International Roaming Packs for Vodafone-Idea SIM: Guide to plans, How-to enable, and receiving SMS OTPs abroad

Vodafone Idea (Vi) is one of the largest telecom providers in India for both mobile and internet services. But if you are heading overseas, you may be wondering if you can take your local number with you. Vodafone-Idea offers international roaming plans for tourists, students, and NRIs. Learn more about these offers and how to use Vodaone’s international roaming packs.

List of Vodafone-Idea International Roaming Plans

Vodafone Idea (Vi) offers international roaming (IR) plans with coverage that range from 1 to 365 days. Subscribers can purchase a pack that has coverage in 70 to 105 countries, depending on the destination overseas. Here is a list of all Vodafone-idea international roaming packs.¹

Best Vodafone-Idea roaming plans for Tourists

While Vodafone international roaming packs are available for all types of travelers, tourists going abroad can get plans that cover the length of their trip. Having mobile coverage when you travel makes it convenient to stay in touch with family, amend reservations and have data for using tools like Google Maps.

Vodafone plans range from 14 to 30 days and offer different coverage depending on the phone or data amounts you need. Here are some popular Vodafone-Idea international roaming plans for tourists:²

Best Vodafone-Idea roaming plans for International Students

Getting an international roaming plan for students going abroad can make settling in easier. An international plan can help them stay in touch with family and friends and get started at the university until they get a local number. Good internet access can help with logistics like finding housing or managing the first few weeks of classes.

Students will likely want to get a short-term plan just to provide coverage before getting a local SIM. Vodafone’s international student roaming plans cover up to 14 days. However, extended plans are available if required.

Here are some of the best Vodafone-Idea roaming plans for international students:³

Unlimited data plans may be ideal for students that expect heavy internet use as they begin their course.

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Best Vodafone-Idea roaming plans for NRIs

Non-Resident Indians (NRI) who have moved abroad are likely to still have services and bank accounts in India. Since many of these accounts require an OTP to sign in or verify the user, having your local Indian number active can make account management easier. Vodafone offers long-term international roaming packs for NRIs that want to keep their local number:

While the incoming SMS facility is free, this plan charges ₹15 per outgoing SMS. NRIs can also use their Indian SIM cards to make calls to India.

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How to activate international roaming on Vodafone-Idea

It’s easy to activate international roaming if you have an existing Vi account. You can log in to the Vi app on your Vi mobile and subscribe to your preferred international roaming pack. This is also available on the official Vodafone-Idea website. These packs are available for prepaid and postpaid subscribers and activating these international roaming packs is easy.⁴

Prepaid Subscribers

Here’s how prepaid subscribers can get an international roaming plan:

1. Visit the Vodafone-Idea website or open the Vi app.
2. Enter your Vodafone-Idea phone number and select the country you wish to visit.
3. You will be shown various options ranging from 1-day plans to 365-day plans. Choose the appropriate one.
4. Pay for the pack and enable the plan.

Customers from Orissa, Bihar, Kolkata, and West Bengal circles can activate their IR pack by sending an SMS “ACT IR” to toll-free number 144. The International roaming services are already pre-activated for subscribers from all other circles.

Postpaid Subscribers

Postpaid subscribers must enable the IR service before leaving India. They can do so using the Vi app or the official Vi website. Alternatively, you can call the toll-free Vodafone-Idea customer care to enable IR services by dialing 199.

Postpaid subscribers can start an IR plan up to 60 days in advance. This facility is not available to prepaid customers.

How to deactivate international roaming Vodafone-Idea SIM

Vodafone IR packs remain active for the validity period mentioned on the pack. The plan gets disabled automatically after the pack’s expiry. So if you have a 30-day plan, the coverage will end after 30 days unless you extend it. However, you can recharge your Vodafone-idea IR pack and continue using it as long as needed.

Postpaid users can deactivate the IR pack through the Vi app or the official Vi website. You can disable the service by calling the toll-free customer care number 199.

Best Vodafone-Idea plan for receiving OTPs abroad

All Vodafone-Idea plans offer free incoming SMS services. Hence, any Vodafone-Idea international plan is ideal for receiving OTPs abroad, which is a benefit when compared to other telecom providers.

Vodafone-Idea Wifi calling when traveling abroad

Vodafone's VoWifi, Vi WiFi Calling service, is not supported on international roaming. As an alternative, you can use local Wi-Fi when traveling abroad to make calls using apps like WhatsApp and Messenger.

How to recharge Vodafone-Idea account from abroad

If your pack is about to expire or you need a longer plan than expected, you can recharge your Vodafone-Idea account abroad through the Vi app or the official Vodafone-Idea website. Local service providers like Ding enable recharging mobile services from abroad. Depending on your country, you can use such services when recharging your Vodafone-Idea account.

Vodafone-Idea Customer Care Contact

Vodafone-Idea offers 24/7 customer care support to its subscribers. You can contact the Vodafone-Idea customer care center by phone, chat, email, or WhatsApp:⁵

• Phone - You can dial the toll-free number 199 from your Vi number.
• Online Chat - Vodafone-Idea offers online chat facilities to resolve customer grievances.
• Email - You can email the Vodafone-idea customer care services at customercare@vodafoneidea.com
• WhatsApp - Vodafone-Idea offers WhatsApp customer care services through its WhatsApp number 9654297000.

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