Education Abroad

Cell Phones Abroad

Cell Phone Options Abroad

It's important you have a working cell phone while you are abroad. Should an emergency occur, it is critical that you can be reached at all times during your program. There are a few cell phone options for you to consider:

1. Use your U.S. phone with an international calling plan. These plans vary by country and provider. With this option, you would still have a U.S. phone number, meaning calls to locals in the host country will likely be charged as an international call.

2. Use your U.S. phone with a local eSim card activation. This is the most common option for semester and longer summer programs. eSims are available on newer iPhone, Android, and Google model phones and are supported by many major U.S. phone carriers. Before your program departure, work with your U.S. phone provider to ensure your phone is unlocked, so that you may purchase and activate a local eSIM with the first 1-2 days of your program. The local eSIM will give you a new, local phone number.

There are many eSIM providers to choose from, and each will offer different inclusions in a monthly or pay-as-you-go format. A few recommendations include:

Airalo

Flexiroam

Orange

Nomad

3. Purchase a local phone upon arrival.

If you elect options 2 or 3, you may want to have your U.S. carrier put a hold on your U.S. phone number while you are abroad. Once you know the phone number you will using while abroad, share it with your on-site staff and Education Abroad (in your MyCUAbroad checklist).

Duo Multi-Factor Authentication

CU uses Duo Multi-Factor Authentication when logging in to MyCUInfo or Buff Portal. You'll need to update Duo with your international phone number to login to your CU accounts while abroad. Follow OIT's Manage devices tutorial to set up Duo while abroad.

Disclaimer: Providing information about specific apps and companies within this section does not constitute an endorsement by the University of Colorado Boulder or the Education Abroad office. The Education Abroad office does not endorse their use or guarantee their quality. The listings are provided for your information only.

Last Updated May 2025