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Watch out for stealth wi-fi charges when abroad!

Are you thinking of using wi-fi on your phone abroad? Watch out for the hidden costs!

A colleague of mine used his UK mobile phone to download data while in Australia. He downloaded data using the hotel’s wi-fi. After paying the hotel he assumed that was that.

At the end of the month he returned to the UK and found a mobile phone bill for over a grand, which he swears is more than usual. He called his provider and found out that the extra cost was for roaming data charges. He was perplexed as he only used hotel wi-fi and not cellular data. His operator informed him that the use of wi-fi abroad was chargeable on top of what he had paid the hotel for.

In this age of apps be careful when abroad; always check with your operator before you go. You need to be sure of what is chargeable and how much it will cost.

Even if you have inclusive internet usage as part of a talk time package it is likely you will be charged for internet surfing abroad. For the moment at least if you want to surf abroad for free, then get in the sea.

I use my iPhone as a camera and a note pad while abroad. I may be using the phone offline however my apps may not. My apps could be sending data in the background, which I will be charged for! I make sure I turn off “roaming data”,“3G” and to be extra safe I turn it onto “flight mode”. Dom O’Neill Mind Your Own Business Show

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mind Your Own Business .