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Tag: 3G abroad

How to avoid roaming

by on Jul.01, 2012, under Traveling


Roaming data traffic with your cellphone or device (tablet/iPad) in another country can be very expensive. Prices of €12 per started Mb are not uncommon. A week’s surfing on a phone or tablet will land somewhere near 100 Mb. You do the math. At the same time, it’s when you are traveling that you need Google Maps and similar apps the most. Plus, in this era most people don’t feel comfortable without access to the internet for longer periods of time.

The key to avoid high roaming costs is to go local. Buy a pre-paid SIM card once onsite and share your temporary local number with friends and family back home by SMS or (even better) e-mail. You’ll find most local operators represented at the airport. Some countries (for instance Spain) require that you identify yourself when buying a pre-paid SIM card while others don’t. Most pre-paid SIM cards have an expiry date, normally a year after activation, so don’t buy more than you plan to use.

Please keep in mind that the phone or device you plan to use during your trip can not be operator locked. If it is, it won’t accept a SIM card from any other operator, foreign or domestic, than the one you use at home. If it is locked or if you are uncertain, check with your operator. They are sometimes willing to unlock phones for a fee.


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