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International SIM card advice for data roaming in Canada and USA

Hi all

I'm with Plusnet Mobile and will be travelling to both Canada and the USA in the next few months for a couple of weeks each.
I've discovered that roaming data will cost an eye watering £6 per MB in Canada so i am keen to find some way of getting my costs down.
I will mainly be using my iPhone abroad for data so i'm looking for an international roaming sim. Do you know if there is one that I could buy for my iPhone which would cover both countries ? My usage is likely to not exceed 10GB per trip over a two week period.
Is this something I can buy in the UK before i travel or would i need to purchase when i arrive in either country?
Also is there any price comparison site that would provide an option for a user to compare things like data, calls and SMS text allowances for international sim cards?

Many thanks in advance
Neil

Comments

  • BUFF
    BUFF Posts: 2,185 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 15 June 2022 at 12:04PM
    Subject to a 12GB limit (which you say you are unlikely to use that much) for US use I would normally suggest , Three PAYG with a Data Pack https://www.three.co.uk/payg-data-packs as they are not yet charging the extra per day costs that are being applied to most monthly contract sims e.g. see https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6364292/roaming-eu-and-international#latest

    However, I have never had cause to check what the situation is with Three for Canada so that is some research for you.
  • Thanks Buff - Canada is not on the Go Roam list of destinations for Three but this looks like a good option for USA travel
  • Dr.Rock
    Dr.Rock Posts: 697 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Unfortunately mobile phone use and data is eyewateringly expensive in Canada whichever way you slice it.
    I was in Canada recently and bought a local SIM from here: https://gophonebox.com/en/Plans/Plan
    You can get them in the UK on Amazon for about £3 delivered or use eSIM if your phone supports, and set up and prepay for it to start when you arrive in Canada. I used the 7GB option and there is the option to extend.
    Be aware that each plan actually costs $10 more than the prices listed and you don't find out your number until it's activated. Aside from that it was very good and proved invaluable when I got a puncture in the wilds of Nova Scotia.


  • kt01
    kt01 Posts: 35 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    Might not work as you need to order it to the USA I presume, but Textnow Wireless goes up to 5GB at $27.99 + 0.99c SIM and offers included roaming in Canada?

    Depending on your itinerary and local SIM prices in each place it might be a good option. I think there are other US networks with free roaming in Canada but not sure exactly which.
  • Sandtree
    Sandtree Posts: 10,628 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper
    NeilG96 said:
    My usage is likely to not exceed 10GB per trip over a two week period. 
    What are you using your phone for whilst on holiday that you are going through 5GB/week on cellular data?

    Thankfully my O2 contract includes free roaming across North America however I have found they throttle the data heavily. 

    Outside of that I'd buy a local sim on arrival, thankfully my phone takes two sims so just make sure the right one is set to primary for data purposes. I'd certainly be looking at my usage and if there aren't more free-wifi hotspots etc that can be used to notably reduce that... dont use close to 5GB/week when in UK and using the phone for work let alone when on hols.
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