Phone Checklist Before You Fly: 15 Things to Do (2026)

The best phone checklist before you fly takes about an hour spread over a week: back up your phone, turn on Find My, sort out how you will get mobile data abroad, and download offline maps before you leave home. Everything else on this list is a two-minute task you can do at the gate or on the plane.

This checklist is grouped by when to do each step, from a week before your flight to the moment you land. Each item is short, and where we have a full guide on the topic, we link to it so you can go deeper only where you need to.

A week before you fly

These steps take the longest to fix if something goes wrong, which is why they come first.

1. Check your phone is eSIM compatible and unlocked. Look for an EID in your phone’s About settings and confirm there is no carrier lock. Our guide to checking if your phone is eSIM compatible shows where to look, or use the compatibility checker. Phones bought new in Canada since December 2017 must be provided unlocked under CRTC rules, but older or second-hand phones may not be.

2. Update your phone’s software. Install the latest iOS or Android update at home, on Wi-Fi. A large update over hotel Wi-Fi is slow, and an update you skip can leave bugs you then troubleshoot abroad.

3. Back up your phone. A lost or broken phone is an inconvenience if it is backed up and a disaster if it is not. Follow Apple’s guide to backing up an iPhone with iCloud or Google’s Android backup settings, and confirm the backup date afterwards.

4. Turn on Find My or Find My Device. On iPhone, check that Find My is on so you can locate, lock or erase the phone, as Apple explains in its guide to using Find My. On Android, Google’s Find My Device help page covers the same steps. Write down your Apple Account or Google sign-in somewhere other than the phone.

5. Check what your carrier charges for roaming. As of October 2026, Bell Roam Better is $13 a day in the US and $16 internationally, capped at 20 charged days per line per billing period, per Bell’s travel page. Rogers charges $16 a day in the US and $18 internationally, per its roaming billing page, or sells Travel Passes by the trip. Telus Easy Roam is $16 and $18. Our Bell, Rogers and Telus roaming comparison does the maths for longer trips.

6. Estimate your data and buy a plan. Most travellers use far less than they fear, unless they stream video or work remotely. Our guide to how much data you need when travelling gives realistic numbers by activity. Then pick your plan from our destinations. The QR code arrives by email within about a minute.

The day before you fly

7. Install your travel eSIM at home, on Wi-Fi. Scanning the QR code takes a few minutes and is far easier at your kitchen table than in an arrivals hall. ArriGo plans only start counting days when they first connect at your destination, so installing early costs nothing. Our step-by-step guide to installing an eSIM before you fly covers iPhone, Samsung and Pixel. Moving to a new phone soon? Read about transferring an eSIM to a new phone first.

8. Set up your lines so you keep your Canadian number. Label the lines clearly (for example “Canada” and “Travel”) so you choose the right one later. Your Canadian line can stay on for calls, texts and bank verification codes while the travel eSIM carries data. Our guide to keeping your Canadian number with Dual SIM explains which settings to use.

9. Download offline maps and languages. In Google Maps, save the cities you are visiting using Google’s offline maps instructions. Google notes that driving directions work offline inside a saved area, but transit, cycling and walking directions do not, and saved areas expire unless they are updated. If you travel somewhere with a different language, download the language in Google Translate for offline use.

10. Save your documents offline. Add boarding passes to your wallet app and screenshot hotel bookings, rental car confirmations and your travel insurance policy number. Also consider signing up for the government’s Registration of Canadians Abroad, so Global Affairs Canada can reach you in an emergency.

11. Pack a charging kit for your carry-on. Bring your charging cable, a wall charger, a power bank and a plug adapter for your destination. Read the input rating printed on each charger before you plug it in abroad, because a plug adapter only changes the shape of the plug, not the voltage.

At the airport

12. Charge everything and keep batteries in your carry-on. CATSA’s battery guidelines advise keeping batteries and devices with batteries on you or in carry-on bags. Power banks up to 100 Wh are allowed in carry-on, larger ones need airline approval, and many airlines do not allow charging power banks on board, so top up at the gate.

13. Switch data roaming off on your Canadian line. Do this before the plane door closes, so your phone does not start a daily roaming charge the moment it lands. If you plan to use airport or lounge Wi-Fi while you wait, read our tips on staying safe on public Wi-Fi first.

Tip: Write your eSIM provider’s help page and your carrier’s lost-phone number on paper and keep it in your passport wallet. If the phone is lost, that piece of paper is how you start fixing it.

On landing

14. Make the travel eSIM your data line. Once you are off the plane, turn the travel line on, set it as the line for mobile data, and turn data roaming on for that line only. A travel eSIM always connects as a roaming line, so it needs roaming on even though the plan is already paid for. Leave data roaming off on your Canadian line.

15. Test before you leave the airport. Load a web page, open your maps app and send a message while you still have airport Wi-Fi as a backup. If nothing loads, our guide to fixing an eSIM that is not working abroad covers APN settings, network selection and restarts, and our help centre has the rest.

The whole checklist at a glance

When	What to do	Time needed
A week before	Check compatibility and unlock, update, back up, turn on Find My, compare roaming costs, buy a plan	About 45 minutes
The day before	Install eSIM on Wi-Fi, label lines, offline maps, offline documents, pack chargers	About 30 minutes
At the airport	Charge up, power bank in carry-on, data roaming off on Canadian line	5 minutes
On landing	Travel eSIM as data line, data roaming on for it, test	5 minutes

Your next step

If you only do three things, back up your phone, turn on Find My and install your eSIM at home. Start with our compatibility checker, then choose a plan for where you are going, such as the United States, Europe or one of our other destinations. If you land and something still is not working, our guide on what to do if you land with no internet walks you through it.