moved from the iPhone platform. What are your thoughts?

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VictorChristian t1_itz4zwr wrote

I did a Euro trip last month - Sweden, specifically and decided to try the eSIM option in my 13 Pro Max (it can do dual eSIM). The SIM tray was empty.

I chose to buy an eSIM from Airalo so i downloaded the app at home here in the United States and chose to install the Sweden eSIM thru the app directly. There are options to scan a QR code but I chose the direct method.

The Sweden eSIM installed and I even activated it in setting but it went into SOS mode since there were no local towers to connect to. It didn’t roam.

Once I landed at Arlanda International Airport, I turned off airplane mode and my t-mobile eSIM connected and I got the “welcome to Sweden” text from t-mobile. I then activated the Airalo eSIM and it took a minute (we were approaching the gate at this point) and it also connected - to Telenor, a local Scandinavian provider.

Now, I saw that split signal icon on my 13 PM. After I disembarked, i found an empty chair to sit down and change the settings to use the Airalo eSIM for all data and the T-Mobile eSIM for voice and texts.

Connection was at LTE for the whole trip. I burned thru all but 11mb of the 3GB Airalo eSIM by the end of the week long trip.

It was a great experience and gave me much confidence for my 14 PM.

If it’s a serious concern, tho, Apple still sells the 13 and we can pick up older models thru refurb.

That was my eSIM experience :-)

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SolidGoldUnderwear t1_itzbo1k wrote

Very similar for me in Norway. AT&T turn off data and airalo tun on data. This way you still receive sms/imessage but use airalo for data. only issue is it was a little slow or overloaded in the after work hours.

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VictorChristian t1_itzee75 wrote

From what I’ve read about Airalo, they basically resell MVNO plans - so It’s kinda like resell of a resell. The names on their site barely make sense - I mean, “Change” for an American ”provider” that uses ATT and T-Mo towers. Never heard of that company before - sounds kinda made up.

I got a “Van” eSIM for Sweden and asked hotel staff who they were and people behind the desk though i was just messing with them.

Given all that, it’s not surprising we probably get deprioritized a lot. I can see Airalo going to a local MVNO and buying up all the 1MB/s minutes they can get and sell them to us LOL

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xhandler t1_iu3n51q wrote

Now I don't know what Airalo is or how it works, but I don't think the names are local operators but rather "product name" Airalo has made for each country. "Vän" just means "Friend" (and there are no operators called Vän), looking at the Norwegian and Danish counterparts they're also not operators. So it could just as easily have been called "Airalo - Sweden"

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VictorChristian t1_iu3ujo5 wrote

>"Vän" just means "Friend" (and there are no operators called Vän)

Really?? No wonder the hotel staff thought i was insane.

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SmoothLikeGravel t1_iu0dxke wrote

Do you still charged by AT&T for using your phone for texts/calls?

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SolidGoldUnderwear t1_iu0f4av wrote

not for getting messages, just replying. you have to disable international day pass and set it to pay per use.

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incognitoshadow t1_iu0a9nc wrote

>change the settings to use the Airalo eSIM for all data and the T-Mobile eSIM for voice and texts

how did you do this? I had an airalo eSIM for my trip to italy recently but had to disable texting and voice (basically disable my regular sim)

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VictorChristian t1_iu1ub8i wrote

So, when i had both eSIM’s active, i went to Settings… Cellular Data and in Cellular Data options, i saw a “use this line for data”. I picked the Airalo line for data and all data used the Airalo line.

They have a tutorial video… https://www.airalo.com/help/getting-started-with-airalo/how-do-i-install-an-esim-on-my-ios-device?gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSP0uqMdgPY8qwp0i-lEEsh7CQuW_1pnjuQRR6pDKSBkR7pK-fvQJFGRoCPuQQAvD_BwE

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Car333 t1_iu0cp36 wrote

This gives me great confidence in trying it out. Did you alter any of your apps data usage? Like not having Instagram/Reddit/etc use cellular for data only Wi-Fi? I think my concern is that I will burn through the data accidentally.

