On Thursday we posted Part 1 of our mobile data roaming advice guide, well here is the much anticipated and lets face it, the most interesting Part 2. In this post we will give you some insider tips on how to reduce your mobile data roaming costs or at the very least get them under control.
In Part 1 we divided people into three mobile data roaming usage groups based on their requirements. Now we show you how to save money!
Need to keep in Touch
If you need to keep in touch occasionally via email or quickly browse the web (less than 20Mb per month) then the magic word for you is WiFi.
Firstly, switch OFF data roaming on your Smartphone (see your User Guide). Secondly get searching for FREE WiFi hotspots. This can be as simple as looking out for signs or downloading an application such as Wi-Fi Finder for the iphone. This great little application will let you search for over 500K FREE & Paid For hot spots worldwide.
Be warned, Free WiFi hotspots can have their downfalls. The clue is in the word “free”. For instance you may be unable to send emails (SMTP settings) or your browsing may be limited but overall it is a convenient way to avoid expensive roaming charges.
The second option is to actually pay for a WiFi connection. To save you the hassle of having to sign-on with individual suppliers we would recommend Boingo. They provide over 500k WiFi hotspots worldwide and offer unlimited mobile browsing from just $7.95/month.
Need to keep in Touch (on the go)
If you still need access to data on the go via a smartphone then we’d recommend that you download Onavo. This brilliant application compresses the data you use on your handset. In some cases by as much as 50%!
As expected this does result in a lower resolution on images and when browsing online but if you don’t need the detail and just need the information this application is essential.
Smartphone User (Need data on the go)
Besides making phone calls and sending text messages, most activities on a modern smartphone will consume data. These activities include; browsing the web, reading and sending e-mails, checking Facebook and Twitter, sharing photos, downloading applications, downloading music, listening to online radio and watching videos on YouTube. Did you know the average smart phone user consumers a massive 480MB/month?!
For such users we know switching mobile data off is not an option and locating WiFi is too much of a hassle then we would suggest purchasing a local data SIM card.
A local data SIM card can save you more than 80%! All you need to do is take your UK SIM card out of your handset and insert the local data SIM card.
If you are travelling within Europe the savings can be huge, for instance. In Spain you can get 100MB/day for just £2.50! This would cost more than £50 if you were to roam.
However if you are traveling to the USA you are in another stratosphere of savings. A local USA SIM card will allow you to have unlimited mobile browsing for $2.00/day. Whilst a UK network operator would charge in excess of £5.00/MB!
So as you can see it pays to switch!
Please note: Your handset must be unlocked for the local SIM card to work.
Essential User (500MB+ per month)
If you simply can’t afford to not be online, or have a locked handset and don’t wish to have a local number then the best option is to use a local data SIM Card with a MiFi device.