Tips to cut down mobile phone charges abroad

Using your mobile phone while on holiday abroad can result in an unwelcome data roaming bill when you get home – especially outside of Africa. So what are our top tips to cut down on charges? Check data roaming and automatic updates for Smartphone apps are switched off.

If you want to use the internet, wait until you can use the Wi-Fi signal at a hotel or café. You can also ask your provider for your own usage cap if you are concerned that you won’t be able to keep track of your use.

Please, buy a local SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card. To avoid the costs of receiving voicemail, make sure to deactivate this before you fly. There are special apps to reduce the amount of data you use – for example, try the Onavo app, which claims to give you the ability to do up to five times more with your current data plan without additional fees.

Download maps for your destination before you leave home, or use your a Wi-Fi signal for this. Take advantage of data “bundles” that can be used abroad.

For example, O2 is offering O2 Travel to all pay-monthly customers. This will offer 25MB of data per day for £1.99, with international rates from 29p per minute to make a call and from 8p per min to receive a call.

Orange customers travelling outside Europe can sign up for a global mobile data bundle, starting from £6 a day for 30MB. There are also larger bundles that work on a 30-day or monthly recurring basis. Finally, if you’re on holiday, relax – and consider keeping your phone switched off and in your suitcase.

Ben Uzor