How to use Rogers sim & a Europe esim without triggering Rogers roaming charges?

[chiroken]

I have a Rogers plan and iPhone. I'll be in Europe for ~18 days and plan on buying in advance an esim for Europe (probably one with data as well as a European number so I can call while in Europe). 1) I'd still like to be able to check texts etc while in Europe so can I check texts with my Rogers sim while I am in Airplane Mode and not have roaming charges? 2) Can I only send/receive imessages or can I also get regular texts? 3) I've found in Mexico not all of my texts go to friends back in Canada until I land back in Canada and I assume that is because they are not on iphones? 4) If I am on my esim, can I put the phone in airplane mode then switch to my Rogers sim and will the phone stay in airplane mode or does it default to normal mode when the phone switches sims? 5) If someone calls me on my Canadian number, I don't answer but my voicemail take a message, will that trigger roaming charges and is there anyway I can retrieve the voice message while in Europe and not trigger roaming charges? I'd rather not physically remove the Rogers sim card as then I can't check anything from back home on that number but I am concerned of getting hit with daily $15 roaming charges as I read there are many ways I can still trigger roaming charges even if I turn off roaming and it can be very confusing trying to figure this all out! Thanks in advance for your help. 

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@chiroken wrote:

1) I'd still like to be able to check texts etc while in Europe so can I check texts with my Rogers sim while I am in Airplane Mode and not have roaming charges?

2) Can I only send/receive imessages or can I also get regular texts?

3) I've found in Mexico not all of my texts go to friends back in Canada until I land back in Canada and I assume that is because they are not on iphones?

4) If I am on my esim, can I put the phone in airplane mode then switch to my Rogers sim and will the phone stay in airplane mode or does it default to normal mode when the phone switches sims?

5) ...is there anyway I can retrieve the voice message while in Europe and not trigger roaming charges?

6. I'd rather not physically remove the Rogers sim card as then I can't check anything from back home on that number but I am concerned of getting hit with daily $15 roaming charges...

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1. If you are in Airplane mode, you will only be able to send/receive iMessages.  Any texts or calls will not be available to you in Airplane mode. Make sure you enable airplane mode before leaving Canada.

2. Only iMessages, unless you use something like What's App.

3. Correct.  I'm not sure if there is an App or otherwise for Android to send/receive iMessages.

4. When you are in Airplane mode  the Rogers SIM doesn't matter  I don't know about switching SIMs. someone else will need to provide that answer. I'm also not sure if you can enable Airplane mode on each of the two different SIMs, or whether that affects both.

5. No, not unless your callers call you on the European number.  Edit. I have "Home and Away Voicemail" on my Home Phone. This allows me to get voicemails via e-mail left on my Home Phone.  If necessary, I then contact the caller via e-mail or otherwise.  I don't know if such a thing exists for cell phones. 

6. You should remove the Rogers SIM before you leave to be safe, otherwise as soon as your Roger SIM side connects to a cell tower, you will be charged with Roam like Home.  

7. You can call Rogers to disable Roam Like Home and use "Pay per use" instead if necessary.

8. Check out my summary post on Roam Like Home below:

https://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Account-Support/Roaming-like-home/m-p/518044/highlight/true#M3...

[LordDrakkon]

WiFi Calling can be used to send and receive SMS/MMS while out of the country. As mentioned, you want to make sure the device is in Airplane Mode thennturn on WiFi and once connected to WiFi, WiFi Calling should connect.

If you plan on using an EU SIM while you are over there. You won't be able to keep the device in Airplane Mode. You will either want to remove your Rogers pSIM or disable your Rogers eSIM while your other eSIM is active.

[chiroken]

Thank you for your reply. I may have misunderstood having 2 sims on the phone at once (one physical Rogers and 1 european esim) but I thought that when you switch over on the iphone to the esim the Rogers sim is disabled and would not be functional even when the phone is off airplane mode (on the esim). Is this incorrect?

[LordDrakkon]

One pSIM and one eSIM equals dual-SIM. Both an pSIM and an eSIM can be active at the same time.

[chiroken]

Thank you again for your time. If they can be active at the same time, can you inactivate 1 as well so only 1 is active? Ie. Have the Euro esim active and the Rogers psim inactive. Then selectively activate the psim when on wifi to check imessages etc then when done inactivate it.

[LordDrakkon]

It isn't as easy to temporarily deactivate a pSIM as it is an eSIM. You are better off removing it to make sure you don't get charged any roaming charges.

[tracyisaacs]

If I have my iphone 14 settings toggled to "off" on the Rogers sim and "on" on the european local network esim, is that enough to avoid Roam Like Home charges? Like, is toggling it to "off" effectively the same as physically removing it from the device?

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@tracyisaacs : As discussed in the post above yours, it's best to remove the Rogers SIM. See also the following post on how to avoid roaming charges:

https://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Account-Support/Roaming-like-home/m-p/518044/highlight/true#M3...

See also my post (2) of this thread.

[tracyisaacs]

Yes thank you I saw that but I wanted to avoid having to remove the card, since it is tiny and easy to misplace. I don't quite understand why toggling the card to "off", meaning it is not in use, would require the extra step of removing it. And obviously I can't be in airplane mode if I am using an e-sim. Thank you for your input.

[Pauly · Accepted solution]

because physically removing it guarantees that it wont connect to the network, while keeping it in the phone there have been reports of people accidentally toggling it on or a software setting turning it on or a child turning it on or something else accidentally turning it on,  accidents do happen, so this is a sure way to avoid this.

[LordDrakkon]

Regardless of whether or not you use an iPhone or Android devuce. We don't have as much control over our devices as most think. Turning a SIM off doesn't mean something with system priveledges can't turn it on or access outside of the toggle you turn off. As an example, butt dialing 999, 911, or 000 regardless of where you are in the world will override any settings on the device to place that emergency call. Apps designed by Apple and Google as well as many other app developers create apps that have elevated permissions above the users to maintain whatever experience they are trying to provide. WhatsApp handing off calls to cellular without any notification or setting to disable it, which can also turn on your SIM if it thinks the connection will be lost to maintain a call.

Personally, I keep my pSIM on my wallet in a RFID sleeve when I am traveling anywhere I don't want to be charged for roaming.