It’s very rare to find a SIM that won’t let you text international numbers. A few packages include a limited number of international texts for free, but most don’t.

Assuming you buy a package that doesn’t include international texts, you’ll need to pay separately for those. So, you’d just need to find out how much it costs to send a text to the US (receiving will be free), and then take a guess at how many texts you think you’ll send during your trip. Multiply the two together, add that much extra credit to your SIM (plus a bit more to be safe), and away you go.

If you miscalculate and run out of extra credit, you’ll just need to add more to continue sending international texts.

If you’ve got a smartphone, the other option is to use something like WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, or similar app that sends text-based messages via data. That’ll be free, and just uses the data allowance (or Wi-Fi) from whatever package you buy.

Other than the options you’ve listed, there are some unofficial ways to get a phone unlocked – which may or may not work or void your warranty – or you could look at buying an unlocked phone (second hand iPhone, or new Moto G, for instance) for your overseas trips.

It’s a crappy situation for those who don’t buy the phone outright, and without incentives to change, I doubt the cell providers will do so any time soon.

For what it’s worth, because Verizon has a different type of phone network that doesn’t use SIM cards, the SIM slot in recent Verizon iPhones is actually unlocked for international use. If Verizon plans and service in your area work for you, that could be something to think about next time you’re looking to upgrade your phone?

Ain’t that the truth. A few of the smaller carriers (ie, the ones that have an incentive to offer something out of the ordinary) seem to finally be making a bit of an effort – T-Mobile, for instance, has recently announced free international SMS and data (albeit with speed and duration restrictions) and a flat 20c/minute calling rate in most countries.

So I think there’s some hope for the future, but for most people it’s still a painful and/or expensive process. 🙁

This is really good information for people travelling, especially when they are not staying in one place for weeks/months.

One tip I’d like to add for those people travelling to the UK and perhaps sometime around the rest or Europe. The mobiel network 3 is removed roaming charges so cost per minute are clearer. They have several options when in Europe.

Euro Internet Pass allowing unlimited internet for 24 hours for £5.

You can find the information here