Travel eSIMs for Your Vacation: Is SMS Included?
Key takeaways
A data-only plan includes internet access only. Standard SMS messages need a plan that supports texting.
Bank verification codes go to the number registered with your bank. A travel eSIM does not redirect those messages to itself.
You can keep your primary SIM active for SMS and use a travel eSIM for mobile data.
WhatsApp and Telegram work over your travel eSIM’s internet connection. You do not need to change the number on your accounts.
Turning off data roaming does not turn off the SIM itself. If you disable the SIM completely, it will not receive standard SMS messages.
You land, connect your eSIM and everything works: maps load, WhatsApp messages go through and you book a taxi. Then you try to pay for museum tickets. Your bank sends a verification code, but the SMS never arrives.
Your first thought is that something is wrong with the new eSIM. Yet the code was sent to your usual phone number, while the travel plan is simply providing internet access for your browser. Here is what these plans include and how to keep receiving messages while you are away.
Do travel eSIMs include SMS?
If the description says Data only, the plan does not include standard SMS messages. It provides internet access for maps, taxi apps, your browser, email and messaging apps.
Other plans may include a phone number, SMS and call minutes. The word eSIM alone tells you none of this: it is a SIM format you install on your phone without a physical card. The plan description tells you which services are included.
| What the description says | What you get |
|---|---|
| Data only | Mobile data without standard SMS or phone calls |
| Data and incoming SMS | Mobile data and incoming messages under the plan’s terms |
| Data, SMS and minutes | Mobile data, messages and calls within the plan’s allowance |
Receiving and sending SMS can also be separate services. If the description mentions incoming messages only, check separately whether you can reply.
Will bank verification codes arrive on your eSIM?
The code goes to the phone number linked to your bank account. Installing a travel eSIM does not change where your bank sends its messages.
For example, you have used your primary SIM for years. Its number is registered with your bank, email account and taxi app. Before your vacation, you add a travel eSIM for internet access. The new plan does not change the number on any of those accounts.
A phone that supports two active SIMs at the same time lets you keep your primary SIM for messages and use the travel eSIM for data. To receive codes, your primary SIM needs to connect to a mobile network in the country you are visiting. Roaming availability and SMS delivery depend on your carrier.
Banks also use different verification methods. An in-app notification arrives over the internet. An SMS goes to your phone number. The instructions on the payment screen will tell you where to look for the code.
How to keep your primary SIM active for SMS without using its data
In your phone’s settings, you can select the travel eSIM for mobile data and leave your primary SIM switched on.
It is easy to confuse these two actions:
Turning off data roaming: your primary SIM stays active but does not use mobile data while roaming.
Turning off the SIM itself: your phone stops receiving standard SMS messages on that number over the mobile network.
For a trip with two SIMs, the settings look like this:
| Setting | Primary SIM | Travel eSIM |
|---|---|---|
| SIM switched on | Yes | Yes |
| Used for mobile data | No | Yes |
| Data roaming | Off | Follow the plan’s setup instructions |
Turn off automatic mobile data switching between SIMs too. Otherwise, your phone may use your primary SIM for data under certain conditions. The names of these settings vary between iPhone and Android, and between operating system versions.
While your primary SIM is active, your carrier’s rates still apply. Incoming calls, outgoing SMS and other services abroad are charged according to its terms. Turning off data roaming blocks mobile data, but it does not disable every service that could incur a charge.
Will WhatsApp and Telegram still work?
If you are already signed in, your conversations will continue over the travel eSIM’s internet connection. Your contacts, chats and account number stay the same.
You do not need to tap “Change number” in your messaging app after installing the eSIM. Your family can keep writing in the same chat, and you can reply using your new data plan.
You will need access to your number if the app asks you to verify a login, for example after reinstalling it or switching to a new phone. The service determines how you receive the code: by SMS, in an existing signed-in session or through another option shown on screen.
Taxi apps work in much the same way. An account you are already signed in to works over your travel eSIM. If the app signs you out and asks for an SMS code, the message goes to the number you registered with.
You can sign in to the apps you need before leaving home. This reduces the number of phone verification steps after you land, although a service may still ask you to verify again.
Why do chats work when SMS messages do not arrive?
On an iPhone, standard SMS and iMessage appear in the same app. Both look like conversations in Messages, but they are delivered differently.
iMessage uses the internet. Standard SMS messages are received through the SIM associated with the recipient’s phone number. That is why a conversation with your family can continue even when a bank code fails to arrive. A working chat does not tell you whether SMS delivery is working.
Notifications inside your banking app also arrive over the internet. You do not need an SMS allowance for those.
What to check if your verification code has not arrived
The verification screen usually shows the last few digits of the recipient’s phone number. Start there: did the service send the code to your current number or an old one still saved in your account?
If the number is correct:
Check that your primary SIM is switched on in your phone’s settings.
Make sure it shows a mobile network connection rather than “No service.”
Check with your carrier that the number is not blocked and roaming is allowed.
After requesting a code, wait for the countdown to finish before asking for another.
If other SMS messages arrive but messages from one particular bank do not, contact the bank and your carrier. Have the country you are visiting, the time you requested the code and the service name ready.
Buying more data will not help here. Your internet connection is already working; the remaining issue is getting the message delivered to your phone number.
What if you need a local number?
While traveling, you may come across services that only accept phone numbers from their own country, such as a local delivery app or an appointment booking service.
A data-only plan does not provide that number. To register, you will need a SIM or eSIM with a number from the right country and support for incoming SMS. Even then, the service may reject it if its rules restrict certain types of numbers.
With a hotel or driver, it depends on how you communicate. In-app chat and WhatsApp work over the internet. A regular phone call needs voice service.
Which Revosim plan should you get for your vacation?
The Revosim travel eSIM catalog includes mobile data plans for individual countries and regions. For maps, taxi apps, finding places and messaging, a data plan that covers your route will do the job.
If you need SMS or regular phone calls, those services must be explicitly listed in the offer. They are not included in every plan. The data allowance, validity period and activation terms are also listed for each plan.
Before you fly, check whether your primary SIM works in your destination and what your carrier charges abroad. Then, when you land, you can book a ride using your travel eSIM, receive a bank code on your usual number and message home. After that, put your phone away until the next turn on the map.