As of: Oct 2026
Start with your carrier’s conditions
Before changing a phone setting, identify what your Canadian plan already includes. Check the destination, the activities that trigger roaming charges and whether a travel pass starts automatically. A day pass and a longer pass can have different conditions. Save the carrier’s explanation somewhere you can read offline. Do not assume that a quoted daily price is the cheapest way to cover the entire trip.
Write down which services you need abroad: mobile data, ordinary calls, text messages or access to your Canadian number for verification codes. These are separate needs. Turning off data roaming addresses mobile data on a line; it is not a promise that every other use of that line is free. Ask the carrier about the exact activities you intend to use, including Wi-Fi calling.
Turn off data roaming on your home line
On an iPhone, start in Settings, then Cellular or Mobile Service. Choose the Canadian line if more than one line appears. Open its data options and switch Data Roaming off. Labels vary with device, region and software version. Use Apple’s roaming guidance if your menu looks different.
On Android, start in Settings, then Network & internet, then SIMs. Select the Canadian SIM and check its roaming setting. Manufacturers can use different names and menus. Pixel owners can consult Google’s dual-SIM help. Confirm that you changed the intended line, especially if both lines have similar names.
Choose the line that supplies travel data
If you use a travel eSIM, give it a recognizable label such as the destination name. Select that line for mobile data after following the provider’s activation instructions. Review any option that automatically switches mobile data between lines. Leaving the Canadian line available for calls or messages is a separate decision that should reflect the carrier conditions you checked earlier.
Some travel eSIM instructions require roaming on the travel line. That does not mean you should enable it on the Canadian line. Keep the two settings distinct. Before leaving reliable Wi-Fi, inspect the selected data line and save the eSIM provider’s support instructions. Avoid deleting an installed eSIM merely as an experiment; first check whether the provider allows it to be installed again.
Make a short departure checklist
Record your selected data line, the Canadian line’s roaming setting and the relevant carrier conditions. Save offline maps and important booking details so you have something useful even before mobile data connects. Tell your travel companions how you plan to stay in touch without assuming ordinary calls are included in a data-only plan.
After arrival, make a small connectivity check and review the line being used. If the behaviour differs from what you expected, pause data use and consult the provider before continuing. The travel cost calculator can compare the known costs, but it cannot determine which charge a carrier will apply to an individual account.