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VictorChristian t1_iu1th9e wrote

i did not. I used the phone like i normally use the phone. Lots of pictures, lots of browsing, Apple Pay and a whole lot more Apple Maps since i was in a city wholly unfamiliar.

I also used FaceTime - but mostly audio, I did use video to talk to family for a few minutes. What’s app also connected but since the Airalo eSIM does NOT have a phone number attached, what’s app popped up a message saying the network has changed and if i would still like to use my original (US) phone number. I tapped, “yes” and my aunt actually called me unexpectedly once one whats app but i called her back from the hotel wifi - she’s a bit of a talker and i was worried about battery LOL.

At the end of the trip at the airport, i had about 500 MB left and i tethered to my MacBook to see how that worked and burned thru about 490MB… as stated earlier, i was left with 11MB and shut everything down to board my flight back home.

It really worked very well. i was very impressed.

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Car333 t1_iu1vgaj wrote

I’m actually really impressed that you did all of that with 11mb to spare on a 3GB plan… good for you!

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VictorChristian t1_iu2z3lk wrote

I realized a while ago that I actually use much less data than I originally thought. Not just for this trip - just generally.

month to month, I find myself only using about 7 to 10 gb a month.

that said, i wish I had needed more data on my trip to get a chance to test the Airalo top up feature.

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binarydays t1_iu3f5bi wrote

I tried Nomad (AppStore) while traveling to Singapore and it worked fine. Speed varied depending on the time of the day as I observed. Sometimes it was a bit slow, but it was good enough for Maps, iMessage and internet browsing. Their price was a bit cheaper than Airalo (for my specific destination).

Might be an option to look at and compare. Thank you for sharing your experience with Airalo :)

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FreakDeckard t1_itz0plj wrote

there are cheap travel eSIM like airalo

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nightfly13 t1_itzcvoy wrote

+1 airalo is fabulous - be sure you check the regional plans before you commit to a single country plan. (I bought both UK and Ireland plans before realizing there was a Europe plan that covered both (and more)).

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Insomnisquirrel t1_itzqmq3 wrote

Airalo is significantly more expensive than purchasing a SIM in many countries though. I just looked up their plan options for a country I regularly fly to for work and they charge $24 USD for their largest option - a 5 GB/mo plan. Meanwhile with a physical SIM I can pay $5 for unlimited everything on the exact same carrier that Airalo uses.

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randybruder t1_iu1q1ms wrote

"Significant" is just a matter of perspective. It's significantly more expensive, 4.8× the price. Or it's an insignificant extra $19 on a vacation that costs over $1K, or work trip where a company worth working for would cover the cost for you.

Like yeah, it sucks that the 1Phone 14 limits you to more expensive options, but overall it's not something I'm going to get significantly worked up over.

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FreakDeckard t1_itztvh9 wrote

I think yours is a niche use case. I suggest you to buy a smartphone with a sim or a portable router

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Insomnisquirrel t1_iu01ry1 wrote

Looking at other countries available and pricing, I don't think its particularly niche. Outside of Western Europe, pretty much every country is vastly inflated in price compared to a traditional SIM. If you're just going from the US to somewhere like France, sure, but anywhere beyond W. Europe its 3-5x more expensive. Of the dozen or so countries I've worked in, only Czechia has a roughly equivalent eSIM price. I doubt I'll be upgrading from my 12 anytime soon because of this.

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FreakDeckard t1_iu029xb wrote

You know, I think that all things considered, physical sims are bound to disappear sooner or later. eSims only have advantages from a technical point of view: they are like an email account and have fewer security problems. So sooner or later even the cheaper travel sim providers will adapt

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EScootyrant t1_iu0d5dc wrote

Is Airalo eSIM available in Amazon US? I wanted to try a travel eSIM on my next EU visit.

