Data-only plans
A data-only eSIM gives you an internet connection and no dialable number. Everything that runs over the internet still works normally: WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, Telegram, FaceTime, Zoom, WhatsApp and FaceTime voice and video calls, email, maps and streaming.
What a data-only plan cannot do:
- Dial or receive a normal phone call on that line.
- Send or receive standard SMS on that line.
- Receive SMS one-time passcodes from a bank on that line — those go to your home number.
Because plans in our catalogue record whether calls and SMS are included, plans that only list a data allowance are data-only.
Plans with calls and SMS
These plans come with a local or regional phone number and an allowance of voice minutes, text messages, or both. They suit trips where you need to be reachable by locals — taxi drivers, restaurants, hosts, local businesses — or where a service insists on a local number.
They usually cost more for the same amount of data, and the number is temporary: it stops working when the plan expires.
Keeping your own number
The standard travel setup is dual-SIM: your home SIM stays active for calls and SMS on your usual number, with data roaming switched off so it cannot bill you, and the travel eSIM carries mobile data. Incoming SMS codes still arrive on the home line, which is normally free to receive.
Which should you pick?
- Data-only if you mainly need maps, messaging apps and internet — the cheapest option for most travellers.
- Calls and SMS if you must be reachable on a local number or expect to call landlines and local businesses.
When comparing plans on a destination page, check the plan details for a calls or SMS allowance; anything that lists data alone is data-only.