There’s a very good reason why the European Union recently put a cap on cell phone ‘roaming’ charges - quite simply, they’re extortionate. In fact, the Harris Interactive survey reports that the average U.S. business traveller individually clocks up almost seven hundred dollars on each trip abroad. Unfortunately, outside of Europe many countries (including the U.S. and Canada) have no regulation in place to protect consumers from these often hidden charges. Unless you know the ins and outs of the small print regarding your cell phone company’s international roaming agreements, there’s a high chance you could be paying a lot more than you had planned to check in with your colleagues back home. It is not only calls however, that can rack up the bill - checking emails and sending data through cell phones (fast becoming a necessity in the business world) can cost top dollar abroad. AT&T warns that watching a 3-minute YouTube clip on an iPhone abroad could cost US customers almost $40! Even worse, some phone applications - ones that automatically check your emails, for instance - can continue transmitting data even when you’re not using them, so you could end paying charges without ever taking your phone out of your pocket. So - what can you do to avoid being taken for a drive up Rip-off Avenue?

Know your phone company's policy

Knowing your phone company’s international rates is probably the most straightforward step to take - though it’s not going to make calls any less expensive.

Turn your data-roaming settings off

If your phone sends or receives data, make sure to turn its data-roaming settings off! Many companies charge different amounts depending on the country you’re calling from. When you use a phone in a foreign country, you’re using a different network to transmit information - these networks charge premium rates for other companies to use their lines,  and the bill will invariably be passed on to you. Many companies offer international calling plans - but beware! Make sure the area you’re traveling to is covered by your specific plan, otherwise you could be chatting away your next mortgage installment! 

Get an International SIM card

A great idea is to invest in an international SIM card. These pre-paid cards have a fixed rate to call and receive calls in almost every country, and since you top them up before you go, you’ll never spend more than you intend to. Various companies now offer international SIM cards at competitively low rates, with different packages offering tailored value to individual customers.

Buy a SIM card at your destination

Another option is simply to buy a local SIM card at your destination, and place it in your phone. This will allow you to make and receive calls at a local rate - though it has the added drawbacks that you will be working from various different phone numbers (and with a customer service, answering machine etc, that are not necessarily available in your language). Remember, if you do decide to switch your SIM card, your phone will have to be ‘unlocked’ and ‘multi-band’ (also called a ‘world phone’). Note that many phones that come with subscription plans won’t allow you to switch between SIM cards.

VoIP

An increasingly popular method to save is to make use of internet ‘VOIPs,’ (or Voice Over Internet Protocol). With the widely recognized ‘Skype’ being the most talked about version right now, this basically involves using the internet as a video phone. It might sound a little daunting to the technologically reticent, but in fact this is often a whole lot simpler than trying to connect to a foreign network through your regular phone. You can use it from your own computer (often totally free), or even use it through some newer cell phones (Blackberry, Android, iPhone, etc.).

Whatever you decide on, there’s a whole industry out there catering for those who can’t afford to throw money away on outlandish roaming charges, so you have no excuse anymore - get saving!

For more information:

International sim card suppliers:
http://www.gosim.com/
http://www.telestial.com/
http://www.onesimcard.com/
http://www.sim4travel.com/

VOIPs
http://www.voip.com/
http://www.skype.com
http://www.voip-info.org/
http://www.voip-news.com/

Tim Mac an Airchinnigh is a freelance journalist who has lived in Ireland, The UK, Switzerland, Australia, Spain and France. He has held the position of assistant editor at the stylish Paris culture webzine, Gogoparis.com, is a regular contributor to the pan-European political webzine, Cafebabel.com, has worked as a translator for the Irish Sunday Times, and writes freelance for several other publications in Europe and beyond.
Tim graduated with first class honours from Trinity College Dublin, and is currently studying a masters degree at the Sorbonne university in Paris. This year, he was presented with a gold medal by the President of the Republic of Ireland after being chosen by a national panel of academics as the winner of the Irish Undergraduate Awards in English Studies.
Contact Tim Mac an Airchinnigh at mcinertj@tcd.ie or by phone on (France 0033) 631 666775.