Great article by Jason Magder at the Montreal Gazette. Reiterates everything I have been telling you! Please be ware when you travel. Read the full article here and add Jason to your twitter feed : Twitter.com/jasonmagder
When travelling with your phone, there are a few ways you can avoid incurring high roaming costs. Here are a few:
· Turn Data Roaming OFF
o So your phone doesn’t automatically use data (Email, Browsing, BBM, iMessage, etc) when you enter another country
· If you keep Data Roaming ON
o Make sure your device doesn’t have applications running that are constantly accessing the internet. Shut down apps that do this! We can teach you how. http://swirlsolutions.com/private
· Call you Carrier to see what kind of travel packages they have.
o Question if you need to use the Carrier plans, they are still expensive. Do you need to text? Will Wi-Fi cover your needs? Do you need to call?
· Purchase a SIM card in the Country you are travelling too
o Some offer Data AND Voice but don’t work on all devices.
o Your device must be unlocked to use!
o Your number will be changed to the new SIM card number while you are using it.
o From personal experience, take the time to translate what you want into the language of the country. I assumed English would be spoken in most spots in Costa Rica but when I went to purchase my SIM, no one in the store spoke English and I wasn’t really sure what I purchased. J Write down that you want to purchase a SIM card (Called a Chip in Costa Rica) and how much it will cost for how many minutes.
· Travelling to the USA?
o Roam Mobility (Based in Vancouver) can help you out all before you go!
o http://www.roammobility.com/
· Use Wi-Fi
o Almost everywhere in the world you will be able to find free Wi-Fi. For the most part this is what I use when I travel. You can Skype to call people on your laptop or device, use Apple’s Facetime, Playbooks Video Chat, etc…
Roaming Rates compared.
Postmedia News - Roaming for EU member nations, according to price ceilings imposed as of July, 2012: (Prices expressed in Canadian currency).
EUROPEANS GET A BETTER DEAL!
· Making calls outside of the country in member EU states: 41 cents
· Receiving calls outside of the country in member EU states: 14 cents per minute
· Text messages sent: 14 cents
· Data charges within the EU: $1.16 per megabyte
Roaming rates by July 2014, according to EU plan:
· Making calls outside of the country in member EU states: 31 cents
· Receiving calls outside of the country in member EU states: 13 cents per minute
· Text messages sent: 13 cents
· Data charges within the EU: 65 cents per megabyte
Here's what you'll pay if you travel with your phone. Data taken from the websites of the individual carriers.
Videotron:
· Calls in the U.S.: $1.45 per minute
· Overseas calls: between $2 and $4.
· Data charges in the U.S.: $2 per megabyte
· Data charges overseas: $20.48 per megabyte
· International text messages: 75 cents per message sent
Telus:
· Voice calls in the U.S.: $1.50 per minute
· International calls in Zone 1: (Western Europe, Mexico and Oceania): $1.50 per minute
· Rest of the world rate: $2.50 per minute
· Data charges in the U.S.: $5 per megabyte
· Data charges in Zone 1: $10 per megabyte
· Data charges in the rest of the world: $25 per megabyte
· International text messages: 60 cents per message sent and received
Bell:
· Voice calls in the U.S. $1.45 per minute
· International voice calls: between $1.99 and $3.49, depending on the country
· Data charges for smartphones or turbosticks used in the U.S.: $6 per megabyte
· Data charges for feature phones in the U.S.: $10.24 per megabyte
· International data charges: $25.60 per megabyte
· International text messages: 75 cents per message sent
Rogers:
· Voice calls in the U.S.: $1.45 per minute
· International voice calls: between $2 and $4 per minute
· U.S. data charges: $6 per megabyte
· Overseas data charges: $30.72 per megabyte
· International text messages: 75 cents per message sent
Public Mobile:
· Voice calls in the U.S.: 15 cents per minute
· International voice calls: not available
· Data charges in the U.S.: not available
· International roaming: not available
