Many users forget to disable this option which can quickly cost you several tens or even hundreds of euros. I experienced it myself at my expense…
Nowadays, there are all sorts of little options that a smartphone user can play with to lighten or increase their phone bill. As we have written here and there, it is often interesting to turn off features like Bluetooth or NFC to avoid using your phone unnecessarily. But there is also an option that can cost you dearly, especially if you are a bit of a traveler. This is called “roaming data”.
When you subscribe to a phone plan, it is generally usable in your country, in France in our case. Some plans also allow you to benefit from mobile data in our neighboring countries, in particular in the European Union, which is often covered by the most recent or interesting plans. But some plans do not allow you to have your data outside the country where you subscribed. This is generally the case for the least expensive plans which will focus on basic use, for everyday life.
But what happens when you try to use your plan outside its intended zone? This is where the famous “data roaming” comes in. Sometimes activated by default or without you knowing it, this option tells your plan to draw on your operator’s international options to allow you to continue making calls, receiving text messages or surfing the net. Often, once you’ve crossed the border or the plane has landed on the runway, your smartphone will tell you that you have a certain amount of call time, a number of text messages, or a certain level of data in the country you’re about to visit. This is something to be happy about at first glance.
Except that if your plan does not have a specific option for international communications, then you will have to pay for all the operations carried out in addition! And this can cost you a lot. The writer who writes can testify to this himself. On my last trip, I got a roaming data bill of more than 60 euros by leaving the feature activated for only a few minutes!
While some operators set a payment limit for roaming data, this is not the case for all and not deactivating this option could quickly cost you several tens or even several hundred euros. To avoid this mishap and deactivate roaming data, go to your phone’s settings then to the “network and internet” section. Select the “SIM” option then your SIM card in use. You will find the “roaming” option there which you can then uncheck.