No doubt, the best and and the cheapest way to use your mobile phone abroad is to buy a local sim card at your destination. This does not only save you money from roaming calls, incoming and out going, but to save you a lot of money from internet data calls! To understand more of this, let's find out where you are being charged the most when you go abroad.
These are the basic ways to communicate using a mobile phone's network service. When you are abroad, your network will pass your mobile phone number to a foreign network, and the interconnection charge will begin when you make a call and send a text. And also most of the time you are also charged by receiving a call and a text. Calling your voice mail service will also incur roaming charges.
Internet usage charges the most expensive tariff. So you need to watch out or better is to turn this off. This includes surfing, using the navigator, instant messaging like snapchats, facebook and messenger, VOIP's like skype, and multimedia messaging(mms).
Beware of what you are sharing and uploading as the internet usage charges you by the amount of data you use and not the time you are online! This is the most common mistake among internet users. They question their sky high bill when they are just online for a few minutes or so, but in fact they are watching streaming video brought about by a very fast 4G connection!
iPhones.
Not all phones are sim unlocked. Specially iPhones, they are tied up to the mobile operators even when bought on a pay monthly contract. They should come as unlocked specially when bought with contract but most operators in the UK do not do this. To unlock it, a user must contact the technical department of the mobile network to unlock the unit. You will need to wait a day and a confirmation text will tell you that your iPhone is ready to be unlocked. On a computer, log in to itunes and connect your phone. A message saying an update to your iPhone is available. Update it and the unlocking will begin.
Other phones.
In my experience, all other phones that I bought with contract are sim unlocked. I can put any sim card without any problem. So you do not need to do anything. But to make sure, put a different network sim to your phone and when it accepts it, this is unlocked.
Knowing that your phone is unlocked, it is time to buy a local simcard. Once you've touch down, airports usually have a kiosk in selling these items. You also need to consider the form factor of the simcard as I find it difficult to find a nano sim for my wife. The regular and micro sims are not really a problem to acquire as dual form simcards are widely available.
You also need to decide the activities you need the sim card for. In my case, I use it mostly for internet and just for a few calls so I decided to go for the most data calls, which is surprisingly just the same price but the SMS and voice calls were less.
Not because you have a local sim means you do not need to worry a thing anymore. Specially when you're travelling to some parts of Europe, where the boundaries of countries are just a stones throw away, beware and keep watch of the roaming sign on your phone which is indicated by the letter R(1) above the signal icon.
How to rake a high mobile phone bill!
- Voice calls, SMS messaging.
These are the basic ways to communicate using a mobile phone's network service. When you are abroad, your network will pass your mobile phone number to a foreign network, and the interconnection charge will begin when you make a call and send a text. And also most of the time you are also charged by receiving a call and a text. Calling your voice mail service will also incur roaming charges.
- Data calls.
Internet usage charges the most expensive tariff. So you need to watch out or better is to turn this off. This includes surfing, using the navigator, instant messaging like snapchats, facebook and messenger, VOIP's like skype, and multimedia messaging(mms).
Beware of what you are sharing and uploading as the internet usage charges you by the amount of data you use and not the time you are online! This is the most common mistake among internet users. They question their sky high bill when they are just online for a few minutes or so, but in fact they are watching streaming video brought about by a very fast 4G connection!
How to avoid skyhigh mobilephone bill.
- Prepare your phone.
iPhones.Not all phones are sim unlocked. Specially iPhones, they are tied up to the mobile operators even when bought on a pay monthly contract. They should come as unlocked specially when bought with contract but most operators in the UK do not do this. To unlock it, a user must contact the technical department of the mobile network to unlock the unit. You will need to wait a day and a confirmation text will tell you that your iPhone is ready to be unlocked. On a computer, log in to itunes and connect your phone. A message saying an update to your iPhone is available. Update it and the unlocking will begin.
Other phones.
In my experience, all other phones that I bought with contract are sim unlocked. I can put any sim card without any problem. So you do not need to do anything. But to make sure, put a different network sim to your phone and when it accepts it, this is unlocked.
- Take off your sim and buy a local sim card
Knowing that your phone is unlocked, it is time to buy a local simcard. Once you've touch down, airports usually have a kiosk in selling these items. You also need to consider the form factor of the simcard as I find it difficult to find a nano sim for my wife. The regular and micro sims are not really a problem to acquire as dual form simcards are widely available.
You also need to decide the activities you need the sim card for. In my case, I use it mostly for internet and just for a few calls so I decided to go for the most data calls, which is surprisingly just the same price but the SMS and voice calls were less.
- Beware of the roaming signal..
Not because you have a local sim means you do not need to worry a thing anymore. Specially when you're travelling to some parts of Europe, where the boundaries of countries are just a stones throw away, beware and keep watch of the roaming sign on your phone which is indicated by the letter R(1) above the signal icon.
- Use Wi-Fi when available.
Another way of saving mobile phone charges is to use wi-fi as much as possible. Airports have designated free to access wi-fi. You can use this to download your location and the map around your hotel and information needed for your trip. Commercial establishments like Macdonalds and starbucks are also a good shelter for the weary and the hungry mobile phone for a data fix.
Hotels are already providing wi-fi as an standard service so take advantage of this when uploading or downloading large files and using high data activities like VOIP and video streaming.
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