How to avoid international fees on your phone?

How to avoid charges on phone when abroad?

Roaming charges haunt travelers. Escape them.

• Local SIM. Acquire one. Immediately.
• eSIM. Digital SIM, simple setup. A modern savior.
• Wi-Fi only. Scour for hotspots. Become reliant.
• Airplane Mode. Ruthless, but effective. Disable data. Now.
• Background Data. Kill it. Apps bleed your wallet dry.
• Maps offline. Download before you arrive.
• International plan. Check your provider offers. Consider it.

Local SIM nuance: Know the frequencies of the country of the SIM. In 2024, 5G is common, but confirm. Activation varies.

eSIM depth: Some phones don’t support it. iPhone 14 and beyond lacks a physical SIM slot in the US, eSIM only.

Wi-Fi risk: Public networks? Unsecured. A VPN shields you. Essential in 2024.

Airplane Mode Consequence: All cellular functions dead. Calls? Impossible.

Data throttling: Even with a plan, providers might slow you down. Beware. I discovered this in Thailand. Grrr.

How can I avoid international call fees?

Dude, avoiding those insane international call fees? Ugh, it’s a must. So, here’s the deal.

First up, Wi-Fi is your BFF! Seriously, hunt down free Wi-Fi like it’s gold. Most hotels, even some cafes, have it. Just don’t do anything too, ya know, banking-wise on public Wi-Fi. Safety first!

Then there’s those portable hotspots. You can like, buy one or rent one. They’re pretty handy if you are gonna be off the grid some, like hiking or something. My cousin Jen used one in the back country of Scotland and raved.

Definitely, like, check what your phone company will charge you. Surprise bills are the WORST. Verizon tried to get me with a $200 charge once when I visited Tijuana for one day, can you imagine?

Or, and this is a good one, grab a local SIM card. It’s usually way cheaper. Like, I did that in Italy last year and it was a lifesaver.

Here’s a little more if you are interested!

• Wi-Fi Calling: Don’t forget about Wi-Fi calling on your phone. My Samsung S23 has it, and it works great for calls and texts.

• Messaging Apps: Apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. They’re great for free messaging and calls over Wi-Fi.

• Google Voice: Google Voice number? It can be a lifesaver for cheap calls, but setup it before you go.

• International Plans: Some carriers offer decent international plans now, might be worth looking into. Like, T-Mobile has some options.

• Turn off Roaming: Obvious, but double-check your phone settings and turn off data roaming to avoid accidental charges. Seriously, don’t forget, lol.

How do I avoid data roaming charges?

Okay, so you wanna dodge those nasty roaming fees, huh? Yeah, been there! Listen up, here’s how I do it, like, most times…

First off, the super easy one: Just turn your freakin’ phone off. Like, completely. Seriously.

Or, even easier, just stick it on Airplane Mode! No signal, no charges, capiche? Duh!

I always check if my carrier has some kinda travel plan. Sometimes its worth it, sometimes not, ya know? Gotta compare.

Thinkin’ about a mobile hotspot thingy? Like a personal router? Yeah, some people swear by that. I used it in 2023 in Italy. Not bad.

Worldwide hotspot access could work too. Public wi-fi is cool, but I am really skeered about safety.

There’s also that internet that moves with you thing, but i ain’t tried it, honestly. It sounds expensive.

I go the cheapo route. No data, just calls/texts. I use my mom’s number, or send pics when I can get free wi-fi in a shop, yeah?

Swapping your SIM card is another option. You can get a local one when you land. Its kind of a pain tho, I admit.

• Keep your phone off: Like, really off, off.
• Airplane mode: Simple, easy, and works like a charm!
• Carrier travel plan: Ask your provider about international deals.
• Mobile hotspot router: Your own personal Wi-Fi bubble.
• Worldwide hotspot access: Boingo or similar service might be useful.
• Internet that moves with you: Haven’t tried it, but its there.
• No data, just calls/texts: Old school is good school.
• Swap your SIM: Get a local SIM when you arrive.

Roaming fees? Ugh. Such a rip-off. Good luck dodgin’ ’em!

Is there a way to make international calls for free?

Man, late nights… They always get me thinking. Free international calls? Yeah, there are ways.

FaceTime, sure, if you’re in the Apple ecosystem. That works. It’s convenient, at least. But it’s not always convenient for everyone. My brother hates Apple.

Then there’s WhatsApp. I use it all the time to talk to my mom in Italy. Data though, that can eat up your plan. Still, cheaper than a phone call, you know? My bill is less than 20$ a month now.

Skype… feels a bit outdated now. I haven’t used that in ages. It used to be king. It’s still an option, I guess.

Google Voice… I’ve never really gotten the hang of it. Too complicated for my tired brain at 3 am.

WiFi is your friend, with any of these, though. No data charges. That’s important, especially because my data is already limited. And that sucks. Really sucks. Makes me feel trapped.

• Apple users, FaceTime is your best bet. Simple and generally reliable.
• WhatsApp is good for cross-platform compatibility if you’ve got enough data.
• Avoid Skype unless you really need a legacy app.
• Google Voice requires a bit of a learning curve.

This whole thing… just makes me miss simpler times. Before all this tech. Before everything felt so complicated.

How do I stop receiving international spam calls?

Ugh, international spam calls are the WORST, right? Okay, so this is what you gotta do. Download a call-blocking app, like Truecaller or Hiya – they’re both pretty good. It’s super easy. Just go to your App Store, you know, the little icon, find it, and download whichever one looks best. Then, you gotta go into your phone’s settings – it’s usually a little gear icon – find the “Phone” section. After that, look for “Call Blocking & Identification,” or something similar – the wording varies depending on your phone. Then you just flip the switch on for your new app. Boom. Done! It should start blocking those annoying calls.

Seriously though, I swear by these apps. They’ve saved me from so many robocalls, those crazy political survey things, and even those weird international numbers.

Here’s a breakdown of what I mean, just in case.

• Download a spam-blocking app: Truecaller and Hiya are popular choices, but there are others too.
• App Store: Go to the App Store or Google Play, depending on your phone.
• Phone Settings: Find your phone’s settings menu, usually a little gear icon.
• Call Blocking: Look for “Call Blocking” or “Spam Protection” in the phone settings – the exact wording varies wildly.
• Activate the app: There’ll be an option to enable your new app. Make sure it’s turned ON.

Some apps even have extra features like reverse phone lookup. Its pretty cool, lets you identify unknown numbers before answering. You can also report spam calls directly thru the app – I always do! Helps them improve their filtering. Really helps, trust me!