Have you ever had an amazing vacation in a foreign country only to come home to a US$500 cell phone bill? You only checked a few emails, used Google Maps, and uploaded pictures to Facebook to make your friends jealous, so how could it cost that much?
I’ve been a victim to these outrageous roaming fees which has lead me to either leave my phone in airplane mode or buy a local prepaid SIM card in the country I am visiting, neither of which is ideal.
Beginning on Oct. 20th, the U.S. cellular company T-Mobile is changing the game in international travel by getting rid of international roaming fees. That’s right, U.S. T-Mobile users will now be able to roam the world with their current cell phone and number at no extra cost.
The service will be available in countries including Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, China, and 200 other countries. It allows unlimited data usage and texting, with phone calls at a rate of 20 cents per minute. The service automatically connects to the local service in the new country and requires nothing for the user to do.
T-Mobile’s new plan is perfect for the frequent and infrequent traveler that wants to always be connected while they are away. Picture being able to hop from country to country in Europe, use all of your data, apps, maps, and email, and not be penalized for it. The savings and convenience are extraordinary.
T-Mobile is currently the only cell phone provider in the United States offering an international cell phone service like this. It’s great they are the first to recognize that we live in a global world where people want to be connected no matter where they are. It will also be interesting to see whether the larger carriers like Verizon and AT&T eventually jump on board.
Visit the T-Mobile website for more information on their new plan.
