Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Smartphones and Data Roaming
I take my smartphone to Europe, using it to make phone calls (sparingly) and send
texts,butalsotocheckemail,listentoaudiotours,andbrowsetheInternet.Youmay
have heard horror stories about people running up outrageous data roaming bills on
their smartphones. But if you understand the options, it's easy to avoid these fees
and still stay connected. Here's how.
For voice calls and text messaging, smartphones work like any mobile phone
(as described under “Roaming with Your US Mobile Phone,” earlier). To avoid
roaming charges, connect to free Wi-Fi, and use Skype, FaceTime, or other apps to
make cheap or free calls (see “Calling over the Internet,” later).
To get online with your phone, you have two options: Wi-Fi and mobile data.
Because free Wi-Fi hotspots are generally easy to find in Europe (at most ho-
tels, many cafés, and even some public spaces), the cheap solution is to use Wi-Fi
wherever possible.
But what if you just can't get to a hotspot? Fortunately, most providers offer an
affordable, basic data-roaming package for Europe: $25 or $30 buys you about 100
megabytes—enough to view 100 websites or send/receive 1,000 text emails. If you
don't buy a data-roaming plan in advance, but use data in Europe anyway, you'll
paystaggeringlyhighrates—about$20permegabyte,orabout80timeswhatyou'd
pay with a plan.
While a data-roaming package is handy, your allotted megabytes can go
quickly—especially if you stream videos or music. To keep a cap on usage and
avoid incurring overage charges, I manually turn off data roaming on my phone
wheneverI'mnotactivelyusingit.(Toturnoffdataandvoiceroaming,lookinyour
phone's menu—try checking under “Cellular” or “Network,” or ask your mobile-
phone provider how to do it.) As I travel through Europe, I jump from hotspot to
hotspot. But if I need to get online at a time when I can't easily access Wi-Fi—for
example, to download driving directions when I'm on the road to my next hotel—I
turn on data roaming just long enough for that task, then turn it off again. You can
also limit how much data your phone uses by switching your email settings from
“push” to “fetch” (you choose when to download messages rather than having them
automatically “pushed” to your device). By carefully budgeting my data this way,
my 100 megabytes last a long time.
IfyouwanttouseyoursmartphoneexclusivelyonWi-Fi—andnotworryabout
either voice or data charges—simply turn off both voice and data roaming (or put
