How to disable your SIM for travel

Phone calls? Texts? Nope, not on vacation!

Select your device to see how to turn off your phone number for international travel …

[I want to leave my phone number on instead](/content/use-your-phone-number-for-international-travel/ "I want to leave my phone number on instead"/index.html)

apple

Choose from these eSIM-compatible models

  • iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 15 Pro
  • iPhone 15 Plus
  • iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 14 Pro
  • iPhone 14 Plus
  • iPhone 14
  • iPhone 15
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Mini
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Mini
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone SE (Second gen)
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XR
  • iPad Mini (selected models)
  • iPad (selected models)
  • iPad Pro (selected models)
  • iPad Air (selected models)

google

Choose from these eSIM-compatible models

  • Google Pixel Fold
  • Google Pixel 7a
  • Google Pixel 7 Pro
  • Google Pixel 7
  • Google Pixel 6 Pro
  • Google Pixel 6a
  • Google Pixel 6
  • Google Pixel 5
  • Google Pixel 4a 5G
  • Google Pixel 4 XL
  • Google Pixel 4a
  • Google Pixel 4

samsung

Choose from these eSIM-compatible models

  • Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
  • Samsung Galaxy S23+
  • Samsung Galaxy S23
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  • Samsung Galaxy S20+
  • Samsung Galaxy S20
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

other

Choose from these eSIM-compatible models

  • Motorola
  • Huawei
  • OPPO
  • Nuu
  • Gemini
  • Acer
  • ASUS
  • Rakuten
  • Sony
  • Fairphone
  • Sharp
  • Dell
  • HP
  • Lenovo
  • Microsoft
  • Xiaomi
  • Hammer
  • Nokia
  • OnePlus

What are the benefits of disabling my SIM for international travel?

  1. You won’t be charged for phone calls or texts that occur in another country, since you won’t be able to make/accept calls or send/receive texts.

    (iMessage will continue to work just fine as long as you’re on Wi-Fi or using an eSIM for mobile data.)

  2. You can relax and enjoy your travels, without feeling distracted by spammy calls, long text threads about plans you won’t be attending, or random wrong numbers. You’ll be “phone-free,” except of course you can still use your phone for your fave apps.

Is there any reason I shouldn’t disable my Primary SIM for international travel?

If you disable your Primary SIM, your friends, family, and colleagues will not be able to call or text you on your regular phone number until it’s switched back on.

Depending on why they’re calling you on vacation, this might actually be a good thing. 😉

You also won’t have access to your texts for two-factor authentication, so we recommend using a two-factor authentication app instead. It’s a safe way to ensure you can always log into your accounts, even without access to your phone number.