Using mobiles abroadHow to keep costs down

• Consider what you need to say. A text is usually cheaper (typically 25-40p) than a one-minute call, but it may take several texts to explain what could be cleared up by a quick call. Receiving texts is free.
• You can save money by using payphones to make local calls and buying an international calling card for calls back to the UK.
• Unless you need to be contactable, set your phone to divert incoming calls to voicemail (not just if you don't answer the call or you're engaged). Otherwise if a call tries to connect to the foreign network first and then diverts to voicemail because you fail to answer it, you'll still have to pay as if you received the call.
• If possible, don't check your voicemail until you get home, as listening to messages costs the same as calling the UK.
• If you do need to be reachable abroad, deactivate any voicemail diverts. You'll be able to see any incoming calls and choose whether to answer.
• For frequent travellers, buying an roaming add-on or bundle can cut call costs by 10 to 90%, depending on your destination and network. Consider whether you'll use your phone enough to justify the cost of the add-on.
• If you spend a lot of time in one country, buy a PAYG Sim card for that country. Local calls will be much cheaper and you probably won't be charged when someone calls you (depending on the rules of that country – check before you buy). Calls home will be charged at international rates. You'll have a different phone number, and may have to pay £10 to £20 to unlock your phone for use with another provider's Sim. There are websites – www.trycktill.com/eng – that let you unlock your Sim for free (it's legal).Online retailers such as http://0044.co.uk/ and uk2abroad.co.uk sell Sim cards for most countries.
• Frequent travellers should considering roaming costs when they choose a provider – T-Mobile, for example, is by far the cheapest of the 6 major UK providers for roaming in the USA and Canada.