Yes, you can keep your home number while you travel. And no, it doesn’t have to mean surprise roaming charges.
A lot of travelers do this so they can still receive important messages like bank verification codes or one-time passwords while they’re overseas.
The key is making sure your phone knows which SIM to use for data, and which one to keep for calls and texts.
What do you need to know before we start
If you’re using both your home SIM and a travel eSIM, there are a few quick settings to check before you get started.
- Your travel eSIM must be set as the Mobile Data line
- Your home SIM should remain the Default Voice line
- Data roaming and mobile data switching must be turned off for your home SIM
If any of these settings are incorrect, your phone may use your home network for data, which can result in roaming charges.
How to check your settings
Using an iPhone
- Go to phone Settings
- Tap Mobile Service (or Cellular)
- Select your Simify eSIM
It is the one without a phone number.
- Turn Off Mobile Data Switching
This stops your iPhone from switching back to your home SIM for data.
- Go back to Mobile Service (or Cellular)
- Tap your home SIM
- Make sure Data Roaming is Off
Using a Samsung
- Go to Phone Settings
- Tap Connections
- Tap SIM Manager
- Under Mobile data, select your Simify eSIM
- In SIM Manager, look for Calls and Messages
- Make sure your home SIM is selected
This keeps your regular number available for calls and texts.
- In SIM Manager, tap your home SIM
- Turn Data roaming Off
- In SIM Manager, make sure Auto Mobile Data Switching if Off
Using a Google Pixel
- Go to Phone Settings
- Tap Network & internet
- Tap SIMs
- Under Mobile data, select your Simify eSIM
- In SIMs, look for Calls and SMS
- Make sure your home SIM is selected for both
- In SIMs, tap your home SIM
- Turn Data Roaming Off
How do calls and texts work when you keep your home number?
If you keep your home SIM active, your regular phone number will still work for calls and text messages while you’re overseas.
In most cases, receiving text messages is free, which is why many travelers keep their home SIM on for things like bank verification codes or one-time passwords.
This works the same way on iPhone and Android phones.
What to keep in mind is that making or answering calls may still incur roaming charges, depending on your carrier and plan.
Because of that, it’s best to avoid using your home SIM for calls unless you know exactly how your carrier handles roaming.
If you’re using an iPhone and rely on iMessage or FaceTime, there are a few extra settings worth checking to make sure messages continue to go through over data instead of your carrier network.
You can follow these steps to set up iMessage & FaceTime to avoid roaming charges.
Still seeing roaming alerts?
If you still receive roaming notifications after checking these settings, your carrier may have international roaming enabled on their side.
You can usually manage this in your carrier’s app or by contacting them directly.
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