International roaming: How to save when you travel

If you're about to travel overseas and you've booked your tickets, hotels and entertainment, the next order of business is working out how to use your phone overseas.

On the vast majority of mobile plans in Australia, you can just take your phone and use it, but each call can cost up to $5/minute, and data can also quickly add up to the price of a small car.

We've put together this guide to explain how roaming charges work and to help you avoid any bill shock while you're overseas.

What are my roaming options?

Depending on your reasons for travelling, different roaming options on SIM cards will be better tailored to your needs.

Your 4 options are:

1. Use international roaming
2. Use a travel add-on from your mobile provider
3. Buy a specific travel SIM card
4. Buy a local SIM card at your destination

For example, if you're just on holiday, then you might just want to be able to post pics to Instagram and FaceTime with Mum, in which case you could just get a cheap SIM card at your destination.

If you're travelling around a few different countries, a travel SIM might be better.

But if you're a business traveller who has to be contactable 24/7, you'll probably need to keep your number (or put on call forwarding).

Best plan for international roaming

Vodafone not only offers the best roaming add-on, it also covers the most amount of countries. For $5 extra a day on top of its normal plan cost, you get to use your Vodafone plan like you would back in Australia.

It's also one of the cheapest, tied with Optus.

Its $40 plan strikes the right balance between generous data and value to cover the extra you might use while travelling (for example, video calls home, uploading photos and videos to make friends jealous back home).

Finder survey: Are Australian travellers more likely to use international roaming on their current plan or buy a travel SIM?

Option 1: Use international roaming

This is the most expensive option, and one we would only recommend under dire circumstances, or if someone else (like your boss) is paying.

If you're not with a major carrier like Telstra or Optus, you'll need to double-check they offer roaming, and you'll also need to confirm if your country is covered.

Checklist for international roaming:
Does your carrier support roaming?
Is the country you're visiting supported?
Check the call and data rates. This can vary wildly, starting at $1/MB, with some carriers charging $3/MB.

The big 3 telcos have sliced the world up into "zones" of countries that dictate how much you'll spend on roaming while you're there. The "zone" your destination is in makes a huge difference in price.

You can see on the map below how the roaming costs break down from the major providers: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

Option 2: Travel add-on packs

If you're only going on a short trip for a few days or want to keep your Aussie phone number while you're away, then a travel pack is the best bet. These packs differ depending on the provider, but usually come with a set amount of call and data inclusions for selected countries.

Any usage outside of these countries will be charged at standard roaming rates though, so it's good to double check that the places you're going to are covered.

The big 3 Australian telcos have roaming packs with varying generosity:

• Telstra
• Optus
• Vodafone

Option 3: Use a specific travel SIM

Whether you travel a lot or just want a SIM that can take you to multiple countries, there are a couple of retailers in Australia that can sell you just the thing you need.

Both SIM Corner and FlexiRoam sell SIMs that cover whole continents or particular bundles of countries, with credit lasting 7–60 days and prices starting at $30. These typically work out to be cheaper than paying as you go on your regular mobile plan.

Option 4: Buy a local SIM card at your destination

This is usually the cheapest option if you're only visiting 1 country for more than a few days. You might not be able to call home as readily (depending on the offer from the telco over there), but you will likely have more data for cheaper, and a local mobile plan that you can use to call hotels and taxis.

If you do choose this route, here are some tips for a smooth process:

• • • Check your phone: Make sure your Australian phone isn't locked to your carrier and is compatible with the technology available in that country (for example, if you're on a 3G phone, make sure they still use a 3G network).
    • Keep your regular SIM card with you: Take out your SIM card before you leave and keep it somewhere safe in your suitcase so you don't lose it, but have it with you in case something goes wrong. This way you won't accidentally rack up charges, but can still activate international roaming if your new SIM doesn't work.
    • Know where you're covered: If you're traveling through different countries in 1 continent, ask which countries the SIM card will work in. Not all SIMs cover countries within the same continent (e.g. Europe), so you don't want to be stuck paying extra charges because you've used your phone somewhere that isn't covered.
    • Bring a SIM ejector tool or a paperclip: This is so you can actually change the physical SIM card.
    • Do your research ahead of time: For the really organised, look to see which local providers are popular and good value before you arrive. That way, you'll know which brand to look out for rather than buying the first one you see at the airport. These could cost you more than getting one in the local shopping centre.

Bonus option: Travel from Wi-Fi hotspot to Wi-Fi hotspot

If you're travelling for fun, why not just stay in the moment and save some money? You can have your phone in Airplane Mode and use it to take photos, and then just upload over Wi-Fi at the hotel or a cafe.

If you need to call for help, your phone might still be capable of making an emergency call to 000, 111, 911, etc., depending on your country and phone (that's what "SOS Only" means).

Some extra tips for international roaming

Once you've decided which type of roaming option you're after, consider the following to really keep your usage low and avoid any hidden costs:

• • Turn off automatic downloads: This can easily eat through your data allocation without you even realising it's happening in the background. You can also go through your phone and turn off data access for every app you don't strictly need.
  • Download instead of stream: If you have a premium subscription to a music streaming app, download your favourite playlists over Wi-Fi and then turn off data access to the app so you don't accidentally blow through your savings on excess data charges.
  • Set a data limit: Android phones allow you to set a data limit in settings so you don't go over your allotment.
  • Track your daily data consumption: On iPhones, you can "reset usage data" before you put your phone in Airplane Mode on the flight there, so you can track how much data you've used each day and which apps are consuming data.
  • Turn off any settings you don't need: This includes voicemail (which isn't usually covered) and MMS (which is almost never covered by roaming packs).

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