Using your phone overseas? 5 savvy tips to save money
Don't come back from your holiday with a huge bill. Plan ahead and your wallet will be happy.
Sponsored by felix mobile. Get an international roaming package for $20 extra on top of your felix subscription. 4GB of data at speeds up to 20Mbps, 100 standard international minutes and 100 international texts in over 40 countries. Countries may vary. T&Cs apply.
The borders are finally well and truly open and holidays are back on. With it, thousands of Australians are heading overseas for hard-earned breaks. Hooray!
Of course, international trips don't come cheap. Many of us are looking for ways to keep costs manageable. For those of us using our phones overseas, there are plenty of opportunities to save.
Add international roaming
Before you go overseas, check to see if your provider offers international roaming options, how much it might cost and what the package looks like.
For example, felix mobile offers a roaming add-on to their subscription for just $20. This includes 4GB of data at speeds of up to 20Mbps, 100 standard international minutes of calls and 100 standard international texts.
The pack is available for 365 days from purchase and is available in over 40 countries including the UK, Singapore, France, USA and South Africa. You can view the full list of countries here.
Turn off auto updates
The last thing you want to do is use up all your data on accidental app updates. Switch off automatic updates or change the settings so they'll only happen when you're connected to Wi-Fi.
You may also want to consider doing the same for auto uploads. However, be careful as this could put photos at risk. For example, many of us have set our phones to automatically upload photos to the cloud. This adds an extra level of security in case we lose or damage our phones, but it also drains our data.
Get insurance
Losing, breaking or having your smartphone stolen can put a serious dampener on your holiday, not to mention make it more expensive since you'll have to shell out for a replacement.
Before you go overseas, make sure you have insurance that will cover for a replacement if the worst happens.
Cover for smartphones varies between travel insurance providers so check the product disclosure statement (PDS) carefully. Some may only offer cover in certain circumstances or up to a certain value. Some might not cover you at all.
Embrace free Wi-Fi
Even if you do find a decent international roaming package, it still makes sense to embrace free public or guest Wi-Fi at hotels, cafes or even cultural spots such as museums or galleries.
Typically, international roaming packages offer less data at a higher price compared to domestic packages so you'll want to use it sparingly if possible.
The best way to do this is to connect to Wi-Fi when you can and be more conscious of your Internet usage. (We know it's hard!)
Download in advance
Whether it's music, films or map directions, plan ahead and download anything you know you'll definitely need.
Do this whenever you get a strong and safe Wi-Fi connection and you won't find yourself burning through data just because you want to watch a film on a long bus ride.
