{"id":930,"date":"2020-01-16T09:28:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T09:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/?p=930"},"modified":"2021-01-10T14:02:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T14:02:59","slug":"cell-phone-plans-and-roaming-for-snowbirds-a-practical-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/cell-phone-plans-and-roaming-for-snowbirds-a-practical-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Cell Phone Plans and Roaming for Snowbirds: A Practical Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you in need of a phone service that is easy to use and also convenient, cost-effective, reliable, and allows you to communicate easily, both locally and with your friends and family back home? Do you need practical guides that can provide you with a cell phone and roaming plans? Don&#39;t look too far! To help you with these problems, we have combined a number of guides that would help you with your phone plans and with other options to help you keep in touch with people during the snowbird season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cell Phone Plans and Roaming for Snowbirds:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you call abroad you have to pay a roaming cost. Depending on the location you will visit, and your cellphone plan roaming can be very expensive. Check before you leave. In those cases, it makes sense to purchase a local sim card when you arrive in your locations and use it to call and visit the internet. You can also buy a travel sim card before going away, that you can use in multiple destinations for good rates. If you have an EU sim card you can it in other EU countries for the same cost as if you would be at home, &quot;roam like home&quot;. Also when you are from a non-EU country you can buy such a sim when you visit an EU country.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Cell-Phone-Plans-and-Roaming-for-Snowbirds-A-Practical-Guide-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-934\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Cell-Phone-Plans-and-Roaming-for-Snowbirds-A-Practical-Guide-4.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Cell-Phone-Plans-and-Roaming-for-Snowbirds-A-Practical-Guide-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Cell-Phone-Plans-and-Roaming-for-Snowbirds-A-Practical-Guide-4-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For someone who\nis planning on spending their winter in a\nsnowbird location outside their state, staying\nin touch with family and friends is probably one of the most important things\non your list. However, getting the right cell\nphone plan as well as a roaming plan is equally important. You would not want\nto be stuck in a long-distance location with an\noutrageous roaming fee of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.\nHowever, amidst all these, the good news is that there are several new ways by\nwhich you can stay in touch with your loved ones and these methods are very\naffordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cell Phone Plans and Roaming for Snowbirds<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although several\nsnowbirds often opt for mobile options, landline options are available for\nsnowbirds that own a vacation home or those that prefer them to other options.\nUsually, a large number of rental units come with a landline especially if they\nare owned privately.&nbsp; The same applies to\nmany condos that require a landline in order to\nhave access to the gate. Now if you own your own vacation unit, the option of\ngetting a landline that has an unlimited long distance plan is available,\nthough one has to be available in your area first. Here are some practical tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Choose the Best Plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best option\nor plan for you will depend mainly on your budget, your needs and how comfortable you are with technology. The location\nyou choose to spend your winter in will also\naffect your decision. Usually, the U.S. provides the best long-distance plans\nfor Canadians. However, international plans and roaming services are generally\nmore expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Using Mobile Phones While Travelling<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These days, most\nprominent carriers now have affordable roaming plans that\nallow you to make and receive calls within the\nU.S. and to other European states. Of course, it\nis more convenient to keep the same phone number\nthat all your friends and families already know. It also helps to prevent the\ntrouble that comes with having multiple cell phones, switching SIM cards or\nusing a calling card to make calls. However, all these can only be possible if\nyou have an affordable plan. Make sure you check out what your carrier offers\nand be sure to remember that it must include a long-distance, text messages and\ndata, and local calling in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HOW TO AVOID DATA CHARGES WHILE TRAVELLING! | Basics of Backpacking #7\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MFYFjOwSxgM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Getting a Mobile Phone within the U.S<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Usually, some\nsnowbirds prefer to have a separate mobile phone while they are in the U.S.\nWhile this is normal, you need to check carefully before signing up for a plan.\nA prepaid plan might be better for you rather than a contract plan. This is\nbecause you may not need to use the phone for at least six months in a year.\nAlso, when you sign up for a certain plan that cuts through a period of time,\nremember to find out if the service can be suspended when you are back in your\nstate. Then, you should also try to find out the cost of long-distance roaming\nto your state (e.g. Canada). Weigh it against the costs of using your Canadian\nphone (while keeping costs of texts and data in mind), and select the less\nexpensive plan. However, there might be a drawback when you get another phone.\nSince you will have a different phone number, it may be hard for everyone to\nremember it, including you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Outside the\nU.S: <\/strong>Another reasonable\noption for you is to purchase a local phone especially if you tend to spend\nyour winter in a different country other than the U.S., but first, you have to\nmake sure that you understand the terms and conditions, the costs, and the long-distance\nrates for your chosen plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Get Yourself a Travel SIM Card <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most travel SIM\nCards provide almost all the benefits you get from using a local U.S. SIM card.\nThey offer affordable rates as well as a local phone number alongside the\nfeatures and convenience that you enjoy with your cellular services back at\nhome. Using a Travel SIM Card is quite easy. You can simply swap your regular\nSIM Card for your Travel SIM Card as soon as you have crossed the border. This\neasy process can offer a significant amount of savings as well as your U.S\ncarrier&#39;s roaming rates, depending on the plan that you choose. It can also\nsave you the stress of having to stop at a dealer store to set up your local\nU.S service. A lot of Travel SIM Cards can be easily purchased before you go on\nyour trip, and they can be used again for future trips. These SIM cards\nfunction in any unlocked device, including your local cell phone which your\ncarrier will unlock free of charge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The WorldSIM Guide: How much does data roaming cost\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/syTRqoN66Zs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>You Can Also Get a U.S. SIM Card<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now if you think\njuggling between two phones is stressful, you might want to consider other\nservices that are geared towards snowbirds in both the U.S. and other states.