The need to stay connected whilst travelling can result in exorbitant mobile/cellular roaming bills when one returns home. However, there are ways to minimise the charges incurred. We discuss five.

 

In the news last week were reports that two Ministers of Government in Trinidad and Tobago had racked up mobile/cellular phone bills of totaling around TTD 150,000 (over USD 22,000), in separate work-related trips to the Bahamas and Tobago (Source:  Caribbean News Now). As expected, there is uproar in Trinidad and Tobago, as the bills are excessive for what were short business trips. More importantly, tax papers are ones footing such extravagance, especially in a time when the need for prudent government spending has been emphasised.

As much as we might be somewhat amused and bemused by what appears to be lavish behaviour of Government ministers to incur those charges, sadly, it can happen to almost anyone, especially those who are postpaid mobile/cellular subscribers. Postpaid subscribers tend to get billed at end the month – after the charges have been incurred – which can be an unpleasant surprised, even with seemingly modest roaming activity whilst away from home.

It is therefore important to highlight that roaming charges are not incurred solely on mobile/cellular calls, but more crucially on data. For example, in the Trinidad and Tobago example, Minister for Tourism, Shamfa Cudjoe, racked up roaming charges to the tune of approximately USD 8,740 (TTD 59,000) in her visit to the Bahamas. Below is a breakdown of those charges:

  • Phone calls – USD 162.96  (TTD 1,100)
  • Roaming data – USD 7,498.75  (TTD 50,616.61)
  • Value Added Tax –  USD 972.17  (TTD 6,562.13)

In the Bahamas, roaming data rates are around USD 9.33 (TTD 63.00) per megabyte (MB), which unequivocally, is extremely high. However, the Minister consumed over 803 MB during her visit!

Although it could be argued that most people consume about 200 MB of data per day; hence 800 MB by the Minister is not excessive, in a situation where one is roaming, it is. More importantly, there may have been no modification of mobile/cellular phone behaviour or use within the context of roaming, and ultimately being subject to premium charges for that facility.

Below, we outline five ways to avoid, or at the very least minimise. Your mobile/cellular roaming charges when you travel.

1. Enable airplane mode

Although on flights we might think the cabin crew is being overzealous when we are told to put our electronic devices in airplane mode, it is one of the easiest and best ways to reduce the chances of being (unwittingly) connected to networks when we travel, and incurring roaming charges.  When airplane mode is enabled, cellular services — both voice and data — are turned off, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and other location services.

However, as appropriate or necessary, we can disable airplane mode, and manually enable Wi-Fi to connect to secure wireless spots, or even to permit roaming. Ultimately, we remain in control over how and when our phones connect to foreign (non-home) networks.

2.  Disable data roaming

If keeping your phone in airplane mode is a bit too draconian, or impractical, for example, if Wi-Fi is readily available, then explicitly disabling data roaming and/or mobile/cellular data is recommended. In doing so, your phone will not automatically switch to mobile data when Wi-Fi is absent – which might be desired when you are on your home network, but can be incredibly expensive when travelling or off your home network.

3. Use Wi-Fi only

Depending on the purpose of your trip outside the range of your home network, it may be possible to use Wi-Fi exclusively whilst away. Many hotels, especially business hotels, offer free in-room Wi-Fi, and affordable prepaid Wi-Fi services are available in many countries, which can welcomed alternative.

4. Buy a roaming package before leaving

Many Caribbean mobile/cellular providers offer a roaming packages, especially when travelling to the United States. These packages may comprise a bundle of calls, text messages and/or data for fixed priced. Having said this, the overage rates – the rates payable outside of the bundled limits – can be expensive, and it can be difficult to gauge consumption, especially for data. However with prudent management and choosing the package that best suits your needs, it is possible to avoid the surprise of coming home to a large roaming bill, which might otherwise be the case.

5.  Buy a local SIM

Depending on how long you will be away from base, and what your communication demands might be, it may be a good idea to consider purchasing a local SIM card and a short-term voice and/or data package that meets your needs. Many countries now offer low-cost prepaid SIM cards; along with competitively priced voice and data packages; which can make this option considerably more attractive – and cheaper – than roaming from home.

 

Image credits:  hjl (flickr)

______________