Guide

How to turn off data roaming before you fly: a checklist

How to turn off roaming on your home SIM, why you can get charged even with data “off”, and which phone settings to check before your flight to avoid a surprise bill.

Published September 8, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 · 8 min read · MoreSim editorial team

To turn off roaming before you fly, switch off data roaming and mobile data on your home SIM in your phone settings, and check your roaming services and add-ons in your carrier’s app. You need to, because abroad your phone registers on a foreign carrier’s network by itself, and if data roaming is still on, background processes use data without you noticing. You can keep the line itself on: bank texts will still arrive if your carrier offers roaming.

What is data roaming, and what are you charged for?

Roaming means your number working on another carrier’s network, usually abroad. Voice roaming covers calls and texts, and data roaming covers mobile data. They’re two separate settings, and turning one off doesn’t turn off the other.

Here’s a key detail: data roaming is a toggle on your phone, while the billing terms are set by your carrier. Your phone decides whether it can go online through a foreign network; your carrier decides how that’s charged. So it’s safest to lock it down on both sides: in your phone settings and in your carrier account.

Another thing that trips people up: an unlimited data plan at home usually doesn’t apply on your trip. Different terms kick in abroad, and you need to check which ones with your carrier before you fly, not after.

Why can you get roaming charges even with data “off”?

Charges when you think you never went online usually come from background data: your phone keeps updating apps and syncing while it sits in your pocket. It’s a classic story: someone is sure they never used data, but the bill says otherwise. These are the usual culprits.

• Background app refresh: email, messaging and social apps check for updates even with the screen off.
• Automatic photo and video uploads to the cloud: one burst of shots can eat a day’s worth of data.
• System and app updates, unless they’re blocked over mobile data.
• MMS: these go over mobile data, not like regular texts.
• Weather widgets, maps and fitness trackers: they check in with the network on a schedule.
• Voicemail and call forwarding: a call may be charged even if you didn’t pick up.

Incoming calls are a trap of their own. While roaming, the person receiving the call often pays for it, because the call is delivered to a foreign network. If you’re expecting important calls, check with your carrier how this works on your plan.

How to turn off roaming and mobile data abroad on iPhone and Android

On iPhone, you turn off data roaming under Cellular (or Mobile Data): there’s a mobile data toggle, and Data Roaming sits inside the data options. On Android, look for the mobile network section, which usually has both the main mobile data switch and a separate roaming option. Menu names depend on your phone model and OS version, but the logic is the same everywhere.

If your phone has more than one line, check each one separately. A dual-SIM phone keeps separate settings for each line, and roaming being off on one tells you nothing about the other. While you’re there, check which line is set as the default for mobile data.

• Mobile data on your home line: off.
• Data roaming on the same line: off, with its own toggle.
• Automatic app updates over mobile data: blocked.
• Photo and video uploads to the cloud: Wi-Fi only.
• Low Data Mode or Data Saver: on, as an extra safety net.

How to turn off roaming with your home carrier

Most carriers handle this the same way: you change the setting in your online account or the carrier’s app, or through the support line if the app isn’t available. The exact menus and codes differ from carrier to carrier and change from time to time, so check the steps with yours before you fly. The same applies to Russian carriers such as MTS, Beeline, MegaFon and T2.

• Open your carrier’s account or app and find the section on international service and roaming.
• See whether international access and data roaming are enabled, and turn off whatever you don’t need.
• If you have roaming add-ons, check whether they renew automatically.
• Can’t find the option? Call support and ask them to turn off data roaming.
• Save a screenshot of the service status: it can settle any dispute if something goes wrong.

Do this a day or two before your flight, not in the departure lounge. Carrier changes don’t always take effect instantly, and it’s better to see the new status in advance while there’s still time to fix things.

What should you check before you fly? A roaming checklist

Check these seven things before you fly: most take a minute each, and you can do them all at home.

1. Turn off data roaming on your home line in your phone settings.
2. Turn off mobile data on that line too, so your data doesn’t go through your home carrier; keep the line itself on if you’re expecting texts from your bank.
3. Check the status of roaming services in your carrier account or with support.
4. Block automatic app updates and photo uploads over mobile data.
5. Buy and install a travel eSIM at home while you’re on stable Wi-Fi.
6. Download offline maps, boarding passes and bookings; you’ll need them in the first minutes after landing.
7. Save your hotel address and support contacts so they open without a connection.

What should you do right after landing?

Right after landing, before you turn off airplane mode, select the eSIM for mobile data and check that mobile data is off on your home line. As soon as airplane mode goes off, your phone looks for any available network, and those first minutes are exactly when the thing you wanted to avoid tends to happen. So it pays to know the steps in advance.

1. Don’t turn off airplane mode right away: first open Settings and make sure the eSIM line is selected for mobile data.
2. Turn on data roaming for the eSIM line: most travel eSIMs run on a local carrier’s network as roaming. If your plan’s instructions say otherwise, follow them.
3. Make sure mobile data is off on your home line.
4. Turn off airplane mode and wait a couple of minutes while the phone registers on the local network.
5. If there’s still no data after a few minutes, toggle airplane mode again or select a network manually.

Sometimes your phone latches onto a network with a weak signal and gets stuck there. Selecting the carrier manually in your network settings helps: the phone shows a list of available networks, and you can try another one. Which one works better is impossible to predict; it depends on the country and the exact spot.

A MoreSim eSIM installs as a second line, so your home SIM doesn’t go anywhere. The plan starts counting on your first connection to a network in your destination, so you can install the profile in advance at home. The QR code arrives in the chat in about 30 seconds, so install the profile before your flight, on stable Wi-Fi, not after landing.

The most common request in the first minutes of a trip is “my data won’t turn on”. Most of the time, it turns out the home line is selected for mobile data instead of the eSIM. Check that first, and if it doesn’t help, message us: we’re here.