Survival guide for using your smartphone abroad this summer

After months of waiting, it's finally time to go on holiday! Of course, your smartphone will be on board to keep in touch with your loved ones and capture your most beautiful moments. But if you want to spend your holidays in peace and avoid any nasty surprises when you get back and discover your invoice, here are a few rules to follow.

Find out about roaming fees

Before you leave, don't forget to check your mobile operator's website for the roaming charges that will apply in your destination country. As soon as you cross national borders, you are exposed to roaming charges depending on your destination. An additional cost may therefore be added to the use of your smartphone, whether for receiving or making calls to fixed or mobile numbers, sending SMS and MMS messages, or surfing the Internet. It is worth noting that there is no charge for receiving text messages.

Depending on your holiday destination, these fees may be more or less significant. That's why it's essential to anticipate them so that you understand the possible extra costs you incur by using your mobile phone abroad. It's worth pointing out that roaming charges within the European Union are equivalent to those in Luxembourg, so you can enjoy the same rates as when you use your phone in Luxembourg.

For business phone owners, it's worth knowing that there are plans specially designed for businesses. These packages have the unique feature of automatically blocking when a certain amount is reached, thus avoiding excessive invoices.

If you are a professional, contact your account manager or service manager now to find out all the details about your roaming charges, and find the plans or options best suited to your needs.

Go for a roaming option with your plan

Depending on your destination and how you use your phone on holiday, it may be a good idea to take out an option for the duration of your trip.

With Orange, you have access to "Roaming Pass", which offer you various possibilities. From €9, you can enjoy 500 MB, 1GB or 3GB of mobile Internet in over 60 destinations for 10 days from activation. With this pass, you can enjoy your mobile data for longer while you're abroad. What's more, when you travel in Europe, you can also buy an extra 5GB of mobile Internet valid for 30 days for just €9.

If your travel is likely to involve work, don't hesitate to contact your mobile fleet manager to check whether your employer offers solutions tailored to your needs and your trip.

Before you leave: download your audiovisual content

Do you have a long trip ahead of you? Do you want to enjoy music, TV series or films while you're on holiday? Don't forget to download this content onto your smartphone before you leave. You can also do this during your stay when your device is connected to Wi-Fi. That way you won't be consuming mobile data unnecessarily.

Cut your data abroad during your journey

When travelling, remember to deactivate the mobile data on your smartphone before crossing the border into a country not included in your plan. Charges can quickly increase and the bill can quickly become expensive. For example, if you're travelling through Andorra, it's best not to connect to the Internet, as each MB used on its territory will incur high charges.

The same precaution applies when travelling by boat or plane. In the middle of the ocean, for example, your smartphone will be connected to a satellite network, which will entail significant costs.

To avoid any unpleasant surprises, all you have to do is go to your phone's settings and deactivate cellular data or roaming, depending on what you call it, during your journey. Note that activating your aeroplane mode is not enough, because when you deactivate it, your data will be active again and may be overcharged.

Wi-Fi is your best friend

Remember to use Wi-Fi whenever you can: at motorway service areas, airports, restaurants, museums and all other places with Wi-Fi.

When you arrive at your holiday destination, register your holiday home's Wi-Fi code as soon as you arrive. This way, your smartphone will automatically connect to the network as soon as you arrive.

Remember to switch off your Wi-Fi assistant

Whether you're an Apple or Android team, your device is equipped with Wi-Fi Assistant functionality. This feature allows your phone to detect reliable public Wi-Fi networks and connect to them. However, to carry out this search, your phone uses mobile data, which can lead to data consumption even when you are not actively using your smartphone. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, remember to deactivate this option before you travel abroad. Go to your smartphone settings to uncheck this feature.

Switch off your answerphone

Outside Europe, messages left on your voicemail are charged as incoming calls, and each message retrieved is charged as an outgoing call. To avoid these extra costs, you can cancel call forwarding to your answering machine.

To do this, dial ##002# in your phone application, then press the call key.

If you have any problems deactivating your voicemail, please ask one of our advisers in an Orange shop.