Right before the flight, the same question always comes up: if the eSIM I bought is data-only, how do I call home? The short answer: almost everything you do on your phone today already goes over the internet. WhatsApp, navigation, email and even video calls — it all runs on a data plan. So let's sort it out: what works great with a data eSIM, what needs a little attention, and when it's really worth considering a local number.
Most travel eSIM plans are data plans: you get fast internet on a local network at your destination, without a new phone number and without the ability to send or receive SMS through it. That sounds like a drawback, but in practice it's exactly what most travelers need, because almost all of our communication moved to apps long ago.
And the convenient part: the eSIM is installed digitally alongside your regular SIM. You don't take anything out of the device and you don't hunt for a paperclip at the airport — the two SIMs simply live together in the same phone, each doing its own job.
WhatsApp doesn't check which SIM is currently in the device — it remembers the number you registered with. So when you're browsing through a data eSIM abroad, WhatsApp keeps working with your Israeli number: the same groups, the same contacts, the same history. Messages, photos and voice notes — everything as usual.
Calls too. WhatsApp voice and video calls go over the internet, so they work great on a data plan, at no cost beyond the data itself. The same principle applies to Telegram, FaceTime and the rest of the communication apps. Need to call a landline or someone who doesn't have WhatsApp? There are apps that let you call regular numbers over the internet for a fee — a convenient solution for the occasional call.
And here's the tip that really matters: leave your Israeli SIM active in the device, but turn off its data abroad — what's known as Data Roaming. That way all your browsing goes through the eSIM, while you keep receiving SMS to your Israeli number: bank codes, two-factor authentication and updates from your credit card company.
One nuance to note: receiving SMS abroad is usually free of charge, but answering incoming calls or sending messages from your Israeli number may involve roaming rates from your carrier back home. It's worth checking the terms with them before the flight — and letting the non-urgent calls reach you on WhatsApp.
Waze and Google Maps need two things: GPS, which always works regardless of any SIM at all, and an internet connection to load maps and traffic — exactly what the eSIM provides. Taxi apps, table reservations, attraction tickets and Google Translate all run on data too. And a small tip from experience: download offline maps of your destination while still at home, for the day you find yourself in a tunnel or a village with weak reception.
Let's be honest: there are situations where data alone isn't enough. A long stay, renting an apartment, working with local contacts, or services that require verification — in some countries there are services that will only send a code to a local number. Anyone expecting many incoming calls from people at the destination, like landlords or car rental offices, will also feel more comfortable with a local number at hand.
But for most trips — a vacation, a trek or a short business trip — a data eSIM covers it all: WhatsApp, video calls, navigation, and bank codes that keep arriving in the background on your Israeli SIM. You install it in a few minutes before the flight, activate it on landing, and pick up exactly where you left off. The up-to-date prices are always on the site — pick a destination, and we'll set you up.
