Mobile phone use abroad: Cheap data package options for your summer vacation

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Take a photo of the sunset and quickly post it on Instagram? Or found the best restaurant in town? A vacation cannot be imagined without a mobile phone, and certainly not without the Internet. So a data packet is needed. It’s usually expensive if you buy one from your own Swiss mobile provider. But there are alternatives.

Oliver Zadori is the owner of Junglekompass.ch, a website for mobile phone tariffs. According to Zadori, there are three options for vacation:

• buy a travel SIM card,
• looking for a cheap data package offer in a holiday destination,
• buy a data package from the current Swiss provider.

Option 1: Travel SIM card (physical and digital)

The SIM card used to only exist physically, but for a few years now it is also available digitally (eSIM). The mobile phone does not have a SIM card installed, but you will receive a QR code to scan at the time of purchase. However, only newer devices can be equipped with it.

If someone travels a lot or surfs the internet a lot, a new SIM card for travel is recommended. Because data packages from global online providers are much cheaper than Swiss providers.

The downside of the travel SIM card is that it replaces the actual SIM card and thus the previous phone number. For this reason, it is useful to take a second mobile phone with you. Then you can open a hotspot that connects the mobile phone to the Swiss SIM card. This solution is particularly suitable if multiple users want to connect to the second smartphone via the access point. Another disadvantage of the travel SIM card is that the data packages are only valid for a short time. About 30 days on average. If you haven’t used the data package you purchased until then, it’s gone.

Depending on the device, several SIM cards can also be used in parallel. This means that a physical and digital SIM card can be used simultaneously. For example, the main SIM can be used for calls and eSIM for data usage. In the settings you can find out if your mobile can use both SIM cards.

Option 2: Look on the spot

The second and, according to Zadori, the cheapest option: look for an offer at the resort itself. Rechargeable prepaid offers are particularly simple. In Italy, for example, a subscription of up to 50 gigabytes costs around 17 euros per month. Downside: Access to mobile phone offers during the trip is sometimes difficult and there are also communication problems. If you have a modern smartphone, you can buy an eSIM online.

Option 3: Stay with the Swiss mobile operator

According to Zadori, you can also purchase a data package from your Swiss provider if you don’t surf the internet a lot, don’t spend a lot of time abroad and don’t travel. Offers are more expensive, but some do not expire. This means that anyone who purchases a 1 gigabyte data package from Swisscom for CHF 14.90 and does not use the full credit can use it again at a later date. Because with traditional Swiss mobile phone providers like Swisscom, Salt and Sunrise, the law provides for a 365-day validity period for limited data packages abroad. There is no legal provision for unlimited data packages.

But watch out! Countries with Swiss mobile phone providers are divided into regions. This means that when you travel or want to use the purchased data package later, the country you are traveling to must be in the same region as the country in front of you.

Tip: If you’re not sure how much data volume you need abroad, buy a small data package to get started. You can buy another one at a later date. In addition, there is still the possibility of using the WLAN in the accommodation or in a public place.

Source :Blick