The terror of the post-vacation telephone bill
We've all heard horror stories: returning from a relaxing vacation to find a phone bill for several hundred (or thousands) of dollars because we forgot to turn off mobile data. Avoiding this is easy if you follow these steps.
1. Get a Travel eSIM
The first step is to have an economical alternative. Prepaid eSIMs give you unlimited data for a fixed price, eliminating any surprises. You buy the eSIM, pay for your plan, and the worry is over.
2. Disable "Data Roaming" on your main line
Before getting on the plane, go to your mobile phone settings, find your original phone line (your local SIM) and make sure that "Data Roaming" is off. This way you avoid the company charging you for accidental megabytes at a gold price.
3. Disable automatic data switching (iPhone only)
On iOS, go to Settings > Cellular Network > Cellular Data and make sure Allow Cellular Data Switching is turned off. This prevents the iPhone from using your SIM from your home country for data if your eSIM signal drops momentarily.
4. Turn off "Wi-Fi Assist"
This feature uses mobile data when the Wi-Fi network is weak. Even if the eSIM covers you, if your main operator is still active and the eSIM is not, it could use roaming data. Turn it off in the Cellular Network settings (at the bottom of everything on iOS) out of an abundance of caution.
5. Download offline maps
Even if you have unlimited data with your eSIM, Google Maps consumes a lot of battery processing maps over the mobile network. Downloading the map of your destination city will save you both battery life and headaches in rural areas or inside the subway where the signal is lost.