Nomad SMS Plans: Introducing SMS with Virtual Numbers!
How often have you wanted to send an SMS to your parents, grandparents, partner, or friends right after landing at the airport but didn’t because of expensive roaming charges? Now you can do it right away from your Nomad app or website! Nomad SMS Plans
Although OTT chat functions and social chat apps (such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Facebook Messenger, etc.) are mainstream, many people still use good old traditional SMS alongside these apps for a variety of reasons. With the Nomad SMS plan, you can contact your loved ones as soon as you arrive in another country. You can enjoy your next trip without being burned by roaming data charges!
In this blog, we’d like to explain to you our new feature called Nomad SMS Plans. We’ll talk about the following:
- What’s the Nomad SMS Plan
- How it works
- Nomad BONUS SMS tip for iOS users
Nomad SMS Plans are currently available for the USA, Canada, and the UK.
What’s the Nomad SMS Plan? Nomad SMS Plans
Simply put, Nomad SMS is a prepaid virtual number service. You can use the virtual number to send and receive texts while travelling just like at home, without having to pay expensive roaming fees! Note that the voice call function is not available at the time of writing.
You no longer have to stand in line after a long flight to buy a new SIM card or be concerned about how much you will have to pay for roaming costs. You can purchase one of our SMS plans via our App or website in just a few minutes and enjoy your trip!
For this first phase launch, we currently offer SMS plans for the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. You can choose one of six options for each country.
P.S. Stay tuned, more countries are coming soon!
Important reminder: Nomad SMS service can only be used with stable data or a WIFI connection. Your recipient does not need the Nomad App or a data/WIFI connection, but you (the Nomad user) do. You can always purchase some of Nomad’s affordable data plans in the Nomad App (available for both iOS and Android) or here.
How it works
It’s really simple to start your SMS journey with Nomad once you’ve purchased your SMS plan. Here are a few things you should know:
- You can only send and receive SMS using the Nomad texting app, which is part of our iOS and Android apps, as well as our website (similar to WhatsApp Web, for example). In all cases, you need also to have a data or Wifi connection to use our app/website.
- However, anyone with a valid phone number can send or receive a text from you, even if they are not on the Nomad app. They will receive (or send) the SMS as normal on their native SMS app, and best of all, they don’t need a data or WIFI connection!
- So, anyone can receive your texts, even if they do not have the Nomad app! However, you (the customer) must always use the Nomad app to send and receive messages.
About Your Phone Number:
When you buy an SMS plan, you are given a virtual phone number. This phone number will be active till the pack you purchased expires.
Once your plan has expired, this number will be recycled automatically after 10 days, and you will lose the remaining balance of any texts and your message history. (If you wish to keep this number active, you can use that 10-day “grace period” to purchase an add-on to your pack, which will extend the validity of your number until the expiry of the add-on).
About Add-ons:
If you use up all the Nomad Texts on your trip, don’t worry, you can always add more! You must purchase an add-on while your plan is still active. You will be able to use the same phone number that way. A few more things about this Add-on feature:
- The add-on will automatically activate once you have used up your initial bundle of texts, or upon the expiry of your initial pack, whichever comes first.
- The add-on will remain active until all its texts are used up, or until you reach the expiry date of the add-on.
Here are some indicative prepaid eSIM card prices:
Nomad BONUS SMS tip for iOS users
We suggest you make sure to use the flight search function on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac! It provides precise information on moving planes to all users. You only need to access the flight number in your inbox to use this feature.
This iOS feature is embedded straight into the Messages app—or, to be more specific, iMessages—and it’s a live flight tracker that provides you live flight locations, details like take-off and landing times, delays, and even departure gate numbers. All you need to get started is an airline name and a flight number.
If you need to drop off or pick up a loved one at the airport, this is one of the most helpful iOS tips. Here’s how to track flights on the iPhone, Mac or iPad:
- Launch the Messages app. Find the chat in which a person sent you flight information. They must type the Airline Name and Flight Number in that order. This is usually also valid for the airline abbreviation and number.
- In Messages, tap the Airline Name/Abbreviation and Flight Number.
- Select Preview Flight.
Note: Please keep in mind that Messages’ flight tracking is primarily intended for flights departing within the next 24 hours; as a result, you cannot search up planned flight paths for future days.
To use this iOS flight search feature, it’s necessary that you and the recipient of your Messages are both iOS users and that you purchase the Nomad data plan for your next journey. You could get this information via an airline app on your phone or through a flight information display system at the airport, but this is an easier option that doesn’t require any downloading or walking. All of the flight information you require is contained in your text messages!
With the Nomad data plan, you can contact your family, partner, or friends immediately after landing, and you can even use one of our SMS plans to send them information about the flight so that they can track it. For example, when you’re returning from a vacation or business trip, you could send them an SMS with flight information so they can keep an eye on it.
P.S. Our SMS plans don’t allow you to track your flight directly from the Nomad iOS app, but you may send your loved ones an SMS with flight details so they can do so.
So, don’t forget to get Nomad and enjoy your next trip without being burned by data roaming charges!
