Yes, for the travel eSIM — and no, for your home SIM. Those two settings sit next to each other, do opposite jobs, and getting them the wrong way round is the most expensive mistake on this site
Roaming means using a network that is not your own operator's. A travel eSIM is, by definition, always on a foreign network — so the phone classes it as roaming, and switching roaming off for that line stops it working entirely.
Travel eSIM
Roaming ON. Without it the plan cannot connect and stays Pending for ever. It costs nothing extra — the price was paid at checkout
Home SIM
Roaming OFF. This is the line your own operator bills at roaming rates. Off is what keeps the bill at zero
Where the Setting Lives
- iPhone: Settings › Mobile Data › tap the line › Data Roaming — set it per line, not once for the phone
- Android: Settings › Network & internet › SIMs › tap the line › Roaming, or Connections › SIM manager on Samsung
Check it per line. On a dual-SIM phone there is one roaming switch for each, and a single switch in an older menu applies only to whichever line is selected. Open each line and confirm both.
Keeping Your Own Number Reachable
Turning off data roaming does not turn off the line. Your home SIM can stay switched on and keep receiving calls and text messages — including bank codes — while using no data at all. Only calls and messages are billed by your operator, and only if you use them.
If you would rather be certain, switch the home line off entirely for the trip. You lose incoming calls and codes to that number, so decide before you land rather than after
