Me and my parents on their recent jaunt to San Francisco (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Dad has an iPhone 5 and uses AT&T as his provider. He’ll use the phone to stay in touch with his family in the U.S. and to make or receive occasional voice calls for his consulting work.
Since this is a quick five-day trip, I know my dad would not want to go to the trouble of swapping out a SIM card for his iPhone. Or switching to T-Mobile which recently made calling from Canada and Mexico a lot cheaper. He also won’t use the phone enough to opt for one of AT&T’s international calling packages (starting at $30).
So here’s the advice I gave him.
When you get to Canada, turn off your data roaming (settings>cellular>roaming>turn off data roaming) and leave voice roaming on. Be sure that all the apps running in the background on your phone are turned off (remember how I showed you to do that? Double click the round button and swipe away all programs to turn them off). That way you can make and receive calls and texts but you won’t overpay for data, which is where AT&T will get you.
Cellular voice calls on your iPhone will likely cost about $1 per minute (rip off) so try and restrict your calls to times that you have an internet connection. Use your iphone Facetime app to make video or audio calls– since those are FREE, which I know you like 🙂
Related: 3 ways to make low- or no-cost calls abroad
However, remember that those Facetime calls are limited to only your contacts who use iPhones or iPads– and when you have access to wi-fi. (All your kids have iPhones)
Text costs can vary from 50 cents to $1.50 each… AT&T charges vary. (Be careful about sending texts including large photos!)
If you want to make regular calls to non-iPhone users, (for example, work related stuff) you should download at app called Viber. (Go to the app store on your phone and search for Viber.) You sign up and provide your credit card, but calls are only a few cents a minute (vs the $1 or so you’ll pay AT&T), so prepay $10 which should provide you with plenty of prepaid minutes.
Viber’s easy to use dialer looks & works like cell phone (Image: Viber)
With Viber, you make calls just like you would from your phone (an easy to understand app) but remember that it ONLY works when you are connected to Wi-fi. Luckily, finding free, fast wi-fi is increasingly easy in Canada.
So, to sum it up: turn off data roaming, use your phone for cellular calls and texts only in urgent situations, and try to use Facetime and/or Viber when you are in a wi-fi hotspot.
I sent that advice off to Dad, who is also an avid fan of Uber and Lyft, which he plans to use to get around Montreal and Ottawa with my mom. He asked, “What about using Uber… do I need data for that?”
My answer: Yes, you will need to use data for Uber when you are not in a wi-fi hot spot, but it won’t break the bank. So, when summoning Uber from a restaurant, be sure that all other apps are off, then turn on data roaming and launch Uber, request your pick up, and leave it on until your car arrives, then turn data roaming off. NOTE: Be SURE to turn data roaming off when you are finished!
How do you save money on calls in other countries? Provide your tips or advice and I’ll be sure my dad sees them!
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Probably because Viber got to me first and I’ve stuck with them.
Sprint just added a free plan that will benefit users when traveling in certain countries. It’s free to add to an existing plan, but you need to go to their site and add it. Details from an article I read below:
Sprint is back with a special move designed to take on one of T-Mobile’s. The Now Network is challenging T-Mo’s “Mobile without Borders” offering by launching “Open World” — an add-on that gives subscribers free calls and texts to Canada and Mexico. You also get free calls, texts and 1GB of data while traveling within those countries, as well as in a handful of Latin American nations, namely the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay.
If you’re in the US and have the add-on active, you can make calls to Latin America and over 180 countries for 5 cents per minute, while travelers who need more than 1GB of data can get more for $30 per GB billed in MB increments. The add-on also works if you’re visiting countries other than the ones we’ve already mentioned, say places in Europe or Asia: texts are free, but calls cost 20 cents per minute. Data is still at $30 per GB, but only in select locations. Sprint, by the way, has an older roaming plan with free 2G data that’s known for being notoriously slow, but Open World promises 3G speeds when available.
I use my T-Mobile phone all the time when I go overseas. It’s dirt cheap to call back to the United States. Their international calling was one of the reasons I chose T-Mobile. In fact, it’s so cheap that I don’t even bother to set the alarm clock in my hotel room in Europe if I have to get up early. I just ask a friend or my mom to call me on my phone at 9:00pm their time in the U.S., which is 5:00am or 6:00am my time in Europe. They’re happy to do it, I get jolted awake from a loud ring, and it costs me like ten cents.
If you want to call and chat for hours, I’ve had good luck with Skype, and I can remember many times hoisting my laptop and spinning it around so my friends back in the U.S. could see my hotel room or the view from my window.
I’ve also used Mobal phones, which are a great deal. They are prepaid international phones. The rates are pretty steep (about $1.50 a minute when I last used them) but if you need a way to call home in an emergency they are terrific. You get a permanent number that people can use to call you, and I always thought it was cool to have a United Kingdom telephone number.
Question: Why did you choose Viber over Whats App or WeChat?
Set up a Googlevoice account. Get an Obidia box for home. Download the GV or Googlevoice app. The minutes a few cents each and works from any good wifi connection in the world.