Thanks for any ideas!
Hi all. I'll be leaving Switzerland (and Europe) for a while, and I'd like to maintain a Swiss phone number (largely for job application purposes). Ideally, it would be on an e-sim. Any suggestions of cheap plans? I don't need anything besides the number, so the ideal option would be no monthly fee pay-as-you for receiving calls and SMS. I do know about Skype for ~7CHF per month, but you cannot SMS.
Will you be keeping a Swiss mailing address?
I don't know about swiss mobile providers but in the EU it is generally expected that you spend most of your time in your home country, not roaming (typically they look at it over a 4 month period - if you are roaming in the majority of your time, you could get fines and increased prices even retroactively). If you go outside the EU this could be even more of a problem... Skype's tariff does not look bad at all, all things considered.
I've been using Localphone for some time. You get a Swiss landline number and there is an SMS facility (I don't use that).
Do you have currently a mobile plan in Switzerland? I know that with Swisscom you can change your plan to a pre-paid option.
I guess this is possible with every provider. This way you don't have fix costs, but pay as you use.
I don't think so. i can have mail delivered to a friend if necessary, but that would be a last resort.
I've never experienced this. For work purposes we provide a phone with a Swisscom sim to someone who stays in Holland and another for my daughter in Portugal. In my and my wife's case, we are 8 months in South Africa and none of us have ever had any type of warning or fine.
if you want to keep a swiss number abroad, your best bet is to look into a non-voip option that lets you receive sms and calls without needing a full-blown plan
Talk talk have very cheap basic plans. Been with them for a couple of years.