It's a sure-fire way to dampen the holiday cheers: Spend a dreamy week overseas, then come back to find an additional several hundred dollars on your smartphone bill.
Although some phone plans cover international travel, many don't. Leaving your phone off isn't practical these days . But you don't have to pay a fortune if you follow these tips. You might find some of these steps annoying, but they're surely less painful than an unexpected data bill. Start planning well before you leave.
GET AN OVERSEAS PLAN
This is the most economical choice, but also the least practical for many people. Many carriers block your phone from other carriers' plans until you've paid off the hardware, typically after two years. They might make a temporary exception if you're travelling, but it's on you to get that set up. You might have an old phone to use instead, or you can rent or buy a cheap one for your trip.
This route gives you a lot of data at competitive prices. Upon arrival in Bangkok, for instance, I got 2.5 gigabytes of data for just less than $US13 ($A17). Two more gigabytes would have cost just $US3 more.
Just visit a kiosk at the airport when you arrive, or stop by a smartphone or convenience store in town. You'll be assigned a phone number for that country, though, so friends and family will need that to call or text. But Facebook, email accounts and messaging services such as Apple's Facetime should work just as they do at home.
If you're visiting multiple countries, you'll need a separate local plan for each.
STEP UP YOUR AUSSIE PLAN
Check with your carrier on an international package. Some carriers over data packages that can be used overseas, but ten minutes of video streaming can often wipe them out. But they'll get you email and basic messaging, and you get to keep your Australian number.
You might find this adequate for emergencies, such as when you need directions back to the hotel. Use your hotel's wi-fi as much as possible; your Instagram pictures can wait, especially if your friends are asleep anyway.
This option is good for multi-country trips. You can still get a local plan for the country where you'll spend the most time.
LEAVE MOBILE DATA OFF MOST OF THE TIME
Turn off mobile data under Settings on iPhones, or Android (the location in the settings varies by device). In Italy, I turned my data back on for the brief times I needed it. You can go further by enabling aeroplane mode, but that also blocks incoming calls and texts, as well as wi-fi and Bluetooth.
LIMIT DATA USE
Even if you have a smartphone on just briefly, tons of data-hungry messages could still flood in while the gate is open. To prevent that, you can prevent apps from using mobile data at all.
On iPhones, go to Mobile in Settings, then turn off as many items as possible in the list of apps. In Italy, I turned off all apps. When I needed to check or send Gmail, I just turned that app back on temporarily. Otherwise, the phone waited until I got back to the hotel's wi-fi. Notifications still came through, but they don't use much data.
On most versions of Android, turn on "Restrict background data" to blocks apps from using mobile data while running in the background. To let certain apps override that, you need Data Saver on the latest version of Android, Nougat, which isn't yet available on most phones.
While you're at it, disable automatic video play on Facebook's app. Tap the three horizontal bars. On iPhones, choose Settings, then Account Settings, then Videos and Photos. For Autoplay, choose wi-fi only or never. On Android, check under App settings.
And be sure to disable automatic app updates that use data. It might already be set to wi-fi only, but double check in the iTunes & App Stores settings on iPhones and the Play Store settings on Android.
DOWNLOAD BEFORE YOU GO
Get and set up apps for museums and other places you're visiting before you leave home or the hotel. Using the apps will consume data, but not as much as starting from scratch.
Likewise, download map data for Google Maps ahead of time. You can get driving directions and basic information on businesses without a data connection. The offline mode isn't meant for walking directions, though what I got for driving was often close enough (The exception was Venice, where cars are banned).
You can also download any video you've bought or rented through iTunes, Amazon or Google Play. Amazon's Prime members can also download up to 25 of the videos available for free streaming. Netflix recently updated its app to offer similar downloads for offline viewing. You'll want to do this before leaving home, even if you plan to use wi-fi, as streaming rights for many titles don't extend outside Australia.
TRACK YOUR USAGE
Check the settings regularly to see how much data you're using and adjust accordingly. On iPhones, check Current Period Roaming in the Mobile settings. Hit Reset Statistics at the start of your trip. On Android, check Data usage. Android also keeps track of which apps use how much data, so you can identify culprits more easily. These are estimates, though, and your phone company might measure differently.
