When Mobile Data Roaming Is Justified

What I usually do when I travel is to get a local SIM and to plug it into my phone, but as with most of my short trips abroad, usually lasting between three and five days, the hassle of getting one isn’t justifiable anymore—I end up with no internet at all. Because of this, I’ve been considering on going for mobile data roaming at a flat-rate price. Read more…

I’ve been debating with myself, listing down instances when mobile data roaming is justified. Here’s what I came up with:

1. When there are a lot of steps and requirements to acquire a local SIM card. In countries like Malaysia, after buying a SIM card from like a 7-Eleven, you still have to activate it with a dealer or a telecom store with your passport. The hassle and the time it takes to do it can be too much. I lined up once at a telecom store for an hour, irking the people with me.

2. When setting up the APN is troublesome. Not all SIM cards are preconfigured with an APN (read: the settings needed for your phone to access the internet). Hence, you need to enter it manually, but first, you’d might need the internet to get it.

3. When you’re skipping from a country to another. When you’re doing a Indochina trip, say two days each in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, would you want to get five SIMs, each to be used only for two days?

4. When it’s expensive to buy a SIM card and pay for a mobile data plan. According to my friend, this is especially true for European countries, where even buying a SIM card is already expensive. So if you’re hopping from Paris to London to Madrid, you’re already broke with just your mobile phone needs.

5. When you need a nanoSIM or microSIM. Based on experience, microSIMs are easier to come by now compared to before, but nanoSIMs, on the other hand, are not too readily available. Often, you’d really need to find a telecom store to get one.

6. When you have a paranoid partner. When you have a partner who thinks you’re up to no good, having no mobile data for even some time would cause him or her to flip out.

7. When it’s a must to check-in the moment of touchdown. How can you humble brag with your check-in or selfie at the airport when you don’t have mobile data yet?

8. When a trip is too short to justify buying a SIM. Staying in Singapore for only three days, and you have to go through the process of activating a SIM card—is it worth it?

9. When you need to update family and friends, pronto. You don’t want your mother worried about her cute little sunshine, do you? You have to let her know you’ve safely arrived.

10. When you arrive at your destination at night. When you arrive at your destination airport at night that closes after your flight, chances are the money changers and telecom stores are closed already. The problem is, you need to use Google Maps to locate your hotel. Are you willing to spend hours out at night to look for your hotel?

11 When language is a barrier. How do you say that you need only two days mobile data or you need an LTE-enabled SIM? Save yourself the frustration and the silly hand gestures.

12. When someone is meeting you at the airport. Often, internet at the airport isn’t reliable—that when you move a little, your connection is bad already—and it’s slow with the number of people you’re sharing it with. How can you contact the people fetching you?

13. When you need your number to be active the whole time. Your phone isn’t dual SIM, and you have to keep it active the entire time, so you won’t miss vital work messages.

14. When your phone is locked. When you got your phone at a contract, you have no choice. But let me ask you, would you rely on wi-fi and pass up on that rare opportunity to tweet your photo by the Angkor Wat right then and there?

The good news is, justifying to get mobile data roaming for those trips abroad is easier because I was told by our friends from Globe Telecom​​ recently that they are expanding their reasonable flat rate to 35 countries now, including:

Belgium

Netherlands

Germany

Spain

Denmark

Norway

Hong Kong

South Korea

Estonia

Qatar

India

Taiwan

Finland

Slovakia

Indonesia

Thailand

France

Sweden

Ireland

United Arab Emirates

Israel

Switzerland

Macau

United States

Japan

Australia

Malaysia

United Kingdom

Latvia

China

Saudi Arabia

Vietnam

Liechtenstein

Czech Republic

Singapore

At only 599 PHP, postpaid subscribers can use your mobile data fearlessly for 24 hours. Plus, you don’t have to memorize or register to a promo, since the rate is activated once you are active on data roaming, thus effectively reducing instances of bill shock. You need not to worry about timezones either, as the rate covers an entire 24-hour cycle, regardless if you’re in the fast lane from LA to Tokyo.

And as an added bonus, once you’re active on mobile data roaming, you qualify for free TravelCare insurance, which provides up to 200,000 PHP worth of protection from travel inconveniences, including flight or baggage delay, loss of travel documents, trip cancellation, accidental death, or medical expenses. Talk about great value.

Check out www.globe.com.ph/roaming for more details, or you may call their roaming hotline at +63 2 730 1212 toll-free even while abroad. Follow Globe Telecom on Facebook and Twitter for more updates and exciting promos.