I keep using the French Orange Holiday SIM from Amazon every time I fly over to Europe almost yearly from LAX since 2016. It works flawlessly thru the years from UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and most recently as last month, Slovakia & Hungary. Since 2018 on my venerable OG 8 Plus. 👌

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BitingChaos t1_iu7cpuz wrote

If Airalo is the "cheap" option, what is the pricy one?

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FreakDeckard t1_iu7zu7v wrote

If you’re so poor, don’t travel and buy a 50$ xiaomi

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BitingChaos t1_iu90eto wrote

That didn't really help.

Airalo has been called one of the most expensive options out there. It's one of the reasons many people don't like eSIMs.

Paying Airalo's artificially-inflated prices for minimal data eSIM versus paying a few bucks for a physical SIM card with tons of data can be quite annoying for many people that travel.

You claimed it was the "cheap" option. Tell us, then, which option costs more than Airalo?

"stop being poor" isn't anywhere near a real answer.

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[deleted] t1_ityufnl wrote

[deleted]

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lowerthanryan t1_itz9p4s wrote

For the newest iPhones you’ll be paying way more if you buy in Europe. It may have have stayed the same price in US and Canada, but in Europe the 14 Pro went up to €1,339, then you have to add customs charges and shipping on top of that

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cm0011 t1_itzjfpy wrote

Canada version has the eSim tray

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mdmd89 t1_iu0du6z wrote

We have the SIM tray and eSIM. That’s what you mean right?

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itsadile t1_iu252os wrote

What we don't have is the 5G mmWave variant antenna, but non-US countries don't really have the hardware for mmWave anyways.

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Thames_CDN t1_ityw9bh wrote

Exactly this .... I feel bad for Americans . And of all versions HK has it best , dual nano SIM and ofc has e-sim ability too

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Trvlng_Drew t1_itzdknc wrote

Hmmm none of my HK dual nano sim phones had esim capabilities, don’t think China/HK has esim anyway

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Mango_In_Me_Hole t1_iu1qshu wrote

This is a really bad idea.

Not only is the non-US model more expensive, it doesn’t have many of the 5G and LTE bands that are used in the United States. You can’t access mmWave 5G on any network unless you have a US model, and you will get worse coverage on T-Mobile because one of their mid-band 5G bands and an LTE band won’t work.

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ldAbl t1_itywlty wrote

ESimDB can you show you Edina available in which country. I am personally using globalesim for my future travel overseas. It appears to be cheaper than local sim plans in some countries.

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Proxi98 t1_itzyzu9 wrote

I’m talking from a 12 with a foreign SIM right now. People saying that you can use e-Sim kinda miss the point imo. The providers with eSim are usually double the price or more when compared to a local prepaid sim. I’m glad Europe doesn’t have it yet.

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nozomi-1217 t1_itysepu wrote

Buy one from Canada, which I think is a better solution.

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conartist101 t1_itzmvrj wrote

Is the Canadian one functionally identical? Has all the same bands?

Edit: looked it up. It’s missing 5g mmWave bands unfortunately

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bmyvalntine t1_ityth2o wrote

Why didn’t apple consider such people before removing it. What real advantage are they getting by having that blank space instead of a sim slot even for US region. It’s not like they’re removing it for all the regions and using that space for some other component.

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Quiet_Independent930 t1_itz99te wrote

Because it was a tactic to force the issue and make it mainstream so they can remove physical sim slots from all models internationally. They extra space will get used. Just not yet, next year though I suspect we will see then move the board down a bit in the phone to make room for the periscope camera.

You have to watch where the target is going, not where it is at.

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MadMarioMax t1_ityttv6 wrote

People will pay Verizon's $10/day for international data, or similar with other USA carriers. Maybe the carriers paid Apple to remove the SIM.

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art_of_snark t1_itzkx3d wrote

yes, that’s why their esim implementations were so quickly rolled out and well supported.

I spent an hour in a T-Mobile store teaching their staff what esim even was so I could activate mine, and they still charged me $25 for the privilege.

