While many may have planned for roaming mobile and data tariffs in other countries, they may not be aware of the huge costs of little-known maritime networks, which can easily be activated while on ferries and cruise ships.
UK travellers have been reported to rack up huge phone bills when abroad as they have forgotten to turn on ‘airplane mode’ on their device when connected to WIFI. Their phones have then connected to an offshore marine mobile telephone network, which can charge hundreds of pounds for a short ferry trip, or thousands for a cruise.
Recommended Reading:
A recent video went viral on social media, revealing a traveller on a cruise received a £1,050 ($1,300) phone bill for data roaming after not realising their data roaming was turned on in the background.
Users have left comments expressing how costly this mistake is saying “Expensive lesson”, and another user shared, “$1,300 would pay for another cruise”.
With this in mind, experts at eSIM travel company, Airalo, have revealed how this simple mistake is made, and how travellers can avoid making this potential mistake in the future.
Travelling by sea this summer?! Beware of mobile data charges!
If you’re travelling by ferry or going on a cruise this summer, using your mobile phone can lead to very large bills. When you’re at sea, your phone will connect to the maritime network. https://t.co/3iELG56YzN pic.twitter.com/0Cb9okmGWr
— HJS Technology Ltd (@hjstechnology) July 19, 2022
How to avoid getting caught out at sea:
- Switch off your data roaming, and just use your phone for its camera etc
- If you think you’ll need to use your phone at sea, check with your provider before you travel how much it will cost via a satellite connection. Brace yourself, it’s not cheap.
- Lots of ferry companies have free wifi or bundles that can be bought cheaply. If it’s not free, it’ll probably be cheaper than the satellite service
Experts at eSIM travel company, Airalo have advised travellers to take extra care when planning trips.
“Travellers should be wary of background data usage on their devices, even when connected to WIFI networks when travelling as costs can significantly stack up and create an extravagant bill,” they say.
“Customers have been left shocked at data roaming charges when travelling, so it’s recommended to avoid staggering bills and extra charges abroad to download an eSIM for cheaper and effective roaming.”
Or, turn your phone off and enjoy some screen-free time.