Hotel Wi-Fi is fine while you’re at the hotel. The trouble starts when you leave. You still need mobile data for things like maps and messaging, or for pulling up a booking confirmation at a ferry terminal, and in the Caribbean that isn’t always simple to arrange. The region is made up of many separate countries and territories, each with its own mobile operators, so a plan that works on one island may not work on the next.
There are three ways to get data: roaming on your home plan, buying a local SIM, or installing a travel eSIM. The right one depends on how long you’re away and how many islands you plan to visit.
Will my phone work in the Caribbean as it is?
If your phone is compatible with the local network and your carrier supports roaming there, it will normally connect automatically after you land. What you pay depends entirely on your own plan. Look up your provider’s roaming rate for the country you’re visiting, and ask whether they sell a travel pass or let you set a spend limit.
If you’d rather not roam at all, Apple’s advice is to switch Data Roaming off in the phone’s settings. On a phone with two lines that setting is controlled separately for each line, which matters in the section on home numbers below.
Roaming suits a short stay where you want to keep your normal number. A daily pass is fine for a weekend, but several days of daily charges can add up quickly if you’re mainly using the connection for maps and basic travel tasks.
Local SIM or eSIM: which suits which trip?
A local SIM gives you local data prices and a local number, which is handy if you’ll be phoning restaurants or arranging tours and transfers. The Dominican Republic has three networks, Claro, Altice and Viva. Prepaid lines there have to be registered to an identified user, so you’ll need your passport and will probably end up in a shop. Your home SIM has to come out while you use it, unless your phone has two SIM slots. A local SIM is also tied to the country and operator where you bought it, and using it elsewhere may involve roaming charges or restrictions. It’s worth the effort if you’re staying several weeks.
With an eSIM, you can arrange the connection before leaving home instead of finding a shop after you arrive. You scan a QR code while on Wi-Fi, and the plan begins once the phone connects to a network at your destination. Most travel eSIMs are data only. Holafly’s Dominican Republic eSIM has no local number for calls or texts, for instance, and the company’s page lists Altice as the network. It also says coverage can be weaker in places such as the Cordillera Central and the Samaná Peninsula, so look at those against your route. Plans sold as unlimited can still be subject to fair-use limits, and hotspot sharing can be limited depending on the plan, so check the current terms before relying on it.
How do I keep my home number and security codes working?
Keep your own SIM in the phone. The idea is to use the travel eSIM for mobile data and leave your home SIM switched on for calls and texts. Turn Data Roaming off for the home line and on for the travel eSIM, since the eSIM generally needs it to connect to its partner network. On an iPhone you will also see a setting called Allow Cellular Data Switching in Apple’s dual SIM options. Leave it off unless you want the phone to move between the two lines by itself.
Calls and texts that reach your home number can still be charged at roaming rates, so look at your provider’s terms. Wi-Fi calling helps if your provider offers it. Security codes sent by SMS will only arrive if the home line is on, can connect to a network your carrier works with abroad, and is allowed to receive texts there. Ask your provider about this before you go, and if you rely on those codes, don’t take the SIM out of the phone.
What happens when mobile coverage disappears?
Coverage gets weaker in hilly areas, national parks and rainforest on any plan, and a phone that keeps searching for a signal drains its battery fast. Download what you need before leaving reliable Wi-Fi. That means offline maps for the areas you’ll be in, and the language pack if you use a translation app. Offline navigation does less than the live version, so open the route and see what it actually shows.
Before you fly, make sure your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM, and install the plan at home on Wi-Fi. Check the island list against your itinerary. Screenshot your bookings and the address of where you’re staying, and write that address on paper as well in case the phone dies. A power bank goes in your hand luggage.