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gregra193 t1_itzs8we wrote

You spent $25 for something that can be configured without the involvement of any staff via the T-Mobile Website. Or for free via a phone call or T-Force on Twitter/FB.

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p-rking t1_itywqri wrote

I think that people who travel a lot have moved to global traveler sims which tend to be e-sim. So you’d have your main domestic e-sim and a global traveller e-sim

But of course there will be people who do things the more traditional way of getting a local SIM and their main e-sim and they will need a different phone not a US Apple model.

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trevor3431 t1_itzgip0 wrote

innovation can't be held back because some people want to do things the traditional way. I still remember when people complained about Apple removing the headphone jack, and said they weren't going to buy iPhones anymore.

​

The pros of e-sim greatly outweighs the cons. Now iPhones are completely useless if stolen, there is one less hole in the phone to seal for water resistance, and Apple reclaimed a descent amount of space for future use. The only con is you won't be able to use the phone easily in countries without e-sim, and this will change since Apple has now forced the carriers to implement this.

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scroll_responsibly t1_itzj2ga wrote

Yeah, the reason why Apple removed the headphone jack was to get you to buy $200 AirPods from them (that you will have to replace in a couple of years when the battery conks out/they push a firmware update to break noise cancellation) as opposed to $10 wires earphones from someone else. Don’t kid yourself about removing features like the headphone jack to promote more expensive options being innovation.

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kelljames t1_itzmkcb wrote

iPhones work with any wireless headphones not just AirPods. And if you’ll remember the first iPhone without a headphone jack came with an adapter AND a pair of lightning headphones.

The AirPods line up speaks for itself. They would sell just as well even if the iPhone still had a headphone jack. You can easily buy a 10$ adapter to use traditional headphones. So you aren’t forced to buy a more expensive anything.

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MangyCanine t1_itz2khv wrote

As others have said, many international travelers are willing to pay the $10 per day (max $100 in a billing cycle for some US carriers). It’s just easier.

For people in the US, it’s not hard to find a data-only international eSIM for many countries. Yeah, you can’t make traditional phone calls with these, but it’s not hard to get a VOIP phone number from Skype, WhatsApp, or others. These eSIMs might also limit you to a specific country (no roaming) and be more expensive than physical SIMs, though.

Once carriers realize how eSIMs can save them money, they’ll switch to them.

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[deleted] t1_iu0d6hn wrote

I am paying the $100 max with AT&T while in England for a few months. It seemed easier to me because I can keep my US number. The alternative of getting a UK eSim and dropping my AT&T plan to just calls and texts, is not that desirable because I actually use the HBO Max that comes with my higher-tier AT&T plan. So if I were to pay for HBO Max, then the difference would come out to like $30/month, which just doesn’t seem that handy to me. If I were travelling for only 1-2 weeks, that would be different…

Am I making a mistake here?

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nrron t1_iu0rvmk wrote

Not yet, they'll do something with the space after they continue to force the issue and remove physical sims from all iPhones.

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Kiwizoo t1_itytueq wrote

In Australia, the iPhone 14’s have a sim card option, so maybe check that out. There are def models available. Have to say I got the iPhone 14 Pro Max (with SIM card) and it’s hands down the best phone I’ve ever had. You’ll really enjoy it.

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RedditJ0hn t1_ityyr8w wrote

It's 'uge and not as worth for no-professinals, who might not require the somewhat extended Camera features.

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kmarriner t1_itzci0y wrote

I personally use AT&T with the international day pass. It's $10/day for the first 10 days then free ($5 for the second line for my wife). If I were going to a country it didn't work in, I work use Airalo.

On a recent trip Airalo would have been about $80 for my wife and I , while AT&T was $150. I saw the extra money a small price to pay for keeping my US number associated with iMessage and not needing to temporarily add a second number to it while also being seamless.

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gdesikuco t1_itzzo0u wrote

You don't change your phone number with Airalo, instead, you get another phone line that's just for data (you don't even get a phone number at all with Airalo eSIM) and you get to keep your main phone number for iMessage/calls/2FA SMS.

