Fido Roaming still occurs when the additional e-sim is primary.

[holegus]

Hi,

On my trip to the US, I purchased Airalo e-sim. I set e-sim to be primary but did not disable my Fido sim.

As part of the e-sim setup, "Data roaming" in the "Mobile networks" menu has been enabled.

During the trip, the e-sim data was used, which is ok. However, I was charged for a few days with the Fido Roaming fee. 

One day it was my fault - I made an unintentional outgoing call. Two days the Fido Roaming charged the data usage for a few Kb each time. I suspect, that when the e-sim lost the connection, the Fido Roaming took over the connection.

Question:

I want to make 100% sure, that Fido sim will not be used abroad. If I disable the Fido sim, will e-sim work with "Data roaming" in the "Mobile networks"? What is the disadvantage of disabling Fido sim abroad?

[holegus]

Hello Cawtau,

Thank you for the prompt response. In my case, the Secondary E-SIM requires Enabling Data Roaming to provide internet access. I use a Samsung S22 device and will disable the Fido SIM and make the secondary E-SIM the primary. Are you aware of Samsung S22's abnormal behavior when the Fido SIM is disabled?

[Cawtau]

Hello again,

  I am not aware of any abnormal behaviours disabling SIMs in Samsung devices. However, you would need to verify whether that setting completely disables the SIM for yourself.

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers

[Cawtau · Accepted solution]

Hello Holegus,

  The Fido Roam charges will only incur if your Fido SIM uses services -- make or receive a call, send a text message or use data abroad.

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@holegus wrote:

...I want to make 100% sure, that Fido sim will not be used abroad. If I disable the Fido sim, will e-sim work with "Data roaming" in the "Mobile networks"? ...

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  If that setting completely disables the SIM then yes, it should act the same as removing the SIM card. However, there are unfortunately no regulations regarding how manufacturers implement the functionality of the settings in their devices. There have been instances where device settings do not behave as customers expect.

  For example, it is generally recommended to disable data and roaming data in order to prevent unintended roaming charges. However, some manufacturers might allow some data usage to occur despite those settings (see here). One would believe that disabling data and roaming data should prevent the device from using any data. Yet, some manufacturers seemingly allow some data usage despite those settings disabled.

  There have also been instances where some manufacturers don't completely disable a secondary SIM in devices with dual-SIM functionality....

  The mobile providers only know usage. They do not know what settings may or may not have been enabled on a customer's device. If there is usage occurring when customers do not believe their devices should be able to do so, that usage would still incur charges. Customers would need to know how their devices behave abroad.

  The only way to be certain your Fido SIM does not use services would be to remove the SIM. If you choose to remove the SIM cards, it would be recommended to keep them in a safe place as replacements would likely incur charges.

  Since you're enquiring about roaming, it should be noted that while using Wifi for regular internet access will not incur Fido Roam charges, there seems to be some misunderstanding regarding Wifi-calling. I'm not sure how people have gotten the impression that Wifi-calling does not use the networks. However, that is not true. While the calls and messages do not transmit via cellular towers, they still use the networks via the internet gateway (see image here). The cellular towers and Wifi are merely alternate means of accessing the networks. Calls and messages would not be able to complete or get sent/received without the networks. As such, using Wifi-calling is technically using Fido services. However, they have allowed certain usage to be free from additional charges. All the messages and calls you receive (from anywhere in the world) will be taken from your plan's voice minutes and messaging limits. As well, all Wifi-calling messages and calls you make to a Canadian phone number while abroad won't incur long-distance or roaming charges (see link above).

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers