2023-06-10 11:40:58
How to avoid unnecessary roaming costs during the holidays
If you also want to surf the Internet abroad, you usually buy an expensive data package from your telephone provider. But you can also do it for less money.
If you incur high roaming charges abroad, you should compare prices in good time.
Foto: Frank Wagner (Getty Images)
Swiss offers are more expensive, but last longer
Swiss providers generally charge higher tariffs for mobile telephony abroad than international service providers who offer package solutions with travel SIM cards on the Internet. There are many such service providers.
The comparison of a selection shows that the prices are sometimes even many times lower. But the period of use is usually noticeably shorter: the credit often expires after 30 days, sometimes even within a few days. After this period, any remaining credit is gone. In addition, with such providers, an additional SIM card must be set up on the smartphone.
The law prescribes a period of validity of 365 days for data packages abroad for the traditional Swiss mobile phone providers. If you don’t use up the credit in full, you can still use it later. Unlimited packages are excluded from this minimum duration.
In addition to the period of validity, other factors influence the price. Mobile phone credit is cheaper for people who do not travel to several countries. Some platforms offer significantly more attractive conditions for individual countries than, for example, for a package that includes several dozen European countries. It also makes a difference in price whether travelers buy a roaming package that only includes data. With telephony it becomes more expensive.
The eSIM is quickly ready for use
If you order a roaming package online from an international provider, you will receive an additional SIM card with a separate number to identify the user. In addition to the physical SIM card, which is delivered and inserted in the device, there is the eSIM. The technical requirements for this are available in modern smartphones. This means that a roaming package can be ordered online, set up and used immediately. The smartphone can be used to determine which SIM or eSIM takes on which function.
It is less practical to replace your own SIM card with another one at the beginning of your trip abroad. This way you can no longer be reached on your own number in an emergency. Of course, this is not a problem for devices that can use two SIM cards. One option can be to use the holiday SIM card in a second device that several travelers can use together as a hotspot.
A data packet? With telephony? Or just WiFi?
The needs are different. For some, it’s enough to send free messages via WLAN in hotels or restaurants. However, a roaming package can make sense when you are on the move or at a location with a poor internet connection. Finally, there are the hardcore users who want to make a lot of phone calls and obtain large amounts of data even when they are abroad, regardless of the WLAN.
Since telephony is possible via Messenger such as Whatsapp, a comparatively cheap data package is sufficient for most holidaymakers today. “Anyone who occasionally reads the news, sends greetings and uses online navigation can easily get through a two-week vacation with a data package of 3 to 5 gigabytes,” says Oliver Zadori, owner of Dschungelkompass.cha website for cell phone tariffs, which also The roaming cost compared individually.
The disadvantage of a messenger like Whatsapp: Telephony only works if both sides have set up the app. Calls to landlines are therefore not possible. However, this option is offered by Skype, for example, which can also be used via an app. 200 minutes to Swiss landline numbers cost CHF 3.06 per month there. There is also a prepaid model. This can be useful in emergencies, for example, when an insurance company, bank or doctor has to be contacted in Switzerland.
Spontaneous holiday greetings with a selfie cost roaming fees. You can save money with the right data package.
Photo: Carolyn Kaster (AP)
Inexpensive additional packages as an option
There is such a large number of offers and options that a complete overview is not possible. An interesting variant is, for example, “EU Pass” or “Europe Plus” from Coop Mobile and M-Budget. They cost CHF 10 per month and include free telephony and data usage within Western Europe. However, this addition is linked to a 60-day notice period.
Does it cost less at the resort?
“It is often by far the cheapest when travelers buy a SIM card from the country they are staying at with enough credit at their holiday destination,” says mobile phone tariff expert Oliver Zadori.
However, users must take care of this after arriving at the holiday destination. That doesn’t always work out so well. This is because the mobile phone offers are sometimes more difficult to access on the journey, and communication problems can complicate the purchase. If you have a more modern smartphone, you can still set up a travel eSIM with a data package online if you have problems in your country of residence.
When does which solution make sense?
“Travel SIM cards are worthwhile for people who use their smartphone more often on vacation,” says Zadori. Because the providers of such cards tend to sell larger data packages that expire after a shorter term of around a week or 30 days. A comparison pays off for frequent users. And setting up a travel eSIM isn’t rocket science on more modern devices.
If you hardly touch your smartphone during the holidays, you can do without it entirely or buy a small data package from your regular mobile phone provider. For example, a gigabyte costs CHF 14.90 at Swisscom and Sunrise with a term of one year.
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