Works flawlessly for me every time no matter where I go, and I've been to over 20 countries with Airalo eSIM so far, zero trouble. Highly recommend.

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kmarriner t1_iu03qto wrote

Yes but you disable your main line and switch to the second line (and you do get a number, everything has a number even if it is a data only line). If you keep your main line active you're still going to get charged for it.

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gdesikuco t1_iu05uud wrote

You don't disable your main line, it stays active but is used just for voice/SMS and Airalo line is used for data exclusively, unless you've set the phone to switch cellular data networks if you get a phone call on one of them, which you should turn off when going abroad anyway.

There are no additional charges for the main line if it stays active for voice/SMS, at least not where I live.

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kmarriner t1_iu0983x wrote

The price for me to use my line for voice/sms abroad is the same as using it for voice/sms/data. That's the point of Airalo, to disable your normal line and use the local one. The same as when we used to physically switch the sims before esim, you lose your normal number for the duration entirely.

I would rather pay the extra to keep my normal one active. Unless I am in a country that my normal provider doesn't work in.

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gdesikuco t1_iu0c99f wrote

Except that Airalo doesn’t disable your main line since it occupies a separate eSIM slot, unless you have a 2nd line in there, in which case you’d need to disable it for Airalo to work.

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kmarriner t1_iu0czpl wrote

I understand. My point is that if I don't disable my main line, even without data usage and just using it for calls and sms, I get charged $10 a day. If I use data I also get charged $10 a day.

My carrier bundles the cost of using voice and data abroad into one package with no other option, I get charged for both no matter which I use, unless I fully disable it. Your carrier may not charge you for using voice/sms abroad, which is awesome, but mine does unfortunately.

If I am getting charged anyway, then the local data only sim saves me no money.

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gdesikuco t1_iu0ebm3 wrote

My carrier charges me for roaming calls and SMS but only if I use them while roaming. When abroad I stick to iMessage/FaceTime Audio and I pay nothing for roaming charges.

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thatonedude511 t1_iu0c7m3 wrote

As an ATT 14 Pro Max user traveling to London in two weeks this is the answer I was hoping to see

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BlackHole6Cut t1_iu439a8 wrote

$10 per day is crazy expensive.

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kmarriner t1_iu4tc4j wrote

Eh, I spend so much on plane tickets and everything else while traveling, $100 a month of travel isn't bad.

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kellym13 t1_itzoeuh wrote

Buy a 14 from any country not USA, they still have SIM card slot and eSim.

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Dafiro93 t1_iu033yw wrote

A lot of them are missing 5g mmWave though from what I heard.

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kellym13 t1_iu0ac1x wrote

Forgot about that, we don’t have that in Canada yet, and I bet not many travel destinations do either, or at least have it being a dealbreaker

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Mango_In_Me_Hole t1_iu1r55e wrote

All of them are missing mmWave 5G. Only the US model has that. There are also some LTE and mid-band 5G bands that are used in the US that don’t work on any of the foreign iPhone models.

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alexnapierholland t1_itzqayi wrote

I'm a 'digital nomad' and work in tech.

Most of my friends and I bounce between Asia and Europe - and we're all bullish on eSIM.

eSIM is a fundamentally superior and more flexible technology than dirty physical SIMs.

eSIM = I can buy my SIM BEFORE I fly and get data as I land - rather than dealing with some dodgy, lying SIM card merchant in an airport corridor who wants to rip me off and touch my phone to 'set my SIM card up'.

We mainly use Airalo to buy eSIMs right now.

Sure, right now there's less availability and higher costs than physical - but we can blame carriers for holding everything back.

Apple's fired shots - and the entire industry's going to have to rush to catch up.

It's highly likely that most of the rest of the world will get eSIM-only iPhones next year.

And that's awesome.

I'm happy to pay extra costs in the meantime in order to help starve carriers from physical SIM revenue and push the industry towards rapid adoption of eSIM.

