Save on international data
Imagine coming home from an amazing vacation to find a $600 phone bill in your inbox. What if it was $1000? It happened! To prevent this from happening to you, here are five steps you can take to save on international data and phone charges while traveling.
Calling all travel lovers
Accordingly a recent Grindr studyGay men spend more than 10% of their disposable income on travel. When we say “the gays get around,” we mean travel. Whether you’re queer or not, you probably love getting away. If you can afford it, international travel opens up a whole new world. For most, the travel budget usually only includes plane tickets, hotel stays, food and some tourist attractions.
Rarely does a phone bill come in at three or four times the amount. Still, you want to stay connected with family back home and locals to get advice or find tourist destinations and restaurants.
Follow these steps to save on international data and phone charges and protect your wallet from this landmine.
1. Disable data roaming
Mobile data addiction is rampant among Americans, whether among teenagers who need to stay connected with friends on Messenger or Instagram, or among adults checking the latest news on Facebook, “researching” Wikipedia, or drunkenly browsing Amazon shopping. Anyway, we Americans use a lot of cellular data. When we’re on vacation, we’re only more likely to be consumed by our phones, laptops, and tablets.
Since most of us are tethered to our phones and most devices require Wi-Fi to connect, the first step to saving money when traveling internationally is to turn off cellular data roaming. Data roaming is a sneaky way phone companies can trick you because although most will notify you when you start using roaming data. Roaming is when your phone connects to a network outside of your normal network.
Most mobile phone providers have agreements with international partners that allow your phone or data to be transferred over other networks. In this case, your mobile provider will charge you an increased fee. Hence the $600-$1000 phone bill.
How do you turn that off? For most phones, go into Settings and click Cellular to see the data options. In the data options, select “Turn off data roaming.” This prevents you from connecting to another network while browsing the web or using an app.
Another key is to turn off Wi-Fi Assistant. Wi-Fi Assist is a service that allows phones to switch to cellular data when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor, such as when you’re in a crowded cafe in the local gay district.
2. Disable all automatic updates
Saving international data means you have to use less data. Turn off all automatic updates for apps, your phone’s operating systems, and your tablet’s operating systems Like podcasts Queer money™ when you are on the go. Failure to do this while traveling internationally could result in damage to your data plan and phone bill. As above, this is easy.
For iPhone
- Click Settings
- Click iTunes & App Store
- Click No to use cellular data, which only allows updates when connected to Wi-Fi.
You can also click to stop all automatic updates.
For podcasts
- Click Settings
- Click on the Podcasts icon
- Enable “Download over Wi-Fi only.”
For Android
- Open Google Play
- Click on the hamburger icon, which consists of the three horizontal lines in the top left
- Tap Settings
- Tap Auto-update apps
- Finally, select the Don’t automatically update apps option.
For Android podcasts, you need to select the app you use for podcasts, such as: B. Pocket Cast, and disable automatic download.
Another tip is to use airplane mode when you’re away from your hotel’s Wi-Fi or a coffee shop. This prevents accidental use of cellular data. Plus, this is a great way to save battery since your phone doesn’t have to search for a cellular signal. Remember to turn on Wi-Fi afterwards so you can continue connecting to hotspots.
3. Download these WiFi messaging apps
We might be tempted to chat a lot when traveling using normal means of communication, such as SMS, which eats up data, especially when sharing pictures and videos. This is why gay men love Facebook and Instagram. We all love our amazing lives and love sharing them with others. Sharing may be important, but it’s expensive and we don’t want to put that on credit cards. Here are several apps that allow you to send messages over Wi-Fi only.
4. Download these apps to make free calls over WiFi
The key to saving on international phone calls is using apps that let you make them for FREE. For all of the services listed below, it is not possible to make free calls to the user’s landline or telephone network. Ask your friend or family member to connect to the same service before you leave. In an emergency, you want them to be easily accessible.
5. Find free WiFi
All of the tools and tips mentioned above are worthless without WiFi. If you’re staying in a hotel or using a service like Misterb&b, you’ll likely have access to free Wi-Fi. In some cases, free WiFi may only be available in the hotel lobby. There are other options for your vacation trips. Start with this.
- WiFi cardWith over 100 million free Wi-Fi networks and associated passwords, as well as downloadable maps of free hotspot locations, this app is available for both iPhone and Android users.
- WiFi FinderAs mentioned, this is a user-updated network of hotspots that are usually free or require a password
- Wi-Fi Mapper, available on both iPhone And Androidworks as above.
These resources will help you keep your travel costs under control. We know you love to travel. So the more you save, the more often you can fly to your favorite international destinations. Here are 7 More Ways to Cut Costs for the Tech-Savvy Traveler.
A friendly reminder: enjoy your travels, take photos, but most of all take in your surroundings and take a break from technology. You can post all your pictures and videos when you return to your hotel or home.