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| Taking your mobile abroad - consider the following before you travel with your mobile. |
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- Activating International Roaming can take up to 14 days so do this well in advance by contacting your mobile phone provider.
- You need to make sure your handset will work in the country you are travelling too as certain countries require different handset. America for example requires Tri-band.
- Costs for International Roaming vary greatly from network to network, and are much more than calling/texting within the UK. Check how much yours will cost and confirm the charges before you leave to be on the safe side.
- It may be your network provider has an offer on International Roaming so do ask about any deals or special offers. It's not uncommon for networks to offer loyal customers competitive packages for travelling with a mobile.
- Also enquire as to the cheapest network available at the country you are travelling to.
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| Use the UK mobile phone network providers customer services numbers below to do your research on who does the best deals: |
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Network Providers for the UK |
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O2 |
0870 225 7879 |
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Orange |
0800 079 0006 |
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T-Mobile |
0845 412 5000 |
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Three |
08707 330 333 |
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Virgin |
0845 6000 789 |
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Vodafone |
08700 700 191 |
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Tesco Mobile |
0845 301 44 55 |
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Using Your Mobile A Lot When Abroad?... |
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| See if you can change your existing contract to one that includes cheaper overseas calls. It could be that this is a better option for you, particularly if you travel regularly. Also check how long the new contract will be for. |
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It maybe that you can use an alternative SIM card in your phone whilst you are away as it can be cheaper. The small card that slots into the back of your phone, this is the SIM card. It's the SIM card that allows you to make and receive calls via your chosen network.
Gatwick Airport, most international airports, and some high street retailers, sell international SIM cards. These do have usage times so check when your new card will expire. |
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| And don't forget to pack your phone charger and electrical adapter so you can actually use your phone whilst you are away! |
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Once you've arrived at your holiday destination your phone will be switched to a local phone transmitter. This routes your calls to the foreign phone company your network provider has arranged the best deal with.
This means that even though you are in another country your mobile still thinks it is in Britain, hence why calls abroad cost a lot of money. Say you were in France, you use your phone to call a friend also in France. Your call is routed via the UK - 1,800 mile round trip - even though you are both in France. So you can see why it costs a lot. What's more, the friend you are calling will also be charged to receive the 'international' call.
This is why we suggest you look into the best deal/package before you go as it can cost you and your friends a small fortune, just to stay in touch. Find out the cheapest way to use your mobile phone when you're abroad - that could be using a temporary SIM card that connects to a foreign network or arranging a deal or special offer with your network provider in the UK. |
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Important Contact Numbers... |
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| Do put in the following numbers into your phone's address book if you are taking your mobile on holiday: |
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- Telephone number of your Hotel / Tour Operator
- Telephone number of the nearest British Embassy to where you are going to be staying
- Your travel insurance provider's contact numbers
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Very Important Numbers - Government Offices and Agencies |
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Foreign & Commonwealth Office Enquiries |
+44 (0) 207 008 1500 |
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Services for Briton’s overseas |
+44 (0) 207 008 0210 |
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Travel Advice |
+44 (0) 845 850 2829 |
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Mobile Phone Security Abroad ... |
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Make sure you know your own mobile number (you'd be surprised as to how many of us don't actually know this). Take a note of your mobile's serial number (known as the IMEI number) and the number of your network provider's customer services, including UK dialling code. Keep them in a separate place to your mobile so you don't risk losing both.
This way, if your mobile is lost or stolen you will be able to contact your network operator in the UK, arranging for them to block your phone and/or SIM card.
Before you go away check with your network provider on the details they need for cancelling lost or stolen phones so you have all information to hand, such as any passwords they may need etc. |
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Check that your travel insurance covers lost or stolen mobile phones if you are taking yours away with you.
To find out more visit our Travel Insurance Page. |
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Using your mobile broadband dongle abroad |
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European mobile broadband charges are still too high, some broadband experts are saying. Those who travel abroad with their mobile broadband dongles, using it before doing research, may be in for a nasty surprise when the bill arrives.
The last two years saw a reduction of roughly 50 per cent in mobile broadband. However, travellers using their mobile broadband service in other countries should be aware that, if they throw caution to the wind, it could end up spoiling their day when the bill eventually does arrive.
Services like BBC’s iPlayer eat up bandwidth, and those wishing to make use of such services and others like downloading movies or music, should consider doing so at a cafe or hotel offering free Wi-Fi.
Another viable alternative would be to purchase a mobile broadband pay as you go dongle from a local supplier. This ensures that you’ll get your data at a much better price.
Still, the best way to make sure you don’t send your mobile bill through the roof is to research tariffs of countries you wish to visit. Different countries have different service providers offering different tariffs. Most UK mobile service providers offer a different roaming charge in EU countries than in non-EU countries.
Check with your mobile service provider whether they offer a type of “travel tariff”, which gives you lower charges for accessing mobile broadband abroad.
Check with your mobile service provider whether they offer a type of “travel tariff”, which gives you lower charges for accessing mobile broadband abroad.Regulators still have a long way to go in bringing down mobile broadband prices to a level more acceptable to the average user. Some would say that increasing charges for mobile usage abroad is a short-term strategy which could damage the reputation of the mobile broadband product, as well as the mobile industry.
Many consumers would invest in a pay as you go mobile broadband dongle if the technology was more accessible. This means that mobile service providers would have a larger subscriber base, and this could be a win-win situation for all involved. |
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