You may be aware that earlier this year, data roaming charges were re-introduced by the mobile networks, affecting UK travellers in the EU.
The good news is that the networks all have travel bolt-on packages which can be purchased for a few pounds per day. These aim to remove the risk of large unexpected bills being received after the event, as long as you don’t use more data than your allowance.
However, although that provides protection whilst on land, things are very different at sea – even if you’re travelling between two places that are covered by your package.
If you’re travelling by ferry or going on a cruise this summer, using your mobile phone can lead to very large bills for data roaming! This is because when you’re at sea, your phone will connect to the maritime network. At sea, the lack of phone masts means connecting to satellites, which is costly.
You don’t even need to be using your phone to incur costs
- If the phone is left switched on, in normal mode, applications can be running in the background, continually refreshing and using your data while at sea.
- If someone sends you a text or an email and your phone automatically downloads that, you’ll be billed for it.
How to avoid shock charges
- Turn off your phone. The easiest way to ensure you aren’t incurring charges is to turn off your phone until you reach a port where you can access the network of the country you visit.
- Use airplane mode. Airplane mode (also known as flight mode) simply turns off all data access for your phone, but you can still use the device for things like taking photos and setting alarms.
- Use the ship’s WiFi. This itself may come at a price that seems expensive, but at least you’ll know the cost in advance. It is usually possible to prepay for a certain quantity of data, so you remain in control of what you spend. Please note, though, that if using the ship’s WiFi, you should still have Airplane mode switched on, to avoid the risk of inadvertently roaming to the maritime network.
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