November 24, 2010

The Best Ways To Use A Cell Phone When You Travel Abroad

At home, you depend on your cell phone for business, socializing and emergencies. Having your cell phone with you when you travel abroad can be convenient, gives you the comfort of being connected, and may even be a requirement for work.

However, you’ve experienced the exorbitant roaming charges just to make calls from another plot, never mind another country, so how can you most effectively manage your cell phone when you travel abroad?

Technology

You first need to look at the technology considerations before deciding which options are available to you.

Cell phone standards around the world are not yet standardized. Simply put, the majority of North American cell phones systems use CDMA (“Code Division”) or TDMA (“Time Division”), and these are not compatible with the GSM (“Global Services for Mobile Communications”) technology used in most of the rest of the world. The second consideration in frequency: your North American cell phones may utilize GSM, but still may not work seamlessly abroad unless it operates in the right frequency. For example, cell phone networks in Europe, Asia, Australia and Brazil employ 900 and 1800 MHz frequencies; North America uses 850 and 1900 MHz. Even if you have a tri-band GSM phone using the 850, 1800 and 1900 MHz frequencies, it will not be reliable elsewhere because it is missing the 900 MHz frequency.

Tip: If you are a frequent traveler who intends to use your phone globally, buy a quad-band “world” phone which supports all four GSM bands (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); you will be able to use it practically anywhere in the world where there is cell phone service.

Roam with Your Phone and Number

If convenience is your number one priority, and you have a world phone, take your cell phone with you when you travel. The biggest advantage is that anyone at home can call you using your existing number. Plus, you will still have your voicemail service and the contact information you programmed into your phone.

The major disadvantage of this option is cost. Not only will you pay roaming surcharges for your outgoing calls, but your carrier will also tack these onto your incoming calls and calls to pickup voicemail messages. These surcharges (which are in addition to the regular airtime charge) can add up very quickly of you don’t control your usage. Some major providers do provide online roaming maps with prices, so you can get some idea of what your costs will be, but you will see exactly what you are paying only when you receive your next cell phone bill.

Tip: Some cell phone carriers now let you access your voicemail online for free – check to recognize if this is an option as you will save a bit of money if you receive a lot of messages.

Use Your Phone with a Local Prepaid Service

As a non-resident, generally you will not be allowed to sign a contract with a foreign carrier for the most preferred rates. Instead, bring your passport to a retailer (the passport may be required) and sign up for a prepaid fable (also known as “pay as you go”). With this option, you will hold a new SIM (“Subscriber Identity Module”) card programmed for that country for about $40, and insert it in your phone. The SIM will give you a new, local phone number. You will prepay for time by purchasing a voucher (usually a card or cash register receipt with a PIN) in local currency. The cost of your outgoing calls is deducted from the balance on your account and you will pay local rates, which are usually around 25 cents per minute for local calls but more for international. Making and receiving in-country calls is therefore easy and relatively inexpensive, and incoming calls – even if the call is from support home – and calls to check your record balance will be free. When the balance on your account gets low, top it up by buying another voucher at the SIM provider’s store, a street kiosk or a tobacco store.

For this strategy, your phone must be technologically compatible and “unlocked,” meaning it will allow you to switch out SIM cards. Most phones in North America are locked; if yours is, borrow an unlocked world phone from someone you know, or buy a basic unlocked phone in your destination country at the same retailer where you lift your SIM. Before you leave the store, ask the salesperson to install the SIM, configure your phone, indicate you your phone’s PIN, and write down the number to call to get your balance (most systems will give you an option for assistance in English).

One downside is that you will need to let everyone know what your recent, local phone number is, and your callers will be charged for overseas rates when they try to reach you. Most cell phone services at home will not allow you to forward calls overseas, so if you don’t want your callers to deal with the hassle and cost, you can status up an account with someone like TollFreeForwarding.com, who will give you a U.S. toll-free number that will forward incoming calls to your international number. The price for this service for Western Europe, as an example, is about $10 a month may include some free incoming talk time.