\nThese plans provide SIM cards that you can easily pop into your local phone\nwhich will still allow you to make and receive calls within the U.S., as well\nas other winter states, providing you with data plans at low fees. In order to\nuse these SIM cards, you need to get your local\ncarrier to &quot;unlock&quot; your cell phone before you proceed. This is usually a\nrelatively easy process<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Traveling in Europe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you plan on traveling to Europe the best options depend on if you have a cellphone plan in an EU country or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">With an existing EU cellphone plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you live in an EU country and have a local cell phone plan you can use &quot;roam like home&quot;. This means you can use your phone like you are in your home country. Your calls (to mobile and fixed phones), text messages (SMS) and data services are charged at your domestic rate (the same price as calls, texts, and data within your home country). This also applies to the calls and text messages you receive during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only thing to monitor is if you use your phone more when being abroad. Maybe at home, you use your fixed line to call family or friends. Now you do those calls with your cellphone, using more minutes than when you&#39;re home. In that case, check if an upgrade of your cell phone plan is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"End of EU roaming charges - what you need to know - Daily Mail\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r3UElQZEgWw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Without an existing EU cellphone plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do not have an existing EU cellphone plan you could use your own phone from home, but this can be really expensive. It can be much cheaper to buy a local sim card and use that on a second phone. In all European countries, you can buy a pay as you go plan with enough minutes and data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other\nOptions for Long Distance Phone Plans and Roaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are\nseveral options for long-distance communication, one of which includes a landline.\nAs stated earlier, most rental units come with a landline. So be sure to find\nout if your landline includes a free long-distance\nplan, and if the plan is accessible to you. Now\nit only gets easier if you own your own property, you would\nmost likely find a very affordable long distance plan for your landline. Several\nsnowbirds prefer talking over a landline because it can be very affordable\nespecially in the U.S. where the plans are much cheaper than in North America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Long Distance Apps and Call Cards<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Long-distance\ncards offer very inexpensive long-distance rates usually charged on a\npay-per-use basis. To make it more convenient for you, many of these cards\noffer automatic top-ups when your account gets lower than $2 and some can also\nbe used together with a cell phone. These long-distance cards can be easily\npurchased at very inexpensive rates from almost anywhere including local gas\nstations and convenience stores, and they can also be useful while on the road\nas well as in hotels. There are also some convenient apps with similar\nfunctionality to calling cards. They are cheap\nenough to allow you to make long-distance calls from your mobile phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Internet Phones<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of\ninternet phone are available that allows you to use your internet connection to\nmake calls over a long distance. Now that technology is evolving really fast, there are several solutions available for you. For more details, you can do some research online and\nconsider various voice over Internet Protocol phones. The rates of using\ninternet connections over a long distance are usually much cheaper than the\nother types of long-distance services. However, the quality of the service,\nthough vastly improved, may be quite low. For quality service and sound, you\nwill need a very good internet connection and an earphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Save Money With Prepaid SIM Cards When You Travel\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w7NEmXNZRnE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Keeping in Touch Using Apps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These days,\nthere are lots of apps available, that can help you keep in touch with friends\nand family and even SEE them while you are talking to them. With your mobile\nphone or computer, you can communicate with your friends and family using apps\nlike WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype and much more. The good part of this is that you\ncan also access some of these apps on your tablet or laptop. However, you will need\nto use an active data plan or connect to a WIFI before you can use them, and\nthe person you wish to communicate with will also need to have the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Instant Messages, Text and Social\nMedia<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another good\noption when you want to communicate with friends without actually speaking to\nthem, or when you need to send a quick message, is by sending text messages or instant messages through social media\nplatforms like Facebook and Instagram. These social media sites have made it\neasy for snowbirds to share photos or videos. However, you need to know that\ntext messages are not free, so be sure that you understand the limits of\nsending texts with your mobile phone plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these new\ntechnologies have made it easy and comfortable for snowbirds to keep in touch with\ntheir families and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you in need of a phone service that is easy to use and also convenient, cost-effective, reliable, and allows you to communicate easily, both locally and with your friends and family back home? Do you need&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":7,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":21,"label":"General Information"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Cell-Phone-Plans-and-Roaming-for-Snowbirds-A-Practical-Guide-4.jpg",900,599,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Winter Sun Expert","author_link":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/author\/fxhx1\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":21,"name":"General Information","slug":"general-information","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":48,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":21,"category_count":48,"category_description":"","cat_name":"General Information","category_nicename":"general-information","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wintersunexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}