Ask Asa: Avoid unexpected foreign phone charges
If your dream vacation is international, there is one expense some consumers overlook: phone charges. Consumer reporter Asa Aarons explains.
If your dream vacation is international, there is one expense some consumers overlook: phone charges. Consumer reporter Asa Aarons explains.
If your dream vacation is international, there is one expense some consumers overlook: phone charges. Consumer reporter Asa Aarons explains.
Your phone is certainly indispensable in the United States and could prove even more so in a foreign country where you're navigating strange environments and even stranger languages. And speaking of languages, I've been practicing.
The phrase for long-distance call in French is "appel de longe distance." In German, it's "Ferngespräch." In English—from an American calling home from those countries—it's "Darn it! I wish I would've known about those extra charges."
Why? Because when you phone home from another country, you can't bank on free long-distance. Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers' Checkbook, says the charges can add up.
"We've heard from people who had to pay tens of thousands of dollars in cell phone bills because they didn't know to switch over," he said.
Switch over to what? Glad you asked. Many carriers have special plans but you may need to sign up for them.
"T-Mobile is the big winner, and you really won't pay much extra for things like data and texting, which is what people care about these days, still being able to access the internet, you may pay a little extra for calls," Brasler said.
He said consumers need to be savvy with the other big carriers.
"With AT&T, with most of its plans, when you land abroad, you automatically enroll in its day pass program, which costs $10 for the first line and $5 for each additional line on your account abroad. Verizon has a similar program, which is $10 per line. So, if you have a family of four, you can pay $40 a day and roam abroad if you have Verizon, but you have to opt into that," Brasler said.
Verizon offers a monthly option for $100, which is good for longer trips. Just check what the plans include, because data can be a big driver of cost.
"You still want to be able to use your phone for navigation, translation, or figuring out how to book a restaurant reservation or tour or get an email. Just staying in touch with home and doing those things takes up data. If you're on a cellular plan charging you per megabyte of data, those costs add up very quickly," Brasler said.
The lowest cost option is to switch your SIM—a small physical or virtual device that connects your phone to a carrier's network. If you buy a SIM or an e-SIM from a wireless carrier abroad, you gain access to a foreign carrier’s network.
"What that does is transfer your entire phone to the foreign carrier network. You still have to pay for that. You still have to pay to be on their network. But you don't pay these big international roaming costs with your original US carrier," Brasler said.
Your phone number follows your SIM card. So, in most cases, if you temporarily switch your SIM, you will get a new phone number, too. If that's your plan, be sure to warn friends and family to expect calls from an unknown number.
Remember, you can email me with your consumer questions or problems at asa@askasa.com.
