Samsung s23 Ultra eSIM

[kireta]

Hello

I will be traveling to Scotland for 2 weeks with my Samsung S23 Ultra. This phone is "eSIM capable".

It has one physical SIM slot, occupied by the Verizon SIM card.

Option #1:

Buy $100/month International Plan. Unlimited data and text. Voice calls capped at 250 minutes.

Positives: Simple. Not crazy expensive.
Negatives: No idea how good coverage is with roaming partners

Option #2:

Take out the Verizon SIM card and replace it with a physical SIM card

Positives: Cheaper than Verizon $100 International Plan
Negatives: Can no longer use two factor phone-number based 2FA, which is a real problem.

Option #3:

Leave the Verizon SIM card in and pay for some kind of International Plan but add an eSIM from a local carrier.

Positives: Might be better coverage, no voice caps.
Negatives: Confusing as heck....not much on Verizon website, especially for Samsung phones, and reps give unclear/confusing information.

My questions are about the option where I leave the Verizon SIM card in and pay for some kind of International Plan but add an eSIM from a local carrier (which seems like overkill, but would give me unlimited voice and data, and (hopefully) excellent coverage):

• Do I have to activate eSIM function prior to leaving for Scotland?

• If I need to activate eSIM function prior to leaving for Scotland, do I need a QR code or some other way to register the local carrier SIM?

• Or, can I simply do nothing until I arrive in Scotland, buy an eSIM account there, and activate at that time?

Very confusing topic, any help would be appreciated 🙂

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

We are happy to review this process with you, so you can enjoy your trip to Scotland to the fullest without worry of your services. If you wish to use an International Carrier, you will need to ensure your device is unlocked, before leaving the US. We can double-check this with you here, as all devices should be unlocked automatically 60-days after activation on the Verizon Network. Once your device is unlocked, you will not have any further steps to process with Verizon directly, unless you wish to suspend your Verizon account for this trip. If you wish to keep it active in case you need to activate service on your physical Verizon SIM Card, then that is okay as well. It may be prudent to contact the International Carrier ahead of time if you can. This will ensure you can check that your device is elligible for activation on their network, and explore all temporary plans they may have for you. All further information would need to be required by the International Provider, as they will want to inform you how to activate their services on your device, as well as how to ensure your device is set properly to use their services. We will be reaching out to you in a Private Message to ensure you have a way to connect with us, should you wish to review the lock status of your device, and discuss options on possibly suspending your services while you are outside the US. We look forward to working with you soon if so!

*Robert