International Cell Phone Plans Info
Forget crossing time zones. You cross the International Date Line. Your passport ran out of pages long ago, and you are entirely at ease navigating the subway systems of London, Sydney, Tokyo, and Berlin. You are the modern traveling salesman. You are a businessperson without borders, but you still have trouble making a call on your cell phone. International business people have come up with a variety of solutions to the problem of staying in touch across the globe.
• International Calling Plan
Major cell phone carriers often offer an international calling plan for the international business traveler. Unfortunately, this does not prevent you from being charged the exorbitant roaming charges that are placed on international calls. A phone call from Tanzania to New York will run about $4.99 a minute. Your carrier must also have a presence in the country from which you are calling. In Europe, this is not a problem. In South American, it could be.
• International Calling Apps
Many international travelers use the Skype App to make free international calls. This works as long as you have Wi-Fi. Otherwise, you are just making a standard international call. In addition, phone companies sometimes charge a high data transfer fee. You might not be saving any money at all.
• International Cell Phones
They are for international cell phone plan. They are local phones. Many travelers buy a phone for each country they visit. This allows them to make unlimited local phone calls. The problem is they still pay a large fee to call the home office.
Each of these methods works. If they did not, they would not be as popular as they are, but they are not the most efficient methods. They all have severe limitations, and some come with a high cost. There is another method that is both easy to use and cost effective.
An international SIM card allows you to make calls from around the globe without worrying about things like finding a hot spot, buying a new phone, or what the current roaming rate is. As soon as you leave the country, you slide out your home SIM card and slide in your international SIM card. You are now ready to make international calls.
It is that simple. You subscribe to a monthly rate plan that allows you a set amount of minutes per month to be used in allowed countries. Any additional minutes are pay as you go. If you are not in a country that is covered with your international SIM card, you still save. Roaming charges for international SIM cards are typically between 30 and 60 percent cheaper than international calling plans. International SIM cards allow you to have multiple numbers. You can have a separate number for London, New York, and Sydney.
Other methods to make an international call might work, but for the business traveler, an international SIM card is clearly the best option. Clients and the home office will be able to get in touch with you worldwide. Local calls and a local number are as easy as sliding one SIM out and another one in.
