Tips for taking your cell phone overseas


Most people don’t think about their data package for their cell phone when they leave the country, but when they come back they have an outrageous bill waiting for them. Whenever somebody is about to take a long flight overseas, the thing they most worry about is making sure their cell phone is fully charged. Here are a few additional tips for taking your cell phone overseas – from avoiding those horrendous roaming charges to downloading some of the best travel apps.

1. Know your phone plan

This may seem obvious to most cell phone users, but a lot of people have no idea what their plan actually entails. Yes it does matter which wireless operator that you have. There are actually only a few types of phones that work overseas. AT&T and T-mobile have the best packages for those who travel abroad often. Verizon and Sprint are pretty reliable, but just like most phones it depends on where exactly you are traveling to. Which is why it is a good idea to do some research before you leave. T-Mobile has a plan that got rid of roaming charges for data usage in more than 100 countries, and it caps international calling rates at 20 cents per minute.

2. Download Apps

Before you board the plan to head overseas, you should stock up on all the apps you think that you will need. If you are even debating whether or not you will need it then you should probably just download it to be safe. It is impossible to even try and count the number of apps that might be useful. A few ideas of apps that might help are language translator, map, flight departure, weather. This list could go on and on, but those were just a few suggestions. Ideally, you’ll want to snap them up well before your departure date, so that you have time to research and compare prices. Here is a link that might also help: http://bit.ly/141wBq0.

3. Turn off your data package

If you are planning on still bringing along you cell phone but don’t plan on using data then you need to turn off cellular data and turn off data roaming. Contact your cellular provider for further details on shutting off data. The real problem is that some people are still getting billed hundreds of dollars when their cell phone is shut off. If your cell phone is shut off and somebody tries calling you, or if you just choose not to answer it then the call is routed to your service provider. So even though you might not ever respond to a text or phone call, there is still that chance that you are still racking up the charges. The best advice would just to contact your service provider and see what they recommend. If at worst you might be able to buy a cheap $10 texting plan. That would be way better than racking up hundreds on your next bill.

Hopefully these tips provided a little insight on how to avoid those ridiculous cell phone bills when you go overseas. If you don’t need your cell phone at all overseas then the best idea would be to just leave your phone at home, otherwise I recommend contacting your provider and seeing what their regulations are.