Team Partners Telecommunications

Get Holiday-Ready

Posted on Jul 19, 2022  | Tags: mobiles

Yea! for holidays and sun-drenched beaches! Hurrah! for new experiences, new places to explore and new things to be tasted. Boo! to long queues, cancelled flights and lost baggage. The point is that, one way or another, many of us are going to persevere and make our way to foreign climes this summer, and all of us will be taking our mobile phones with us…and here comes the rub, things aren’t always like they used to be, and whilst mobile roaming isn’t entirely a thing of the past in these post-Brexit days, one certainly has to be a lot more aware of potential call-charge pitfalls than we’ve been used to. It’s worth being wise before your next bill falls heavily on your doormat, figuratively speaking, of course.

So, top tips:

1. Assume nothing. Check out your current network provider and make sure you know what’s included and what isn’t.
   
   
2. Even if you’re on a contract with a provider who’s going to charge you for roaming, it may be cheaper to swap to an alternative SIM only supplier for the duration of your holiday.
   
   
3. Roaming charges can change from country to country, make sure you’re clear on what you’ll be charged in each country you’re visiting.
   
   
4. Beware if you’re planning on using your mobile as a navigation aid! It might be an idea to download any maps you need before you leave the UK.
   
   
5. Consider switching your mobile to Airplane Mode and then turning the WiFi back on, and leaving it like that until you get home. That way you’ll minimise battery use, ensure no Apps are busy costing you as they download background data and it will remind you not to habitually use your phone to look at social media!
   
   
6. Is an option to Number Five!  Simply turn your data roaming off. You’ll find the roaming controls in either the Network and Internet, or the Mobile Data settings on your mobile. Bear in mind though that you can still get charged if you text or call someone, and be even more aware that if your phone connects to a local network, you will end up paying a daily roaming rate. Even if you are flying over a country.
   
   
7. If you’re determined to press on as you would at home, spend some time going through your Apps to see which ones are the heavy users of data. You may want to turn off mobile data for any non-essential Apps.
   
   
8. If you happen to be an Android user you can use Data Saver. What this does is stop your Apps from using data in the background, as well as restricting data use when active.
   
   
9. If, on the other hand, you happen to have an iPhone make sure that WiFi Assist is off. WiFi Assist can be really helpful when the local WiFi is weak, but it can chew data if left on.
   
   
10. Yes, we mentioned downloading your maps before you travel, but you may want to download Google Translate or Microsoft Translator too, just in case your linguistic skills aren’t up to scratch!

Have a great holiday!