Tips for Communication Abroad: Phones and Phone Plans
June 1, 2022
You probably rely on your phone for a lot of things: using maps, taking pictures, updating social media, and staying in touch with people. And since you’ll probably want to do all of these same things abroad, you’ll need your phone to operate in a way that fits your needs. Unfortunately, you likely won’t be able to keep your current phone plan in its exact form, so you’ll need to consider your options.
Option 1: Live Like a Local!
Get a new SIM Card and Phone Plan in your Host Country
- Research your host country and see which phone providers are most common there, and make sure they provide shorter-term or easy-to-cancel contracts. You can use these Wikipedia links for each region to find popular carriers. Consider what works best for your location, program length, technology needs, budget, and intentions to visit other countries.
- Tip: Foreign phone plans don’t always act like ours do. Prepaid and pay-by-the-minute plans can be popular in certain areas of the world, so be sure to read plan details carefully.
- Once you find a plan, you’ll have to get your device ready. Inside most phones, there’s a tiny card called a SIM Card that connects your device to your phone plan and stores basic memory. Your current SIM Card is connected to whatever phone service provider you use here in Arizona (Verizon, T-Mobile, Mint, etc.). To use a local plan in your host country, you’ll need to swap out your American SIM Card for the one you receive from your phone carrier abroad.
- Tip: make sure to keep your American SIM card so you can pop it back into your phone when you come home!
- Tip: you may be able to put your current phone plan on a temporary pause for a small fee, meaning that you won’t have to pay a regular phone bill for the plan you aren’t using. Look into what options your service carrier provides.
- Caution: Before you go, you’ll need to make sure your device can switch out SIM cards. Any “unlocked” device should be fine to use, but if you have a “locked” device specific to your phone carrier, you likely will not be able to make the switch.
- Tip: If you can’t swap SIM Cards but want a local phone plan, consider asking friends or family if they have any old “unlocked” phones you can use while you’re abroad (make sure to double check that you can access the SIM Card slot) or consider buying a cheaper phone in your host country.
Option 2: Live Like a Traveler!
Get an International Plan from your Current Phone Provider
- Most major carriers offer at least one international phone plan option. For example, Verizon has both daily and monthly rates for international travel. Do some research on your provider’s website and see if the choices they provide work for your budget, program length, location, and any intentions you have to travel while abroad.
- Caution: don’t get confused between a true international plan (one that lets you use your phone and data abroad) and a plan with international calling (one that lets you call international phone numbers while you’re still in the US). Make sure the plan you select does what you need it to do.
Option 3: Live Like an Explorer!
Use Wi-Fi without a Phone Plan
- On certain Study Abroad programs, you might not actually need a phone plan. If you don’t think you’ll need to use maps or any communication apps while you’re out-and-about, you can simply use Wi-Fi at your accommodations and restaurants and never get a phone plan.
- Tip: Whenever you need things like an online ticket or directions somewhere, just be sure to download or screenshot it before you disconnect from Wi-Fi.
- Tip: If you go with this option, make sure to keep your phone in Airplane Mode (then turn the Wi-Fi back on only) so that it doesn’t try to connect to international phone towers and charge you a fee.
- Caution: Being without a working phone may not be a good choice for every program type or location. Remember to do your research on your host country and its safety and norms.
- Tip: Remember, you can always switch to Option 1 or 2 partway through your program if going without a phone plan does not suit your needs.
As you explore your options, see what other people have tried and recommend. Your Study Abroad Coordinator or Faculty Lead will probably know what has worked best for previous students in your program. Likewise, reaching out to any students who have participated in your program before is a great way to hear personal input of what worked or didn’t. Whichever option you choose, make sure to stay in touch with us here in Arizona. We look forward to hearing about your journey abroad!