Although some phone plans cover international travel, many don't. Leaving your phone off isn't practical these days . But you don't have to pay a fortune if you follow these tips. You might find some of these steps annoying, but they're surely less painful than an unexpected data bill. Start planning well before you leave.
GET AN OVERSEAS PLAN
This is the most economical choice, but also the least practical for many people. Many carriers block your phone from other carriers' plans until you've paid off the hardware, typically after two years. They might make a temporary exception if you're travelling, but it's on you to get that set up. You might have an old phone to use instead, or you can rent or buy a cheap one for your trip.
This route gives you a lot of data at competitive prices. Upon arrival in Bangkok, for instance, I got 2.5 gigabytes of data for just less than $US13 ($A17). Two more gigabytes would have cost just $US3 more.
Just visit a kiosk at the airport when you arrive, or stop by a smartphone or convenience store in town. You'll be assigned a phone number for that country, though, so friends and family will need that to call or text. But Facebook, email accounts and messaging services such as Apple's Facetime should work just as they do at home.
If you're visiting multiple countries, you'll need a separate local plan for each.
STEP UP YOUR AUSSIE PLAN
Check with your carrier on an international package. Some carriers over data packages that can be used overseas, but ten minutes of video streaming can often wipe them out. But they'll get you email and basic messaging, and you get to keep your Australian number.
You might find this adequate for emergencies, such as when you need directions back to the hotel. Use your hotel's wi-fi as much as possible; your Instagram pictures can wait, especially if your friends are asleep anyway.
This option is good for multi-country trips. You can still get a local plan for the country where you'll spend the most time.
LEAVE MOBILE DATA OFF MOST OF THE TIME
Turn off mobile data under Settings on iPhones, or Android (the location in the settings varies by device). In Italy, I turned my data back on for the brief times I needed it. You can go further by enabling aeroplane mode, but that also blocks incoming calls and texts, as well as wi-fi and Bluetooth.
LIMIT DATA USE
Even if you have a smartphone on just briefly, tons of data-hungry messages could still flood in while the gate is open. To prevent that, you can prevent apps from using mobile data at all.
On iPhones, go to Mobile in Settings, then turn off as many items as possible in the list of apps. In Italy, I turned off all apps. When I needed to check or send Gmail, I just turned that app back on temporarily. Otherwise, the phone waited until I got back to the hotel's wi-fi. Notifications still came through, but they don't use much data.
On most versions of Android, turn on "Restrict background data" to blocks apps from using mobile data while running in the background. To let certain apps override that, you need Data Saver on the latest version of Android, Nougat, which isn't yet available on most phones.
While you're at it, disable automatic video play on Facebook's app. Tap the three horizontal bars. On iPhones, choose Settings, then Account Settings, then Videos and Photos. For Autoplay, choose wi-fi only or never. On Android, check under App settings.
And be sure to disable automatic app updates that use data. It might already be set to wi-fi only, but double check in the iTunes & App Stores settings on iPhones and the Play Store settings on Android.
DOWNLOAD BEFORE YOU GO
Get and set up apps for museums and other places you're visiting before you leave home or the hotel. Using the apps will consume data, but not as much as starting from scratch.
Likewise, download map data for Google Maps ahead of time. You can get driving directions and basic information on businesses without a data connection. The offline mode isn't meant for walking directions, though what I got for driving was often close enough (The exception was Venice, where cars are banned).
You can also download any video you've bought or rented through iTunes, Amazon or Google Play. Amazon's Prime members can also download up to 25 of the videos available for free streaming. Netflix recently updated its app to offer similar downloads for offline viewing. You'll want to do this before leaving home, even if you plan to use wi-fi, as streaming rights for many titles don't extend outside Australia.
TRACK YOUR USAGE
Check the settings regularly to see how much data you're using and adjust accordingly. On iPhones, check Current Period Roaming in the Mobile settings. Hit Reset Statistics at the start of your trip. On Android, check Data usage. Android also keeps track of which apps use how much data, so you can identify culprits more easily. These are estimates, though, and your phone company might measure differently.
Source: AAP