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1AMA-CAT-AMA t1_itztes1 wrote

Its great that you love esims. What might be better for you and your use case might not be for someone else. Its why other phones have this thing called choice? Want a cheap airport sim? You got it. Want to set up an esim before you even get on a flight? You got it too.

You're acting like apple didn't support esims before today and forced you to buy an airport sim until now.

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plaid-knight t1_iu0axlh wrote

> cheap airport sim

SIM cards at the airport are notoriously overpriced compared to the options waiting for you if you buy your SIM card in town at a place like a carrier shop or convenience store.

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1AMA-CAT-AMA t1_iu0ig8f wrote

thats true. It doesn't have to be in an airport, but the benefit of having choice remains

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alexnapierholland t1_itzvo2t wrote

Now I can have two eSIMs at once - and a whole load racked up and ready to switch in.

How's that for choice?

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1AMA-CAT-AMA t1_iu0iag8 wrote

2 eSims at once and a bunch more deactivated is literally a software feature and doesn't have anything to do with the presence of a physical slot?

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mthornton91 t1_itzwiqp wrote

Apple didn’t force people to use physical sims, but supply from local carriers might. By phasing out physical cards local carriers are encouraged to provide more esim options to keep business from iPhone users, which opens more doors for everyone down the road.

I know people don’t like change and there is a learning curve, but this will ultimately be an improvement giving people more secure, convenient options to stay connected abroad.

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left_at_read t1_iu1phd7 wrote

What kinda ids do Esim providers ask for tho? Especially when you are international.

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Aggressive_Rip9472 t1_itzumi6 wrote

I’d recommend Airalo! You download the app, buy an eSIM and then install it straight to your phone.

I have an older iPhone (that does support eSIM) and I only use an eSIM. I don’t have a physical sim in mine at all! For me it’s a security thing, nothing to remove so they can’t turn mobile data off without unlocking it first. But yea you can easily travel with eSIM! And you can have two active at once.

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manateefourmation t1_iu060xj wrote

Totally agree on Airalo! No more running around looking for sims when you get off the flight.

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SchAmToo t1_itz36qy wrote

just doing my first international with the 14, eSIM sucks. Twice I’ve changed you get a QR code that they tell you to scan with your phone. If you have just one phone you gotta print it? If you have a partner you snap it and airdrop it to them?

Then you need to be connected to the Internet to activate it. Once you scan the QR code the only option is “activate” two times in a row. So if you bought a limited time eSIM you have no option to install but not activate. And you need to be connected to the Internet so you have to hope to find a wifi to make it work if you wanted to wait until you’re in the country.

Wtf it’s so awful.

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nrron t1_iu0t0t3 wrote

If you have a QR code on your phone in a picture, the phone is smart enough to recognize the QR and read it out of the photo. You don't need to take a picture of the QR code printed out or on another device.

Also, you should be adding the eSIM for your destination before you travel so you just have to toggle it on when you land.

TL;DR: You're doing it wrong.

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SchAmToo t1_iu0vm42 wrote

Okay, you didn’t read my post and you haven’t done it yet i assume :)

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cm0011 t1_itzjcd8 wrote

I use Orange eSim which works for a large part of Europe and Asia

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plaid-knight t1_iu0b0zk wrote

Orange in which country?

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cm0011 t1_iu0b9y7 wrote

They’re based in France but I was able to get a 14 day plan (they had longer ones too) for almost all of Europe and even some parts of Asia. I even registered the number so I could keep it for future use. I was able to pay and get the esim while I was still in Canada, while waiting in the airport, so that I could have service as soon as I got off without using my own roaming plan.

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dragonfighter8 t1_ityqud5 wrote

I would suggest you, if you don't need messages or phone calls to buy a mobile hotspot and use it with your Iphone 14. I know it sn't the best solution, but this is what I would consider.

