 | Flytrippers cofounder |
Roaming fees charged by Canadian cellphone providers are undoubtedly one of the worst scams that exist in the entire world of travel, at least in terms of the percentage you get ripped off by. And yet, sadly, there’s still an incredible number of people who fall for it. Here’s another very concrete example from my next trip.
The eSIM card trick is very simple and easy, so if you didn’t already know about it, you’re definitely missing out on so many other simple and easy travel tips. You’re surely paying too much for so many things.
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Here’s another concrete example of the roaming fee scam.
Roaming fee scam
Roaming fees charged by Canadian providers are a scam that easily costs 10 times more for absolutely no reason.
It’s normal to want internet access in another country, but definitely don’t pay $16 to $18 per day for that!!!
All you have to do is buy an eSIM card (or a local SIM card, although it’s often no longer cheaper than the eSIM and it’s a bit more effort).
The eSIM card connects you to the exact same local network that Bell, Rogers, Fido, etc. connect you to. But for 10 times cheaper (or better).
Flytrippers has an eSIM comparison tool where you can choose the country, the amount of data, or the duration.
If I could sum up my vast expertise related to cheaper travel in one sentence, it’s this: you just always have to compare everything. Compare, compare, and compare again. Simple.
Don’t just always use Airalo, Saily, and Holafly… those are the best-known and therefore the most expensive; all eSIM providers connect to the exact same local network in a country!!!
But hey, even those are of course still always better than the roaming fee scam from Canadian providers!
Using your cellular data is a little simpler and more convenient. For everything in travel (and everything in life, really), what’s simpler and more convenient costs more. That makes sense. That’s the basics to know.
But downloading and installing an eSIM card takes 5 minutes and is so simple that it’s not worth paying an amount per day that should literally get you 2 months of data!
If you want all the details, we also have a complete guide on internet access while traveling. Here, I’ll give you an example from my upcoming trip.
My other concrete example
I’m leaving soon for 4 weeks in Europe with my girlfriend. I’ll share my usual trip overview article very soon, and you can follow along live in my stories on my personal Instagram account.
I’ll also share an article specifically about my other excellent redemption of Aeroplan points for our flight in a luxurious lie-flat business class pod seat that cost $3,000+ each in cash.
(As much as roaming fees are the worst scam… business class flights with airline points are the best deal. I got a value of 5¢/pt instead of our conservative Flytrippers Valuation of ≈1.5¢/pt for economy class or the even worse value of ≈1.1¢/pt on Air Canada!)
Anyway, as part of my usual logistical prep, there are obviously the eSIM cards.
To give just one example, one of our destinations will be Czechia (I’m visiting 3 new countries on this trip, as part of my quest to visit them all).
It costs $4.74 for 5 GB of data in that country.
That’s plenty for a week if you always connect to free Wi-Fi networks (with a VPN, of course) and only use data when there isn’t any.
But even if you want 10 GB, it’s just $8.66.
Even if you want 20 GB of data, it’s still only $16.91!
That’s the same price as a single day of roaming rates with the scam from Canadian providers. And these eSIMs are valid for up to 30 days.
As a reminder, here’s the daily roaming rate charged by Canadian providers*:
- Bell: $16
- Rogers: $18
- Telus: $18
- Fido: $18
- Koodo: $18
- Virgin Plus: $16
- Videotron: $15
*For the US, it’s a bit cheaper… but still way too expensive!
What an incredible scam.
If you pay for 5 days at $18, that costs you $90… when it could cost you less than $5.
That’s 1799% more… for nothing.
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Summary
Roaming fees from Canadian cell phone providers are one of the worst scams in the entire world of travel. Buying an eSIM card is easy and costs a tiny fraction of the price… and it connects you to the exact same local network. Don’t get ripped off anymore!
What would you like to know about this example of the roaming fee scam? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Half Moon Bay, United States (photo credit: Nadine E)
