Saving Money On Your Mobile Bill

Sun Herald

Sunday November 7, 2004

Lisa Bachelor

Using your handset overseas can cost a bundle, writes Lisa Bachelor.

Q I WANT to stay in touch with my family while I'm on holiday. Can I use my mobile phone overseas and, if so, will it cost me a fortune?

A For most people these days it's hard to imagine life without a mobile phone. We take our phone to work, to the pub and even on holiday when we're supposed to be getting away from it all. Nevertheless, it is a comfort to know that you can easily get in touch with your loved ones if need be, which is why increasing numbers of people are looking for an answer to the above question.

In short, most people will be able to use their handsets overseas but whatever plan you are on, this accessibility comes at a cost.

Before you even begin to look at the costs of overseas phone usage you need to check whether the technology you're using is supported in your destination country.

You will need a GSM (global system for mobiles) phone for most countries, although in Japan and the US a "tri-band" phone is needed.

As very few tri-bands are available in Australia, you may want to consider renting a handset when you get to either of these countries.

Before you set off overseas, you need to check whether your phone company has a "roaming agreement" with the country you are travelling to.

The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association says there are two types of roaming: one that requires you to insert a new SIM card before you can activate it and the other, automatic roaming, which does not require you to change anything on your phone.

But even with automatic roaming you may need to have it activated by your Australian carrier before you go. You need to check whether the type of phone plan you are on pre-paid or pay monthly allows access to international roaming.

Phonechoice.com.au spokesman Reg Robertson said: "Pre-paid phones are often subsidised by the carrier and come SIM- or network-locked.

"Travellers planning to take a handset purchased as part of a pre-paid package will need to get it unlocked by their service provider before being able to register on a foreign network a charge of $100 or more applies.

"Handsets purchased outright or as part of a post-paid contract are generally not network locked and can be used in most other countries."

When it comes to the cost of calling, it really pays to do your research before you leave home.

You may have a choice of carriers in each country, each with different charges and different costs for peak and off-peak calls.

All the major Australian carriers have details about the options and availability of international roaming on their websites.

The other thing to remember is that you will usually be charged for incoming as well as outgoing calls.

"Travellers using their mobiles on global or international roaming will be charged for the international portion of any calls they receive," Robertson said. "The caller is charged the standard call rate while the traveller is charged for the international portion of the call.

"These charges can be huge and a hefty phone bill may be waiting for you when you get back."

However, there are various ways you can save money on mobile use overseas.

If you're going to be abroad in one country for a while, it's worth considering buying a local SIM card. This way local calls are charged at local mobile rates and you avoid being charged for international incoming calls.

"For travellers who connect to an overseas network on a pre-paid basis, their callers from Australia will be the ones paying for the international portion of the call."

A company called vRoam can make life easy by arranging all this for you before you leave (www.vRoam.com). While still in Australia you can buy SIM cards through vRoam for the various countries you will be visiting. You'll be given a new phone number for each country and can alert friends and family of these before you travel.

Another way to save money is to use text messaging. The Australian Consumers Association points out, however, that not all carriers provide SMS, and that the ones that offer cheap calls may have more expensive SMS and vice versa.

Divert all your calls to voice mail.

You can then check your voice mail regularly from a landline and answer all calls this way, as landline costs to Australia tend to be far lower than mobile costs.

Finally , if you are going to take your Australian mobile phone abroad, don't forget to take an adaptor for your charger. If the battery runs flat, all your careful research into pricing becomes irrelevant.

For more information on using your phone abroad, check with your carrier at least a few days before you go.

More general information is available on the consumer association website at www.choice.com.au.

To compare international pricing plans see independent website www.phonechoice.com.au.

HOW TO ASK US

Email questions to shtravel@mail.fairfax.com.au (no attachments) or write to: Ask Us, Travel, The Sun-Herald, PO Box 506 Sydney, 2001. Only questions that appear in the paper will be answered.

© 2004 Sun Herald

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