What you need to use your mobile phone abroad

We’d imagine that the majority of our readers are, at some point, going to be one of the millions of Brits heading abroad this summer for a holiday in the sun.

Once upon a time the most important thing to remember to do before taking off at the airport was turning your data roaming off on your mobile phone; nobody wanted to incur those nasty charges that could mount up to cost you hundreds of pounds without you even knowing, and we all remember reading stories in the tabloids of poor smartphone users who had unwittingly paid extortionate amount for their phone bills while away on holiday.

Thankfully, these days the mobile networks have softened and have, for the most part, included roaming as part of their pay monthly deals. While this is fantastic news for you Brits abroad, it is still vitally important that you still read up on the terms and conditions that your chosen network have set out when it comes to data roaming.

Fortunately, you have your reliable friends at Fonehouse to lay it out nice and clearly for you. Read on to find out all you need to know about using your smartphone abroad this summer…

EE

At Fonehouse we have some of the best EE deals out there on a range of fantastic phones.

When you travel with an EE pay monthly contract, pay as you go SIM or even a tablet, you can use your roaming data free across the whole of the EU, meaning that any usage will come out of your contractual allowance as normal.

When you choose an EE Max Plan, however, you can not only use your roaming in the EU but also in an additional 53 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

So when you choose EE, you could quite literally be on the other side of the world and you wouldn’t have to pay anything extra for getting in touch with friends and family back home or posting an Instagram picture to show them all the wonderful sites that you’re seeing.

Vodafone

Vodafone is one of the UK\’s favourite networks, and at Fonehouse we’re proud to bring you some of the very best Vodafone deals on the very best handsets.

Travelling with Vodafone is now better than ever. On all of their plans (with the exception of Basic plans) you get free roaming in 152 destinations as part of your contractual allowance.

On top of that when you choose to add on Roam Free to your contract, you can roam in an additional 48 countries, without paying an extra penny!

IQ Mobile

IQ is Fonehouse’s great SIM only network, offering the best SIM only deals from as little as £4.99 per month. An IQ SIM only offer is fantastic if you love your existing handset, or if you don’t want to take out a pricey pay monthly contract. You also only have to pay over 12 months, so if you change your mind in a year, you can either take out a new IQ contract or go for a different network and your hands on a great new handset.

When travelling abroad with an IQ SIM in your smartphone, you’ll be pleased to know that you get inclusive roaming as a part of your monthly allowance within the EU.

However, if you’re travelling outside the EU then you will need to be careful of when and where you use your roaming data, as charges will apply. Where you can it is best to use WIFI, and when you do use your roaming data, always remember to turn it off again when you are finished – you don’t want any unpleasant surprises on your bill at the end of the month!

If you’re looking for a new smartphone before you go on your travels this summer, then why not check out Fonehouse’s incredible range of Summer Deals. We have the best iPhone X deals, great prices on the Samsung Galaxy S9, plus loads more.

When you shop with Fonehouse you can take advantage of a range of extra perks, including free next day delivery, no upfront cost on nearly all of our handsets, and often great cashback deals to give you massive savings.
If you have any questions about using your smartphone abroad, or if you’d like to discuss a new smartphone deal or SIM only deal, then call our dedicated customer service team today on 0333 900 1133. They are all based in the UK and are ready and waiting with all of their expert knowledge to help answer your questions.

Happy travels!