If you’re about to leave the country for a fab vacation, stop packing for just a minute and let us help you decide something important, like how you’re going to prevent roaming charges.
Data roaming charges are the extra fees tacked onto your cell phone bill if you visit another country and let your phone ‘roam’ onto new networks. You might also get hit with calling and texting roaming fees, if you use your phone number internationally.
Roaming charges are entirely unpleasant, and today we’re talking about how to skip them faster than the credits on Netflix.
From easy-peasy options like switching your phone off and keeping it off (*tear*) to more awesome options like using an eSIM (*crowd goes wild*), we’re going to explain every single option you have to prevent roaming charges.
Let’s dive in!
OPTION 1: Keep your phone off
If you want to be really cautious AND you don’t care about not using your phone on vacation, this is the solution for avoiding roaming charges!
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who are shaken to their core at the idea of roaming charges and/or people who like going ‘off the grid’
INSTRUCTIONS: Power off your device before leaving your regular coverage zone, and don’t turn it back on until you’re safely back in your regular coverage zone. You can leave your phone or home, or carry its lifeless body around for comfort.
BENEFITS: Zero roaming charges, zero calling fees, zero texting fees. Plus, you are a pioneer!
DOWNSIDES: Your phone is now a useless potato. Keep a notebook handy to jot down any clever tweets or one-liners you might want to use when you re-embrace technology back at home.
WARNINGS: None.
COST: Free!
OPTION 2: Stay on Airplane Mode
Airplane Mode prevents you from using data, talking on the phone, or sending/receiving texts, but you can still use Wi-Fi and you’ll certainly prevent roaming charges.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who are fine just using Wi-Fi, and don’t care about calling/texting
INSTRUCTIONS: Before leaving your regular coverage zone, swipe down on your phone and tap the Airplane Mode icon. (Or do this prior to take-off when your flight crew advises it, and then just don’t take off Airplane Mode when you arrive.) Keep Airplane Mode on during your entire trip, and don’t turn Airplane Mode off until you have returned home.
BENEFITS: No data roaming charges, calling fees, or texting fees. But you can use Wi-Fi. (iMessage and FaceTime work if they’re set to use your Apple ID.)
DOWNSIDES: No data, no phone calls, no texts. (It’s like you’ve removed your SIM card, except it’s still hiding inside your phone taking a nap.)
WARNINGS: Just … keep it on Airplane Mode, okay? Promise? If you toggle Airplane Mode off while you’re out of the country, even for a second, roaming charges will rain down on you. There might be tears.
COST: Free if you can get a free (safe) Wi-Fi connection
OPTION 3: Carrier travel plan
Your carrier can likely sell you a ‘travel plan’ where you pay a flat daily rate so you can use data, make phone calls, and send texts.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People with a lot of money (joking … mostly) who are willing to pay extra for convenience
INSTRUCTIONS: A couple of weeks prior to travelling internationally, talk to your carrier (the folks who send you that lovely cell phone bill every month) and explain where you’re travelling and for how long. They’ll tell you how much you’ll pay for them to keep you connected abroad. If you’re happy with the amount, you can confirm you want their carrier travel plan. When you’re on vacation, you will typically be charged their daily rate each day, as soon as they detect your phone uses data, makes/receives a phone call, or sends/receives a text.
BENEFITS: Show up on vacation, use your data, make phone calls like a boss, send texts, etc.
DOWNSIDES: No data, no phone calls, no texts. (It’s like you’ve removed your SIM card, except it’s still hiding inside your phone taking a nap.)
WARNINGS: Ask your carrier how much data you can use, since they might (quietly) charge you hefty fees if you go over their travel plan limit.
COST: Anywhere from $10 a day to $25-ish a day (varies by carrier) on your next cell phone bill
OPTION 4: Mobile hotspot router
With one of these gadgets, you can bring your own private Wi-Fi hotspot wherever you go and keep the whole family connected.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who don’t trust public Wi-Fi (understandable) and prefer the BYOI (Bring Your Own Internet) option
INSTRUCTIONS: Buy a device like the Nighthawk M6 Pro and follow the instructions!
BENEFITS: You’ve got a travelling Wi-Fi connection controlled by you
DOWNSIDES: This won’t power your regular phone number — it’ll just provide Wi-Fi
WARNINGS: Before your trip, talk to your carrier and confirm you’re not enrolled in a carrier travel plan. (You don’t want to be charged a daily rate if you’re going to already be using this for an internet connection.)
COST: This one retails for $999 USD
OPTION 5: Worldwide hotspot access
Pay a monthly fee to get access to private Wi-Fi hotspots all over the world.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who like Wi-Fi (but want it to be safe) and don’t want to carry around a gadget
INSTRUCTIONS: Subscribe to a Wi-Fi hotspot service like Boingo and follow the instructions!
BENEFITS: You can connect to Wi-Fi hotspots and skip the sketchy public Wi-Fi networks
DOWNSIDES: Has nothing to do with calling/texting on your regular phone number
WARNINGS: Before your trip, talk to your carrier and confirm you’re not enrolled in a carrier travel plan. (You don’t want to be charged a daily rate if you’re going to already be using this for an internet connection.)
COST: This unlimited plan retails for $15 USD per month, and you can cancel anytime
OPTION 6: Internet that moves with you
If you’re going to be spending time in a remote cottage, sailing on a boat, or zooming along dusty roads in an R.V., you can use Starlink hardware to access high-speed internet via satellite technology and prevent roaming charges.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Fans of Elon Musk (he owns the company)
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose from in-motion use (vehicle installation) or portable use (set it up, take it down as needed) and place your order
BENEFITS: It’s your own personal internet connection, and you can pause/un-pause service one month at a time
DOWNSIDES: This won’t power your regular phone number. It’s for internet access only.