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mdmd89 t1_iu0dms0 wrote

Just buy it unlocked in Canada. We still have the sim tray

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chiefbozx t1_itzi7bq wrote

I've had good experiences with Ubigi on my 13 Pro Max.

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zak302 t1_itzo0rg wrote

Even Ethiopia, per your example, is serviced by eSIM options. Use an eSIM marketplace like Airalo, Dent, etc and install an eSIM for anywhere you want to go.

It’s cheap. It’s fast. It’s simple. You have service as soon as you land. You don’t have to wait in line at a local telecom counter/store.

I don’t understand the issue

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Hync t1_itzppgk wrote

Buy a HK variant phone. It supports 2 sim card but no eSim support.

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Mrsharr t1_iu1ny8w wrote

There are some models that support both.

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seanroberts196 t1_itzq0tj wrote

Is it that expensive to use your current plan abroad? Mine in the uk includes international roaming for free and i just use my existing phone minutes and texts, along with a few Gb per day. I pay £25 a month so it seems more hassle for me to get a new SIM card and then tell everyone who i might need to contact me what my number is.

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gregra193 t1_itzsgr7 wrote

OP should consider T-Mobile or Google Fi as a carrier.

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Yo_2T t1_iu0sjsw wrote

For US carriers, yes. Typically they'll let you roam with extremely throttled speeds (like 128kbps or 256kbps), and you can pay something like $10/day for high speed data (Verizon will be 500MB for that). T-Mobile gives you 5GB of high speed data roaming all over the world on their most expensive plan, which not everyone is willing to pay for.

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abackupforthebackup t1_itzqvbv wrote

I recently looked into this because of some international travel coming up and Airalo seemed to be the best option. Yes, it's a bit more expensive that buying a physical SIM at your destination and possibly more limited (I did not see service in Ethiopia listed, for example). So I'd start by checking out that app and seeing if the countries you visit are listed.

Also, I don't know where you're located, but where I am at least there are plenty of 13 pro max phones available. That also might be a good option so that you have the SIM tray. It would still be a huge upgrade from the 6 and would last you years. So I'd check around to make sure buying a 13 isn't an option.

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Alex_Leco t1_itzwukw wrote

Mexico and canada have sim tray

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MustGame995 t1_iu01c7g wrote

Travel and buy the 14 in whatever country you’re traveling to. All foreign countries still have the SIM slot - Apple removed it for the US only.

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WhyWasIShadowBanned_ t1_iu06ymx wrote

TIL there are markets with iPhone 14 without nano-sim.

I recently bought 14 Pro and traveled to the USA. I was very excited for esim and downloaded T-Mobile eSIM app. Turned out I wasn’t able to use any of my credit/debit cards (no Apple Pay option as well) to pay for esim because they support just selection of countries.

I thought that esim will make travelling easier… Looks like it’s troublesome both ways.

Looks like if you’re looking just for the internet you’re able to get data plans with esim from some providers. But this seems to be pricier that local carriers prepaid esims.

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plaid-knight t1_iu0biya wrote

I’m currently traveling in Asia using a local SIM (an eSIM) I bought from 3 Hong Kong, which works across many countries. I was able to access this SIM from 3 HK despite never stepping foot in HK because it’s an eSIM that I was able to easily buy from their website.

eSIMs enable this kind of choice and competition that’s impossible with physical SIM cards, where you’re stuck with only the options that are physically in front of you. Physical SIM cards have some advantages over eSIMs, too, but I love eSIMs as a traveler.

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dk_001 t1_iu0haz0 wrote

Big reason I stuck with my 13 ProMax. Especially if you travel to the AsiaPac region or Africa.

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oOLunaLinxOo t1_iu0icc6 wrote

I dont think you should have any problems going for the iPhone 14, and you can always get information about all this at an Apple store! Plus, you can always use Wifi on apps, besides using your number!

