A restaurant in New York wants a number to text when your table is ready, a ride-hailing driver in Toronto calls to find you, and a US app sends a verification code by text. Most travel eSIMs, Telcomia's standard plans included, are data only, and a European home number roams in all three countries, which are outside the EU's Roam Like at Home area.
This guide explains the eSIM with a US phone number, calls and texts for the USA, Mexico and Canada: what it includes, its rules, and when a plain data plan is the better choice.
Key facts for a US number in the USA, Mexico and Canada
- The special plan: a phone number from the United States, with calls and texts, shown on the US plans page as a deal for Canada, Mexico and the United States
- Calls and texts: calls between the United States, Mexico and Canada are included; texts are included, international texts too, sending and receiving
- Data: the plan page states the allowance for the US and Mexico; in Canada it is 25 GB
- Validity: starts counting when you buy it; durations from 11 to 24 days
- Emergency numbers: 911 in all three countries; in Mexico, 089 for anonymous reports
An eSIM with a US phone number, calls and texts
The plan puts a US phone number on your phone as an eSIM, so restaurants, drivers and hotels can call or text you. Texts are included, international ones too, so you can text friends at home and get their replies on the same number. Data comes with it. For calls to other countries, check the plan details, or use an app such as WhatsApp over the plan's data.
The rules to know before you buy
- Validity starts counting when you buy it, so buy it close to departure rather than weeks ahead.
- It can be installed only once. Install it on the phone you will travel with and do not delete it: it cannot be installed again or moved to another phone.
- Hotspot is not included, so you cannot share the connection with a laptop or tablet.
- Your phone must be unlocked, support eSIM and work on US networks. Check the plan details before buying.
Crossing into Mexico and Canada
Many itineraries include Vancouver, Niagara Falls or a few days in Mexico. Near a border a phone can connect to the neighbouring country's network, which a single-country plan does not cover. The special plan covers all three countries, so your number and data keep working across the border.
Which plan fits your trip
Take the special plan if people in North America need to reach you by phone or text, or if a US service needs to text you a code during the trip. Keep your home number for bank codes and account recovery.
If you mostly use maps, messages and app calls, a data plan is simpler. Data-only country plans exist for the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the Americas zone covers all three among 25 destinations. These plans have no number and no texts, and your home SIM stays in the phone for your own number. Each plan's details show the Activation line, the duration, the data, whether calls and SMS are included and whether hotspot is allowed.
Before you leave
- Read the plan details and check that your phone is unlocked, supports eSIM and works on US networks.
- Buy the number plan close to departure, and choose a duration that covers every day from purchase until you are home.
- Install it on Wi-Fi on the phone you will travel with, and keep it until the trip is over.
- Set the eSIM as your line for mobile data, with data roaming on for it and off for your home line.
- Give your new US number to hotels, drivers and anyone who needs to reach you.
- Download offline maps before long drives and national parks.
Consular protection: 911 in all three countries
- 911 reaches the police, an ambulance and the fire service in the United States, Mexico and Canada. In the US, text-to-911 works in many areas, but call if you can.
- In Mexico, 089 takes anonymous reports.
- Embassies are in Washington, D.C., Mexico City and Ottawa, and many countries have consulates in other large cities. The Telcomia app shows which mission is responsible for you, with address and phone.
- If you are an EU citizen and your country has no embassy or consulate in the United States, Mexico or Canada, the embassy of any other EU country must help you on the same terms as its own nationals (Article 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU).
- Emergency phrases in Spanish, and in French for Quebec, are ready to show on screen in the app.
United States travel-safety page →
Questions travellers ask about a US number on an eSIM
Can I get a US phone number on an eSIM?
Yes. The special plan for the United States, Mexico and Canada comes with a US phone number, calls and texts. Telcomia's standard plans are data only, with no number.
Does the plan work in Mexico and Canada?
Yes. It is a deal for all three countries, and calls between them are included. In Canada the data allowance is 25 GB.
When does the plan start counting?
When you buy it, not when you land, so buy it close to departure.
Can I use it as a hotspot?
No. Hotspot is not included on this plan. If you need to connect a laptop, look at a data plan instead: its details show whether hotspot is allowed.
The short version
If people in North America need to call or text you, the special plan gives you a US number with calls and texts across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Buy it close to departure, install it once on the phone you travel with, and remember that hotspot is not included. If you only need data, a country plan or the Americas zone is simpler.
See the US, Mexico and Canada plan →
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