I am considering buying this Pixel 5a on Amazon, which states it is GSM-only and does not have CDMA: https://www.amazon.com/Google-Pixel-5G-Factory-Unlocked/dp/B09DV93S9K. The device is an "international version".

I assume this means the phone can't network switch on Google Fi. Will it be able to do the other Made for Fi features, WiFi calling and Google VPN?

I would really like network switching because I travel a lot and I assume it helps a lot in foreign countries (I might be wrong?). So I'll probably get a "regular" Pixel 5a on Amazon with GSM + CDMA. Assuming a Pixel 5a supports both GSM + CDMA, all the Made for Fi features including network switching should work normally, right? Or I have to buy the Pixel 5a from Google directly to make sure it works? (which is now impossible today)

Edit:

I just saw this on a Google Fi page:

These models are not compatible with or designed for Google Fi because they don’t support CDMA, a radio technology required for Fi.

https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6224695?hl=en#zippy=%2Cunsupported-models

So I'll be paying $150 extra for the normal, GSM+CDMA Pixel 5a. Hope this helps someone else too.

Edit 2: Thanks so much for the information everyone! Didn't realize people here would be so knowledgeable about cellular networks and responds so quickly. I bought the normal Pixel 5a on Amazon this morning for $500 but might reconsider considering the Pixel reliability issues you guys brought up. If anyone has a recommendation for a rear fingerprint sensor phone with decent camera and Made for Fi, would appreciate it.

I owned a Pixel 5a (that I bought from a friend) for the past 3 months before I dropped it on its corner on marble and the entire screen failed. I liked it so much and couldn't find a better phone with the same design package, that's why I wanted to buy it again.

I am in need of a new phone soon since AT&T decided that my POCOPHONE F1 is no longer worth supporting. Currently I use my old Galaxy S6 as a hotspot now and my poco f1 for all the other stuff.

I am thinking of buying the Pixel 5a (preferably unlocked) as my next phone, However, I have heard alot of stories from this subreddit about the customer support being poor, and reading comments from a recent post suggest to buy from Amazon instead since they offer better service.

I don't know if this is relevant but I also tend to travel alot, so I am usually in the US but not always. Should I buy from Amazon with a protection plan or from the Google Store with the Preferred Care package? Should I also get the Global version or the US version?