TIPS FOR TEXTING OR MAKING CALLS OVERSEAS
Using your phone internationally can seem intimidating and can often come with shocking phone bills when you arrive home.
Here are some tips for making it easier and reducing or avoiding those charges:
Make sure your phone will work internationally. Some older phones may not work overseas. Consult your owner’s manual - if it is marketed as a “world phone” or supports quad-band GSM, it should work in most places.
Contact your cell phone carrier to see if they offer an international roaming plan. While these packages can still be costly, they will be much cheaper than paying per text, call, and megabyte of data used. Research this several weeks in advance, then contact your carrier shortly before travel to activate the service. Make sure to deactivate it when you return home!
Turn off cell data. If you don’t have an international roaming plan, this will prevent your phone from downloading all those emails in the background, which can be costly. Limit yourself to using only Wi-fi when you are away. Most hotels and many cafes and restaurants are equipped with either free of low cost Wi-fi. It may not be quite as convenient, but it will certainly be cheaper!
Make use of apps such as Google Voice, Skype, and WhatsApp. These apps can be used over Wi-fi or with cellular data to contact family and friends around the globe for no or low cost.