Do I need international roaming?

Question

I am going overseas next week and want to keep in touch with my family in Australia. Do I need international roaming? And how do I turn it on?

Answer 1

Yes you do. You will need to activate international roaming on your phone by contacting your service provider. This can take up to 24 hours to come through. You will also need to have any international call restrictons on your phone removed too.

It is important to find out what your roaming costs will be, as it can be quite an expensive experience. In some countries, you might be better off buying a local SIM or calling card.

Also, be mindful of your data costs. Once you activate your international roaming, this is inclusive of data. If you are on a smart phone or iPhone and don't want to use your data, ensure that in your settings menu it is turned off. Turn off all push notifications too as these all add up. Data roaming charges are VERY expensive overseas and as a general rule are not included in any capped plans that service providers offer. Try to maximise the most of free WiFi that may be available to you in your country of destination.