While the term “bill shock” is becoming a widely used term, it seems that little is being done to protect us against ‘painful’ international roaming charges on cell phone bills. Many companies do not even send warnings to their users, notifying them that their bill is running in to $1000s whilst away on vacation like this unlucky lady from the UK. Without being the wiser, you may go off on your next budget vacation with your phone and return with a bill almost as big as the whole trip! But there are many ways to protect yourself when traveling with your phone to keep the bill down as low as possible.What can you do to avoid them?
When backpacking through some of the most beautiful places on the planet, one of the biggest fears that backpackers face, in the back of their mind at least, is the expensive cell phone bill that awaits them on their return home.
Although no one has yet invented a very handy free to use world phone, here are some tips which will ensure that your cell phone bill don’t spoil your travel memories.
Keep Data roaming switched off
One of the biggies to catch people out is accidentally leaving data roaming on. Even though you might only be using your email sparsely whilst away data can be expensive on roaming networks in other countries.
There are a number of different ways to turn off data roaming on your cell phone depending on what brand and model you have. Bear in mind though, that depending on how up-to-date your phone is, the menu may be slightly different from below:
iPhone: Go to settings -> General -> Network -> Slide data roaming, cellular date and enable 3G to their ‘off’ positions. (For more info visit the Apple site)
Android: Go to settings -> Wireless + Network -> Mobile network -> Uncheck data roaming, data enable and 3G data options.
Keep your apps under wraps
We all love catching up with Reddit, killing pigs on Angry Birds and seeing where we’re you’re going next on Google Maps, the problem is however that apps like these tend to update a lot; costing you money unless you are hooked up to a wireless internet connection.
Although switching roaming off should prohibit them from updating, doing so manually will assure that you’re not caught out by data hungry applications. Double check that you’ve turned off auto updates in your applications!
Check out what international SIM cards are available
Although many people fear the prospect of playing around with their cell phone’s SIM card; buying or renting an international card is relatively easy and can save you a huge chunk of dough in the long run.
If you’re lucky enough to be backpacking around Europe for example, you can do so with a single European SIM card like this one. In order to use this SIM card in Europe your cell phone must firstly be unlocked and be compatible with European service providers.
If you’re traveling to other continents such as Asia many countries such as South Korea and Japan require a 3G enabled phone. A good tip is to look before you go away as you could find an excellent bargain already unlocked cell phone on eBay, or alternatively renting a GSM world phone might be a more convenient solution.
Having a cell phone comes in very handy when traveling and smart phones have made traveling safer, faster and cheaper. Whatever you do remember – planning ahead will save you money and won’t spoil your trip!