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DJSauvage t1_iu0mq2g wrote

I have the 13 Pro Max, and I usually by a local sim when traveling. This is going to be a factor to me, and I don't always have the option to plan ahead. I was in Thailand recently a fellow traveler invited me to join him to see Ankor Wat so was spontaneously in Cambodia. a Physical sim was $4 for unlimited high-speed data, I have no idea if esim was an option then or if not when it will be. I would hate to be restricted to that across the whole world. When I upgrade to the 15, I will have to see what my options are and maybe get a European or Asian Iphone.

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Pololica t1_iu0qpq4 wrote

Buy one from a country on the go...

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chickentataki99 t1_iu0w48n wrote

I used to like Airalo until I realized they were just reselling the 3HK data plan in some cases. If you want a cheaper plan you can typically find one, ESIMDB is a good resource.

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_hello_____ t1_iu11jtu wrote

There are many phone manufacturers that still support SIM cards and even have duel sim support. No reason to lock yourself into apple.

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Own-Illustrator-143 t1_iu13boa wrote

The esim exclusive iPhone 14 series are only the ones being sold in the USA and a I think Canada.

In any other part of the world they have a physical sim slot and 1 esim.

You can either buy a 14 series iPhone in another country since you travel a lot or get a 13 series iPhone in the US if you live there. (Sure, apple doesn’t sell the 13 series, but you can find them in any other store like Best Buy).

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itsadile t1_iu25y2m wrote

Canadian iPhone 14 models have a SIM tray, and are missing the US model's 5G mmWave antenna.

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cap10reader t1_iu1iaw5 wrote

Basically had the same exact situation with my iPhone 14 PM.

Currently traveling outside the country and my carrier sucks.. I called them about putting the eSIM and I would basically lose my US carrier if I switched it in the countries I’m visiting.

So what I did was, I got roaming from my US carrier and fortunately I was able to keep my old iPhone 7 Plus phone (because the trade in value was garbage), and used that as my “back up phone” where I bought the local SIM card and used it that way.

Hope this helps. It’s working great so far for me.

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munanyevedz t1_iu1nf0k wrote

Unless you exclusively want a brand new ip; you could opt for a preloved 13pm i

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Scary_Goat t1_iu1yk4y wrote

Is eSIM support outside of the U.S. uncommon?

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steven-aziz t1_iu254d9 wrote

If there are several common places you like to travel here is a list of all carriers globally that support eSIM. If you don’t see an eSIM-supported carrier in a country you frequent either buy your iPhone 14 outside the US, or buy a new/refurbished iPhone 13 from apple.com.

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leotefo t1_iu28kso wrote

Buy iPhone 14 International version it will be more expensive but for now it's better to have the physical sim. Or you can search for an iPhone 13 there are a lot of shop who have them

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MTPWAZ t1_iu2j59z wrote

You’ll be fine. If you’re worried get a 13 or go Android. But I wouldn’t worry bout it.

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mulderscully01 t1_iu2mv8k wrote

Get an iPhone 12 or 13. Very good cameras in both.

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Feralpudel t1_iu2pnoi wrote

I’ll be working out these issues in Latin America in a few months, except even if I buy a 14 I have an older iphone I can use. It’s worth checking with specific countries, but countries like Mexico might be fine for popping a foreign sim in an older iphone.

Or…if you travel that much, maybe buy a cheaper second one as a travel phone, which can have some security/privacy pluses, too.

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megacon46 t1_iu2scz0 wrote

You can get an iPhone 14 with a Sim card. You just have to go outside the states which I would suggest that as much as people say eSIM is easier it’s just another means of keeping you in the garden

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mtlurb t1_iu2vx7z wrote

Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but every time i replace my iPhone I have to go get a new esim. If there was a way to back it up.

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ashiquropu t1_iu368ly wrote

IMO, travel to Europe with your 6 and then buy the EU/International 14 model that includes a sim tray. :)

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JimRKirk t1_iu3jrkg wrote

Bring another phone with a SIM card slot.

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Ok_Good3255 t1_itzgtyv wrote

I’ll sell you my 13 pro max for $1999.

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