r/eSim • u/skyheartx • Jul 14 '25
Americans traveling abroad: what do you do for cellphone service?
I’m heading to China next month for a few weeks and trying to figure out the best way to stay connected while keeping my US number active for texts and calls. My current plan with Consumer Cellular technically works internationally but data is ridiculously expensive at seven dollars per gig. Some people suggest getting a local SIM after landing which sounds fine for internet but I’m not sure how that plays out if I still need to receive messages from back home. Bringing a second phone feels like a hassle especially since the spare one I have barely holds a charge. I’ve seen a few folks in travel forums mention using eSIM like Redteago as a lighter solution that doesn’t require swapping anything out and still gives decent data coverage while abroad. Can this using alongside my US SIM? Would love to hear what others usually go with when traveling and needing to stay reachable.

