How to Avoid Roaming Charges While Traveling: Optimize Data and Save Money
, by Sim Du Lịch AVIRO, 5 min reading time
Still worried about roaming fees every time you travel? Don't let unnecessary costs affect your experience. In this article, My SIM will help you understand what roaming fees are, why they are so high, and especially how to effectively avoid roaming fees thanks to useful solutions.
What is Roaming?
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When you leave your mobile network's domestic coverage area (e.g., from Vietnam to Thailand), your phone connects to a foreign network. This is called international roaming. When roaming, you can still make calls, send texts, and use data, but often at very high rates.
Understanding Roaming Fees
Roaming fees are charges you incur when using mobile services outside your home network's country. This includes calls, texts, and data usage. Depending on the network and country, fees can be up to several hundred thousand VND per GB of data or several tens of thousands VND per minute of call.
But why are roaming fees so expensive? The reason is that your domestic network has to "rent" infrastructure from a foreign network. Therefore, intermediary costs such as currency exchange, international taxes, connection fees, etc., will be added to your bill. If not careful, you could "lose" millions of VND after just a few days of travel.
6 ways to avoid roaming fees when traveling
For many travelers, unexpectedly receiving a phone bill with exorbitant roaming fees after a trip is not a pleasant experience. Below, My SIM will summarize effective and simple ways, suitable for all international trips, to help you avoid roaming fees when traveling.
1. Buy an international travel SIM or eSIM
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If you want to avoid roaming fees when traveling while maintaining a stable connection, buying a local SIM or using an international travel eSIM will be the top solution for you. This is a smart choice to get cheap internet data, avoid unexpected charges, and be flexible for each country.
Specifically, a physical SIM is a traditional option. You just need to insert it when you arrive in the travel country and turn on data roaming. However, with phones that support only one SIM, you will need to remove your main SIM. For eSIM, it will be a more modern and flexible choice: no need to remove or insert, easy to activate remotely with just a QR code, and you can keep your main SIM to use simultaneously. Additionally, using an eSIM abroad is very simple – you just need to choose a data plan for the country and activate it quickly in just a few minutes.
You can check out My SIM's travel eSIM plans right here!
2. Completely turn off data roaming
This is the most basic way to avoid roaming fees that anyone should do before leaving their country. On iPhone and Android, you can access the network settings and turn off data roaming to prevent your phone from automatically connecting to international networks. This helps you actively control data consumption and avoid unexpected charges. Or you can click on your main SIM/eSIM and turn off this line completely.
Note: If you only turn off mobile data but still have roaming enabled, the device can still incur hidden fees from background applications.
3. Turn on airplane mode and use Wi-Fi
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One of the most effective and popular ways to avoid roaming fees while traveling is to use free Wi-Fi. You can turn on airplane mode on your phone to ensure no mobile data is incurred, then connect to a Wi-Fi network at hotels, airports, cafes, or shopping centers. This allows you to continue using communication apps like Zalo, WhatsApp, Messenger to make calls and send messages without roaming fees.
However, using public Wi-Fi also comes with security risks. These free access points can be exploited by malicious actors to steal personal information. To stay safe, you should limit logging into sensitive accounts such as banking or work email on public Wi-Fi.
4. Disable hidden data-consuming features
Even when you're not actively using your phone, many apps still silently consume background data. This includes automatic email syncing, app updates, and background content refreshes. These factors can incur roaming fees or quickly deplete your data plan.
To save data when traveling abroad, you should perform the following actions:
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Turn off automatic app updates over mobile data:
On iPhone: Settings > App Store > Turn off "Automatic Downloads" for mobile data.
On Android: Google Play Store > Settings > Auto-update apps > Select "Wi-Fi only." -
Turn off background app refresh:
On iPhone: Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Turn off.
On Android: Settings > Apps > Select each app > Turn off background data. - Disable automatic photo, email, and cloud file syncing, unless necessary.
5. Turn on data saver mode on iPhone and Android
Both iPhone and Android have a data saver mode, a useful tool to help you control mobile data consumption – especially important when traveling internationally and wanting to avoid roaming fees.
How to activate data saver mode:
- iPhone: Go to Settings > Cellular > select the SIM you are using > Data Mode > turn on Low Data Mode.
- Android (may vary by manufacturer): Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data Saver > turn on Use Data Saver.
6. Register for an international roaming package from your network provider
If you still need to keep your main phone number when going abroad, consider an international roaming package from your domestic network provider. However, carefully check the terms of use, data limits, and duration to avoid incurring out-of-bundle charges. This is not an ideal solution for those who want to save as much as possible.
In summary, if you are planning an international trip and want to stay connected while saving costs, buying an international travel eSIM is the most worthwhile investment today – especially for young people, backpackers, or those who frequently travel between multiple countries.
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