You can buy eSIMs before you reach your destination fyi. Used them in Europe and India through Airalo after buying them in the US.

Not sure why you attracted downvotes with that comment. It's 100% correct. You can buy an eSIM while still in the US and just leave it turned off, then flip it on when you get to your destination. Some providers do still advise waiting to install the eSIM until after you reach their home territory, but that's not any more difficult.

We just did exactly this a couple weeks ago when we went to the UK & France. Super easy, as soon as the plane took off I toggled roaming off on my regular US line, and turned on the traveling eSIM when we landed. Bam, phone works as normal, still gets calls and texts, etc, but way cheaper than paying roaming charges.

I was banned by Total by Verizon for moving my SIM into a different phone. Does it just work with other carriers?

Happy ending though, I switched to US Mobile with an eSIM and disputed the monthly charge by Total on my credit card since I paid for service not provided.

It pretty much works with other carriers. My spouse has Verizon prepaid, and when they get a new phone, just pop the sim out of the old phone and put it in the new one. Same thing with t-mobile US prepaid for me. Around the world it's even more common to just move sims around.

Especially around the turn down of 3g, some US carriers were picky about the phone you used (must support VoLTE on their network or not allowed on a phone plan), but to my knowledge they wouldn't ban your sim, maybe just the phone after some notifications.

SIMs are one of those things that work so well they shouldn't be touched - which doesn't mean doing away with progress (ie. eSIMs) - it means both should coexist.-