A global SIM is essentially a SIM card working on more than a single carrier network, in multiple countries. For instance, if you are a Canadian traveller heading on a trip to multiple places, such as Lisbon, Athens, Scotland, Tahiti, and Madrid, the first thing you would do is activate the roaming option on your existing Canadian SIM card. Unfortunately, this route can be quite expensive, since your Canadian operator has zero requirement or reason to enter into an understanding with European telecom operators to reduce roaming call and data charges.
And if you head out to a lesser known destination, such as Tahiti, the roaming prices would go up further compared to Europe. To give you a rough estimate or perspective, data charges could be anywhere near $20 per MB. And since the majority of national SIMs are sold contractually, you may not realize your costs until you are jolted by your next bill when it arrives.
Another option is to buy a SIM card each locally for the different destinations. This would provide you a local mobile phone number in the country and you’ll end up paying local rates. But there could be other requirements, like registering for the card, producing your visa or passport or even waiting for the card approval process to complete. If you are scheduled to spend only a couple of days at every location, getting a local SIM could be extremely time-consuming and beyond the point.
Global SIM card is your third option, which sits right between the aforementioned options. Getting a global SIM card would not be as inexpensive as procuring a local SIM card. However, since a global SIM card provider has made arrangements with operators across the globe, the roaming prices wouldn’t be anywhere near traditional roaming charges.
There are a few other benefits to global SIM cards as well. For instance, you need not change your number every time you travel to another country. If you enter a country like the United Kingdom that has multiple operators, you may switch between local operators if you find reception from one provider to be better than the other.
Moreover, global SIM cards happen to be prepaid SIM cards, which means you can spend only the amount you have already charged the SIM card with. The best part about this is you would not be greeted by a massive phone bill when you return home.
Global SIM cards are offered in several countries and by various operators. If you are interested in one, get in touch with your local telecom service provider.
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