Post-holiday shock: This is how to avoid your mobile phone cost traps

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Summer vacation is over. However, this may also have after-effects; So if you get a high cell phone bill. The main problem: Expensive roaming. Many people use their mobile phones mainly in Switzerland and therefore believe that it is not worth getting a roaming subscription. Because it can become very expensive every month or you can use Wi-Fi at the hotel during your holiday.

Even a “short period of time” can be very expensive

But the reality is often different. You may need to make a quick phone call while on the go. Or you need the internet because you urgently want to look up the address of a cheap rental car without a navigation system. Both can be very expensive; Google Maps, for example, is one of the biggest data sinks. And even if you’re only using streaming services or social media apps that contain lots of video or image files for a short period of time, you’ll consume a lot of data quickly.

Applications that consume data before it is used can also become a cost trap. For example, if they are automatically updated in the background. Similar passive costs apply to Combox – basically three times: first for the connection via the foreign telephone network, then for forwarding to the Combox in Switzerland and finally for listening to the message.

Circulation as the biggest cost factor

Of course, there may be additional costs on your home cell phone bill at the end of the month; for example, due to so-called in-app purchases to unlock premium functions in applications. Ad banners carelessly clicked on free apps can also cause pricing issues.

Telecom expert Walter Salchli from Alao says the main problems customers face with excessive mobile phone costs are clearly linked to roaming. “We saw nearly 30 percent more people looking for a new mobile phone subscription in late August and early September. Shocked by high bills or excessive spending during the holidays, many people are looking to add a roaming option to reduce fixed costs.”

Walter Salchli worked in the subscription business for various providers for many years and founded alao four years ago. The Swiss start-up currently has 42 employees and makes it easy to get subscriptions online at the best terms. The online subscription store works similarly to Booking.com for hotels: users can see all subscriptions on the market at a glance via alao. A special algorithm analyzes customers’ needs and creates the most suitable offer for the customer, including navigation. “Our idea is to offer the best deals of the year exactly when customers need them,” says Salchli. That’s why alao launched “Black September” in early Black November, featuring the best offers from various providers. When it comes to roaming, the relevant subscriptions are available at prices starting from just 23 francs, the expert says. “This way, you don’t have to deal with this problem before every holiday and avoid the price shock when you return.”

Tips for vacation

In addition to the optimized subscription, it is worth keeping a few basic things in mind when abroad; see the tips below. Because: The next (autumn) holidays are definitely coming!

• Close Combbox

• Use iMessage or Whatsapp instead of making a phone call

• Turn on data roaming only when you need it

• Only use data-intensive things like videos with Wi-Fi access

• Turn off automatic updates and push notifications

• Use apps instead of browsers that use less data

• Rely on offline street maps instead of Google Maps; B. Navmii GPS, GPS Navigation and Maps – Scout and OsmAnd Maps and Navigation

Source : Blick