

If it does, you may be able to select from available service providers for the country you are visiting through a drop-down menu in your phone’s settings, instead of having to swap in a physical SIM card. Find out if your cell phone has an embedded SIM card, or eSIM.You can either purchase a local SIM card in the United States before departing or purchase it from a local mobile provider once you arrive in the country.If your wireless service provider is a signatory to the CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service, it is required to comply with the code's standards. Contact your carrier for instructions on how to unlock your device. The unlocking process varies by device and by carrier.Unlocking the phone would enable you to use a SIM card (a removable card in some mobile handsets containing subscriber data and the phone's number), or an embedded eSIM with a local number in the country you're visiting, effectively turning your handset into a local phone. If your mobile phone is compatible with the networks in the other country, contact your carrier and ask to have your phone unlocked. Unlock your phone so you can use a local SIM card.Due to delays in processing international roaming, charges may not appear on your bill for an additional billing cycle after your return.īefore traveling, consider your available options, including: How you can track your usage so that you stay within your plan and do not incur additional charges while abroad.Ask your service provider about all the available options.Higher rates may apply to all of your phone's functions, including voice calls, voice mail, text messages, and internet access.Rates may be much higher because of additional roaming fees on foreign mobile networks and may vary from country to country and network to network.customers, domestic service plans do not cover usage abroad.

If you are willing to pay the charges, verify with your carrier that international roaming is activated before you travel. Roaming rates for the countries you plan to visit.Check with your mobile service provider to confirm before you depart. Your phone might work for voice calls, but other functions – such as text messaging or sending and receiving data – might not.Mobile telephone networks differ from country to country, and your phone may be incompatible with the networks in the country you are visiting.International roaming arrangements with the service providers in the country you are visiting and whether your mobile phone will work there.Before you travel, ask your carrier about:
