Money | guardian.co.uk: Top tips to cut down mobile phone charges abroad

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Money | guardian.co.uk Articles published by guardian.co.uk Money

Top tips to cut down mobile phone charges abroad Jun 30th 2013, 06:00, by Harriet Meyer Using your mobile phone on holiday? Some simple measures can reduce the likelihood of returning to an unpleasant bill Using your mobile phone while on holiday abroad can result in an unwelcome data roaming bill when you get home – especially outside of the EU. 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. • Ask your provider for your own usage cap if you are concerned that you won't be able to keep track of your use. • Make sure your phone is unlocked , and buy a local SIM card. There are plenty of small local independent mobile phone stores and unlocking specialists who can do it for you. • Alternatively, buy a SIM before you go. For example, Dataroam has a range of pay-as-you-go and 30-day plans that it claims could save users "up to 90%", with pre-paid data SIMs starting at £14.99. • 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. Do you have any other suggestions that could reduce your holiday bill? Internet, phones & broadband Consumer affairs Household bills Family finances European Union Mobile phones Telecoms Harriet Meyer guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Media files: woman-with-mobile-in-deck-003.jpg (image/jpeg) woman-with-mobile-in-deck-008.jpg (image/jpeg)

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