If you have ever traveled abroad without a cell phone that had international calling capabilities, you know how unnerving it can be to not be able to pick up a phone whenever you need to make a phone call. While it is not impossible to find a way to call home, it can be difficult, as well as expensive. When you have world phone that has the capability of being used with an international or country-specific SIM card, you will be able to save significant amounts of money, as well as achieve peace of mind.
Rent a Phone
It is not necessary to purchase yet another cell phone that is just going to sit idle for months or years on end after your trip abroad. You can rent a world phone for as little as one week and as long as several months. The benefit of renting the phone is not having to pay a large sum of money upfront for the phone. Before you decide to rent a phone from any company, there are some things you need to find out.
Rates
It is important to find out the rates for making and receiving calls. When you travel internationally, the rates are different for each type of call. You want to be as specific as possible, asking the companies how much a phone call you receive from the U.S. will cost, as well as how much it costs per minute to make calls to the U.S. It is also important to know how much local calls are in the event you want to call restaurants or other venues to make reservations or inquire about tickets.
Billing
Understanding how an international cell phone company bills for their minutes is important. Before you rent a world phone, inquire about the exact billing procedures. You can specifically ask if the company offers prepaid plans or if you are billed at the end of your trip. You should also inquire if you will have access to your usage while you travel or if you don’t find out your final bill and minute usage until you receive your bill, typically resulting in an unpleasant surprise.
Customer Service
When you rent a world phone, you also need to know if you have the luxury of contacting customer service to add more minutes to your plan or to ask specific questions about your phone any time of the day or night or if they are only available certain hours of the day. It is also important to find out if the call to customer service is free or if those minutes will be included in your total minute usage from your trip abroad.
