So you want to use your mobile abroad for FREE...?

The Roaming Bill: what any traveler who’s ever left home with their mobile has feared. Most resort to free WiFi and airplane mode on their devices and avoid calling, texting or surfing altogether. This is not exactly a practical solution, but sure does avoid any unexpected bills.

Over the last 5 weeks, we have been examining the options available to those who either cannot go off the grid on their travels or those who wish to keep their mobiles active abroad. We took a look at roaming costs in different countries, and then discussed in more detail the increasingly popular savings option of roaming SIM cards. Today, for the last blog of our series on global roaming, we will end with a discussion on the limited options available to users who wish to continue to use their phone for free.

Calling Without Using Airtime Minutes

For individuals who wish to continue to make phone calls abroad without roaming charges, there are a few options which exist. Short of using a host’s phone, paying for a hotel phone, or using phone boothes, calling for free will require a WiFi connection and a VoIP program. Popular VoIP options are Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp (Note: WhatsApp requires a valid mobile phone number and SIM in order to work). Simply download these Apps to your device and create a profile. Your contacts will also need to do the same if you wish calls to be truly free, though Skype and Viber do allow you to make calls to mobile phones or landlines for a fee. The rates for making such call depend on the country you’re calling, and we have found that these rates are comparable with those of roaming SIMs.

Texting Without Paying for SMS

Just as for calls, there exist a few options for messaging which will not incur any charges. Once again, using a host’s phone is the only way to send a true SMS from mobile to mobile for free. Users can also utilize one of the countless messaging programs (e.g., Facebook Messenger, Skype, WhatsApp, Google Messenger, Viber, KiK Messenger, etc.). The number of such programs is virtually endless but will require a WiFi connection and, in some cases (e.g., WhatsApp), will require verification of an active mobile number and SIM. Note that you and your contacts will only be able to message within the programs (i.e., both will need to have the program installed, and a WiFi connection to receive/send messages).

There are some ways to send a virtual SMS, however, where you will utilize an online program to read and send SMS but your contacts will continue to text as usual from their phone. Some of these do have associated fees (e.g., TeleRivet or Message Bird). For these, you will need to create a profile and either associate your existing number with the account or purchase a virtual one. Since you use the program's interface to send a message or to read your received messages, a WiFi connection is required.

Saving on Data Charges

Other than free WiFi, there is no way to go about using internet on your mobile device without incurring in data charges. Below are some simple tips to reduce costs:

• Switch off 3G data on your device: Servers will recognize you have a smaller bandwidth available and stream lower-quality – and therefore smaller media files – saving on the amount of Mb used for audio/video applications.

• Use "mobile friendly" web sites: Mobile or text-only sites are typically designed to optimize your viewing experience. This also happens to have an impact on the amount of data you need to display them. Bookmark the mobile versions of your favourite sites to trim a bit of data usage.

• Turn off “pushing”: Email and calendar services typically “push” data to your phone when there are updates. Simply turn these off, and switch your retrieval of data from these programs to manual to avoid automatic updates, and the associated data use.

• Turn off Notifications: Many apps that give you alerts use data to do so. You can prevent this by going to your settings and turning them off altogether or for individual apps.

• Limit permissions to apps that run in the background: This will save not only data but battery also.

• Download necessary information prior to departure: Downloading maps (Maps.Me), translation services (Google Translate), books (eReaders), etc for offline use will mean you will not have to use data to access these crucial tools abroad. Note that your device will have to have sufficient memory available to save these files.

• Download “data saving” programs (e.g., Onavo Extend): These apps promise the ability to do up to five times more with your current data plan without additional fees. The premise is that you download these programs to your device and they automatically compress the data you use. Though we have not personally tested any such product, many are rated well in App Stores (e.g., Onavo has 4.2 stars).

• Warnings:

• Avoiding the use of high speeds means longer loading times, lower speeds to open websites, frequent crashes, etc.

• Turning off push notifications means important emails might be lost or not seen in a timely manner.

• Using free WiFi or apps that compress data means that private information is exposed and almost certainly compromised.

Concluding Remarks

As you can see, to continue to use your phone abroad without budgeting for roaming leaves you with limited options. In fact, each of these options requires a WiFi connection. You’ll recall from our first blog that depending solely on WiFi is not ideal. We have provided these options here to help educate you on some programs that can be of some assistance to you. To obtain a seamless mobile experience for you and your contacts, however, budgeting for roaming is recommended.

Nothing beats local rates for postpaid plans, so having friends or family willing to help you obtain a SIM for such plans during your travels is ideal. In reality, though, this is very seldom possible. If you have not done so already, check out our previous blogs and get help finding most cost-effective roaming solution for you.

Know of any other means to use your mobile abroad without paying for roaming? Let us know in the comments below. As always, feel free to contact MyPhone2Go with any of your travel mobile needs!