Some other costs: As your contact information resides on your SIM, you will lose this with a new one. Also, if you are visiting several countries, you will end up paying roaming surcharges in the other places you visit. Finally, if you run out of time on your account when you are in another country, you will not be able to top up your balance – this must be done in the country where you buy your SIM. You could simply purchase a local SIM card in each country, but then you will need to hold track of a different incoming phone number for each. If you fade regularly to many different regions around the world, you could instead buy an international SIM card that can be used in many countries; these are available from online companies such as Telestial, MAXroam or SIM4travel.

Buy an International Cell Phone

If you are lucky enough to have a vacation home in another country, or if you are a student planning a semester abroad, you may be able to rob a local phone with a domestic calling notion.

The plans in various countries can be very different, so construct sure you look at your options, probably online, before leaving home. The only downside of this option is that if you make a lot of calls home, you may use your calling voucher time quite quickly. Try to have the folks from home call you on their land lines as they will certainly have better rates than the other way around.

Tip: You may see some “street” or “no name” deals, but don’t be tempted – buy your phone and service at a store that is licensed to sell the locally well-known brands.

Rent a Phone

Even if your phone is a world phone, renting a world phone may be a good option if you travel only once every couple of years, for less than a week at a time, and don`t need to withhold your home country cell phone number with you. Renting a phone can also be a great alternative to making calls from your hotel room, and if you have not planned ahead it may be your best option.

Many international airports and some car rental companies rent cell phones. You can also rep companies online that will rent you a world phone at home. The handset rental rates may be reasonable, or even free, but beware of the per-minute charges for incoming and outgoing calls; you won’t know your actual cost until the charge is posted o your credit card. As well, some rental companies may impose a minimum charge per day in minutes or currency; if you intend to use the phone for emergencies only, you may still have a large bill whether or not you use the phone.

Tip: replacing a lost rental phone can be very expensive; consider buying rental insurance at an additional cost.

VoIP (“Voice over Internet Protocol”) Service

Services such as Skype will let you make calls with your internet connection using a downloadable application (“app”) on your world phone, or even on your laptop. Skype users can make and receive free voice or video calls with other users, and can make calls to landlines and cell phones at very favorable rates.

To avoid exorbitant charges, you will need an international data thought for you world phone. If you use your laptop instead, create sure that your internet connection is strong and reliable – something you cannot depend upon in some areas.

Vonage provides a different service: some subscribers can download “Vonage Companion,” which will enable your laptop to work like a phone. You can make and receive calls to your Vonage number at no charge, depending upon the plan you’re on.

Do You Really Need Your Cell Phone?

If you can take a smash from using a cell phone altogether, one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make calls overseas is with a phone card, which you can buy at most kiosks and convenience-type stores in other countries. Honest dial a local access number, enter the PIN on the card, and dial the number you are calling. You won’t have to carry around pockets full of change and can avoid collect, operator-assisted and third-party surcharges. Additionally, as rates are very clear so you know what your cost will be. But beware of using your phone card from your hotel room as you could destroy up being charged twice for the same call: once for using the hotel phone and once for using the phone card. Use a public phone instead.

As technology begins to converge and options become simpler, making your choice should become easier. If you travel abroad regularly, keep on top of the changes and make your choices only when you feel that you have enough information to that you won’t get stuck with an surprisingly outrageous bill at the end of your mosey.

Sources:

“International Cell Phone Guide.” The Independent Traveler, Inc.

“Using a Cell Phone Overseas.” Studyabroad.com

Taub, Eric. “Guidelines for Using a Cell Phone Abroad.” The New York Times Company.

“International Cell Phones, World Phones, SIM Cards, Satellite Phones.” Telestial, Inc.

Kenny, Pauline. “Slow Travel – Cell Phones in Europe, SIM Cards, Italy, France, Renting, Buying Cell Phones.” Slowtrav.com

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