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Plan Features Guide

Does Sim Local eSIM Include Calls and Texts?

It depends on the exact Sim Local plan. Do not assume that every travel eSIM includes a phone number, normal calls or SMS. Check the plan details before buying — use ESIMADVICE for 10% off once you know it's the right plan.

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Last reviewed: 19 July 2026 Informational 7 min read

This is one of the easiest eSIM surprises to avoid. Data works, maps work, WhatsApp works — and then you try to phone a restaurant and discover that the plan was data-led. That may be completely fine for your trip. It is much less fine when a hotel, driver or bank needs a normal call.

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The quick way to check a plan

Open the exact Sim Local plan page or checkout summary and look for these separate labels:

  • Data allowance and validity.
  • Whether calls are included.
  • Whether SMS/texts are included.
  • Whether a local number is supplied.
  • Hotspot/tethering terms, if you need laptop data.
  • Countries and networks covered.

Those are features, not assumptions. Sim Local's activation guide has a dedicated "Does your plan include calls & texts?" section. It instructs users to select the new eSIM as the preferred line for calls and texts if the plan includes them. That conditional wording is the important bit.

Data-only does not mean disconnected

A data eSIM can still handle a great deal of normal travel life. With mobile data you can use:

  • WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and iMessage.
  • Google Maps, ride-hailing apps and translation.
  • Email, airline apps and online check-in.
  • FaceTime, WhatsApp calls and other internet calling apps.
  • Booking messages through Airbnb, Booking.com or hotel chat tools.

If the person you need to reach also uses an internet messaging app, a data plan is often all you need. Your existing WhatsApp account usually remains tied to your usual number even when the mobile data comes from another line; do not re-register it unless you intentionally want to change numbers.

The gap is traditional cellular service. A data-only travel plan may not give you a local telephone number for ordinary calls, SMS verification, emergency calling or services that insist on a local number. For those, keep your home SIM active where practical, choose a plan that explicitly includes voice/SMS, or arrange another solution before travel.

Traveller making a phone call abroad using a mobile network
Check whether calls and texts are included before assuming your travel eSIM covers them.

Keep your home number and use Sim Local for data

This is the setup many travellers want: your usual number remains available for texts and calls, while the Sim Local eSIM pays for data abroad.

On iPhone

After the travel eSIM is installed, go to Settings > Mobile Service/Cellular. Select the Sim Local line for Mobile Data. Leave your normal line selected for calls and texts if you want to keep its number active. Turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching so the phone cannot quietly use home-line roaming data when the travel signal dips.

On Samsung and Android

Open Settings > Connections > SIM manager on Samsung, or Settings > Network & internet > SIMs on many other Android phones. Choose Sim Local for Mobile Data. Choose the home line for Calls and Texts if that is your preference, unless the Sim Local plan explicitly includes those services and you want to use them instead.

Sim Local's terms warn that automatic data switching can interfere with connectivity and lead to unexpected roaming charges. This setting is worth checking on every new trip. For a full troubleshooting walkthrough, see Sim Local eSIM not working.

What happens to SMS codes?

This is the part travellers often miss. If your bank, airline or work account sends verification by SMS to your regular number, you need a way to receive that number's messages. Keeping your home SIM active may do that, but your home provider can still charge for roaming service depending on its policy. Receiving an SMS may be free on some networks and not on others; check your own provider rather than relying on travel-forum advice.

Before travel, move important accounts to an authenticator app where possible. Save recovery codes offline. It is much easier to do that at home than while your bank is sending a code to a number that has no service in another time zone.

eSIM QR code screen used to activate a travel data and calls plan
Select the travel eSIM as the preferred line for calls and texts only if your plan includes them.

When should you choose a plan with calls and texts?

Voice/SMS inclusion matters more if you are:

  • Taking a long trip in one country and expect to call local businesses.
  • Working abroad and may need a normal phone line.
  • Staying somewhere where the host only calls or texts.
  • Travelling with people who do not use messaging apps.
  • Expecting local delivery drivers or services to contact you by phone.

It matters less for a short city break where bookings are in apps and everyone uses WhatsApp. In that case, buying a smaller data plan can be the cleaner choice.

A practical communication plan for travel

The reliable approach is to plan in layers:

  1. Data layer: Sim Local eSIM for maps, messaging and apps.
  2. Number layer: home SIM kept active only if you need its messages/calls and understand the roaming cost.
  3. App layer: WhatsApp/iMessage/Signal for everyday calls.
  4. Backup layer: hotel Wi-Fi, offline maps and saved booking numbers.

Name both lines in your phone. "Home number" and "Travel data" reduce the chance of sending an expensive call through the wrong one. Test your messaging apps over Wi-Fi before the flight.

Don't confuse data roaming with home roaming

Travel eSIMs often need data roaming turned on to use their local partner network. That is normal. The key is turning it on for the Sim Local travel line, while preventing your home line from being used for data. If you see no data after arrival, first confirm the Sim Local line is set as Mobile Data and that roaming is enabled for that line.

Our Sim Local eSIM troubleshooting guide walks through those settings in order. It is also a useful read if calls work but data does not, because a phone can use different preferred lines for each service.

How the Sim Local app helps

Sim Local says its app lets customers manage eSIM plans, check data usage and top up on the go for most plans. That is helpful for the data side of travel. It does not replace reading whether your particular plan has calls/texts. Plan inclusions remain the source of truth.

If you need more data midway through a trip, look for a plan-specific top-up in the app. Do not assume that adding data also adds a phone number or voice allowance.

👉 See Sim Local plans and check calls/texts details

Calls & texts FAQs

No assumption should be made. Sim Local's activation guide refers to calls and texts only where a plan includes them. Check the precise plan details before purchasing.
Often you can if you keep the home SIM active, but your home provider's roaming terms still apply. Put Sim Local in the Mobile Data slot and switch off automatic data switching.
WhatsApp uses mobile data or Wi-Fi, so it can work with a data plan. Your WhatsApp account normally stays linked to your existing number unless you choose to change it.
Only when the exact purchased plan says calls are included and you choose it as the preferred calls line in phone settings. Otherwise use internet calling apps or your home line according to its roaming terms.
Turn it off if you do not need calls or verification texts and want the strongest protection against home-network roaming. Keep it on for messages only if you understand your provider's charges and have disabled data switching.

Bottom line

Sim Local can be an excellent travel-data setup, but calls and texts are plan features, not a default promise. Read the exact plan page, put the travel eSIM in charge of data, and keep your home number only for the parts of your trip that truly need it.

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