WARNINGS: Talk to your carrier and make sure you’re not enrolled in a carrier travel plan. (You don’t want to be charged a daily rate if you’re going to already be using this for an internet connection.)
COST: One-time hardware cost of $759 and service for $170/month
OPTION 7: No data, just calls/texts
If you toggle off Data Roaming, your phone won’t have any data, but you can still call/text on your regular phone number.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who want to make sure they’re reachable on their phone number, always, but don’t care about having data all the time. (“Who needs Google Maps? That’s why paper fold-out maps were invented, right?”)
INSTRUCTIONS: Before international travel, toggle Data Roaming OFF on your primary SIM.
BENEFITS: You’re still fully reachable via phone and text, in case of emergencies
DOWNSIDES: No data at all, so you’ll be relying on the mercy of available Wi-Fi networks
WARNINGS: Before your trip, talk to your carrier and confirm you’re not enrolled in a carrier travel plan. (You don’t want to be charged a daily rate — you want the pay-per-use rate for calls and texts only.)
COST: For each text and active calling minute, your carrier will charge you pay-per-use rates. These are usually buried on their website, but they’ll tell you if you ask. It’s often 50 cents or $1 per text (incoming texts are sometimes free) and between $1-$3 per active calling minute.
OPTION 8: Swap your SIM card
Some travellers swear by removing their regular SIM card and replacing it with a local SIM card at their destination.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People knowledgeable about messing with the guts of their phone, and don’t mind giving up their regular phone number for a while
INSTRUCTIONS: Make sure you have an unlocked phone. Remove your regular SIM card right before leaving the country, and keep it somewhere safe. When you arrive at your destination, purchase a new local SIM card and insert it into your phone. (Bonus points if you speak the local language and are mostly sure you aren’t getting a royally bad deal.)
BENEFITS: You’ll have local mobile data, and your new SIM card might come with a local phone number to use during your trip
DOWNSIDES: No access to your regular phone number at all
WARNINGS: Take good care of your regular SIM card, since that’s where your regular phone number ‘lives.’ If it’s lost or damaged, it can be a pain to get a replacement.
COST: How much you’ll pay for a local SIM card depends on (A) where you’re travelling, (B) how much data you want, (C) the kindness of the person selling it to you, (D) the degree to which you might be conned, and sometimes (E) all of the above
OPTION 9: Prepaid data, no calls/texts
If your phone is eSIM compatible, you can prevent roaming charges by downloading a digital SIM card (‘eSIM’) with a prepaid data package for your destination.
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who want steady data all the time (driving directions, email, apps, messaging), and would prefer to turn their phone number off to avoid any charges on their next cell phone bill
INSTRUCTIONS: Make sure you have an unlocked phone that’s eSIM compatible. Purchase a prepaid eSIM data package for your destination. Install the eSIM on your phone. Right before leaving the country, prepare your phone for international travel by toggling off your primary SIM so it can’t be used while you’re abroad and telling your phone to begin using your eSIM as soon as you arrive and it can reach a local network.
BENEFITS: You’ll have local mobile data and it’s fully prepaid, with no roaming charges and no surprises. (If you need more data partway through your trip, it’s easy to top up the eSIM with more data.)
DOWNSIDES: You can’t call/text on your regular phone number since your primary SIM is toggled off (but you can call/message using iMessage and FaceTime, an app like Hushed, or a social media account).
Pro tip: Most prepaid data packages from aloSIM now come with a FREE phone number from our sister app, Hushed.
WARNINGS: You will become the envy of everyone around you because eSIM is rad. Oh, and to make your prepaid data package last as long as possible, make sure your phone isn’t wasting the data with backups or apps running in the background.
COST: A prepaid eSIM data package costs as little as $3.50, depending on your destination. Shop or browse prices in the free aloSIM app, or in the aloSIM web store.
OPTION 10: Prepaid data with calls/texts
If you have a Dual SIM phone, you can prevent roaming charges while having affordable prepaid travel data + using your regular phone number. Nice!
TARGET AUDIENCE: Very cool people who want affordable travel data AND to call/text on their regular phone number, taking advantage of the Hannah Montana factor (a.k.a. “the best of both worlds”)
INSTRUCTIONS: Make sure you have an unlocked phone that’s eSIM compatible. Purchase a prepaid eSIM data package for your destination. Install the eSIM on your phone. Before leaving the country, prepare your phone for international travel by turning off ‘Data Roaming’ on your primary SIM and telling your phone to begin using your eSIM as soon as you arrive and it can reach a local network.
BENEFITS: Local mobile data that’s fully prepaid, with no roaming charges. The ability to quickly top up the eSIM if you need more data. Your regular phone number, buzzing with calls and texts. The adoration of everyone around you because you can hotspot them if they can’t get on Wi-Fi.
DOWNSIDES: Wishing you had known about eSIM on your last trip
WARNINGS: Keep ‘Data Roaming’ off for your primary SIM, and make sure your carrier is NOT going to enroll you in a carrier travel plan as soon as they detect you’re in another country.
COST: Check with your carrier about their pay-per-use rates for phone calls and texts. A prepaid eSIM data package costs as little as $3.50, depending on your destination. Shop or browse prices in the free aloSIM app, or in the aloSIM web store.
RELATED: Get a FREE phone number for international travel
If you’ve never used an eSIM before, send us a note anytime (support@alosim.com) and we’ll be happy to chat with you about the process. (Spoiler alert: You’ll save a ton of money and love every minute of it.)
And, hey, if you decide to go with OPTION 1 (potato phone), no judgement from us. Do whatever you need to do, and the important thing is that you soak up every second of enjoyment during your big trip. We’re always here if you change your mind!
