As the summer season approaches and holidays have been booked, the question of whether to take a phone on holiday will inevitably arise. We have all heard our fair share of nightmare data roaming stories, with many people unknowingly racking up astronomical phone bills. Rest assured there are many ways you can use your smartphone abroad, without incurring huge costs, providing you are careful and follow these top tips.
Be aware:
The cost of mobile internet will vary between each provider. As soon as you enter a data roaming zone you will receive a text message explaining the exact price per megabyte. Prices can vary but on average you are looking at £3 per mb in Europe and roughly £5-6 for roaming in the rest of the world.
Turn off data roaming and automatic updates:
If you intend to only connect to the internet through wireless, it is advised that you disable mobile internet on your phone to stop your phone automatically updating and hiking up your phone bill.
Wi-Fi:
Despite what you may have heard, if you connect to someone else’s Wi-Fi abroad and use the internet, you will not be charged. You are only charged by your provider if you use your phone’s mobile internet. Finding a Wi-Fi point is extremely easy these days, with many cafés, hotels and bars offering free Wi-Fi to their customers. Not only will you have free internet but also considerably faster internet speeds, which you can check with an internet speed test.
New SIM:
Many people opt for buying a new SIM card to help keep down the cost of mobile use when abroad. Many of these SIM cards can save you vast amounts of money, reducing the cost by roughly 80%. The problem, however, is that many modern smartphones and carriers block you from using multiple SIM cards. Be sure to contact your network provider to see if using another SIM in your mobile will be possible before purchasing.
Be prepared:
Instead of constantly checking your map applications to help you navigate your way around, download maps you think you will need. This will save you massive amounts of money in the long run because your phone won’t be constantly trying to triangulate your position.
If you take these tips into consideration you will not need to worry about coming home to a hugely expensive phone bill.