Anyone who has traveled and used their smart phone will already know about this huge issue. I you have already received a bill for the time you used while out of the country then you know it is expensive. If you have not received your most recent bill yet, that covers the time you were out of the country when you used your phone you could be in for a big surprise. Travelling with Smart Phones can keep you connected, but watch your phone charges.
Roaming charges for both voice, text and data are incredibly high for anyone without a roaming plan outside their home country. The charges can be as much as $3.00 a minute or more in some cases just for voice calls. This can add up very quickly even if you are on a 10 minute call and will spend $30 for that call.
Travelling with Smart Phones
Many customers will turn off their data plans while they are traveling just to protect themselves from data charges. Even if you are not checking for email, your smart phone can be checking for up dates, syncing and receiving alerts to the various apps that you have on your phone. All of this data adds up and can amount to a significant charge if you are not careful.
Text messaging is the same. Most smart phones do not let you block the text messaging service. You have to call the carrier to stop the service from sending text messages to your phone. If you open them you will definitely be charged at international rates which can again be very expensive. Check with your carrier to find out just how expensive they are. Some will levy charges just for sending them to you even if you do not open the message.
Buy a Local Phone
Many customers will purchase a local prepaid phone in the country they are traveling in. Although the per minute charges are higher than what they might currently be paying for their service in their home country , the rates for prepaid service are often much lower than roaming rates.
You can do all of the same things you do on your regular phone depending on the phone and the prepaid package you subscribe to. Text , voice, and data are possible, although if you are traveling for a short time, voice and text messaging are probably ok.
WiFi Locations
Free WiFi sites are becoming more and more predominant and these sites are great to sync up and check emails, markets , apps such as Facebook, twitter etc. You can use your existing smart phone in most cases if it allows wi-fi connections. Again do not forget to shut off the data when you leave the wi-fi site to avoid a nasty surprise.
Changing countries
Each time you change countries, you need to pay attention to these issues. Traveling in North America, you only have to worry about Canada, the US and Mexico. However in Europe you can travel across several countries in several hours, so keeping track of mobile phone plans can be difficult. Again buy a phone that is prepaid and covers the countries you are traveling in. Only buy enough minutes for what you think you will need. You can always top them up if you need more.
We would love to hear about your experiences traveling with your mobile phones and smart phones. Any tips and tricks that you can pass along will be much appreciated. For more details about smart phone security, click here.