Instructions
1. Turn off mobile data roaming when possible. Some platforms allow you to turn off mobile data roaming, while others only let you turn off mobile data completely.
Android devices typically let you disable data roaming from within your device settings. The specific options available vary by device, carrier and OS version. If yours does not, you can still disable mobile 3G and 4G data entirely. If you don't want to manually adjust your settings, you can download an app such as APNDroid from the Android Market to mange your data settings for you. For $1.99, as of February 2012, APNDroid acts as a switch to turn your mobile data connection on and off entirely.
The iPhone allows you to turn off mobile data roaming from within your device. You can also turn off all cellular data on your iPhone or only specific data-intensive services like iMessage.
You can turn off your BlackBerry data roaming through your device settings, but the process varies significantly per device. Check your user's manual for instructions for your phone model.
Windows Phone 7 devices have data roaming turned off by default to help you avoid incurring unexpected charges while abroad. You can re-enable the option in your phone's settings.
2. Purchase an international data plan. If you know you need to use mobile data while roaming and don't want to spend time configuring your device, the simplest solution is to contact your carrier and purchase an international data plan from your carrier. Sprint, Verizon and AT&T all offer international data options that vary in price depending on your plan and device. AT&T states that an international data package can significantly reduce the cost of data usage in more than 100 countries. Your carrier may also offer a plan that allows Wi-Fi tethering so you can use your laptop's wireless Internet connection for on-the-go connectivity rather than mobile data.
If an international plan is out of your budget, contact your carrier to find out if you can block mobile data roaming for the duration of your trip or entirely. Whether this can be done depends on your carrier and current plan type.
3. Use Wi-Fi when possible. Your phone's Wi-Fi setting is completely separate from your mobile data usage. You can perform all of your usual Internet actions, such as surfing the Web, checking your email and using social networking apps over Wi-Fi without incurring data charges. Even without a Wi-Fi tethering plan from your carrier, you can use Wi-Fi hotspots at hotels, restaurants and other public areas that offer them to connect to the Internet. Be aware of security though. Assess the risks before you log in to sensitive services, such as mobile banking, over an untrusted Wi-Fi connection. Even though your connection with your bank is encrypted, you could fall prey to what security experts call a "man-in-the-middle" attack, meaning that someone else can be masquerading as your bank site or even as the Wi-Fi hot spot you want to connect to, or both. These impostors can then steal your data, such as your banking info. Two ways to help mitigate this risk are to check with the venue that operates the hotspot to ensure you are connecting to their Wi-Fi and to make sure your connection is encrypted by checking that the URL in your browser begins with HTTPS, rather than just HTTP.
4. Cap roaming fees by cutting off background notifications, polling, syncing and automatic actions such as uploads, states network administrator and consultant Jesse Ruffin. Every app or service on your phone uses data. Essentially, you want to only manually connect to the Internet, as if you were using a dial-up modem. Turn off any instant upload features that you have enabled, such as to Google+, Facebook or a cloud backup service.
5. Purchase a prepaid data SIM card for use abroad. This is possibly the most complicated option, as you must have a phone that uses GSM technology, such as one from AT&T or T-Mobile, and have your phone unlocked by your carrier or a third-party first. You can then purchase prepaid data and voice SIM cards for your use abroad from carriers such as Vodaphone or Virgin Mobile. As of February 2012, Virgin Mobile offers 1GB Mobile Web per month for six months at a price of about $40. If you need a special services, such as BlackBerry push mail, make sure that the SIM provider supports it before you make a purchase.
6. Use apps to monitor your data usage and roaming. The iPhone has an built-in app to monitor data use. Some carriers also provide their customers with a downloable app to track data use. AT&T provides the myAT&T for Android, iOS and Blackberry, while Verizon has its Data Use Widget for BlackBerry and Android users. Apps such as Onavo, free for iOS and Android, and DataMan Pro, $1.99 as of February 2012 for iOS, provide you with alerts about which apps are using the most data and when your data is roaming. The iOS version of Onavo also offers the option of data compression to help reduce your data usage total.
