Traveling is expensive, how much more when you go overseas. You’re probably dependent on your phone bill’s data plan during your travels because you can’t easily find Wi-fi while you’re on the road right? Especially roaming data, which can seriously cost you so much especially if you’re not careful.
But with proper management and planning, you can save your phone bill without giving data usage on the go. By following these seven tips below, you can blog, chat, and post anytime and anywhere you like without worrying about your phone bill ever again.
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Take Advantage of Your Phone’s Built-in Data Saver
- The secret to saving money on your phone bill lies inside your phone’s settings. Different phones had different setting options, so it’s better to explore where to find it on your own. Once found, the first thing you should do is switch off data roaming. Doing so will save you a lot of cash. Also, if you’re not using your phone, turn on airplane mode for a while. Airplane mode switches all of your phones connectivity functions including mobile data.
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Get a SIM card
- If you have an unlocked phone, you can buy a SIM card that works on the destination country you’re currently at. This transforms your phone into a local phone. Some SIM cards gives you the ability to pay as you go, while some others have to stay on prepaid. These SIM cards are unsurprisingly cheap so getting one is a must-have. To find out if your phone is unlocked to use any SIM card, all you need to do is call the carrier. Once done, you’ll receive a code to enter into the phone and then you’re good to go.
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Opt for an International Data Plan
- If you’ll be staying overseas for a while and needs contact back to your home country, then opting for an international data plan is your best bet. Many carriers has great international data deals that can be used anywhere in the world. Keep in mind that every plan is different, some are expensive and some are not. So it’s better to check which plan suits you before applying for it.
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Get a Local Phone
- If the things we mentioned above doesn’t suit your taste, then getting a local phone is the right choice for you. Getting a local phone can fix many of your communication issues. It may be more expensive to call back home using a foreign phone. However, calling local businesses is as easy as pie. If you’re having trouble applying for an international data plan that we’ve mentioned above, then a local phone can save your day. There are a lot of cheap flip phones that you can find around the city that costs $20 or so. That’ll be enough for you to use as a backup phone while overseas.
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Stick to Wi-Fi
- To save your mobile data, it’s better to use Wi-fi instead. When you want to post something on social media, be sure to standby on a Wi-fi zone where you can use their Wi-fi as long as you want. This saves you trouble from getting a local phone or international data plans that we’ve mentioned earlier. Make the most out of your time when you’re in a Wi-fi zone. Eat or stay at places that offers free Wi-fi and spend most of your time on Twitter or Instagram and post anything to your heart’s content.
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Download WhatsApp
- Text messaging costs money, but chat apps don’t. One of the best chat app to use during your travels is WhatsApp. This app is very popular in the expat and travel community. It uses internet to send and receive messages though so you’ll probably need a data plan for this. Another fun thing is that WhatsApp only uses a little amount of your mobile data, so rest assured that your phone bill is in good hands. There are a lot of other options too such as Viber which you can also install on your computer and the extremely popular Facebook Messenger.
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Keep Track of Your Data
- Budgeting your data is easy like budgeting your money while traveling. Always keep an eye on your data usage or else you’ll be surprised because you’re greeted with a data warning sooner or later while browsing and surfing. For iOS users, your data usage can be found on the “cellular” section in the settings menu. While for Android users, this can be found in the “data usage” section inside the settings menu. It’s important to know what is the difference between using mobile data and data roaming too. This gives you an idea which one to use for later.
