What do people do with their phone whilst out there?

[Guest]

Hi guys, I’m leaving for SEA in a week and have pretty much everything sorted.

I just have one question, what do people do with their phone whilst out there? I’m on a 2 year contract with EE that I pay £50 a month for (I’m about a year or so in to it).

I’ve read that people get a cheap sim out there but as far as I’m aware there’s no way of me cancelling my contract without paying a hefty price. So do I just bite the bullet and carry on paying the £50 a month?

I can’t find anything online on what to do so any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[Lucas]

The difference would be around 25£ if you are going to stay atleast a month, note that internet is not that great there too. A constant hustle to get new sim cards and tarrifs and stuff.

[Jasmine]

You can unlock your phone instantly with EE if you ring them up. It’s really cheap to buy a months worth of data out there. Around 200 baht in Thailand.

[Ash]

Reduce your plan to a minimum and buy cheap SIM cards where you go for the times free wifi is not available. Small price to pay man.

[Tanya]

Call them & see if they will offer you a break from your contact while overseas, then reinstate when back.

[Louis]

Tell them hat you are leaving the country for the unforeseeable future and you have no use for it. Try to get it downgraded to pay as you go so that you still have your number for WhatsApp. Just get SIM cards in SEA. They are like maximum a 10er per month for unlimited data.

[Mike]

I think there is another cost you need to consider: what EE will charge you for roaming: using your current SIM in SEA (mobile calls/texts and data). My provider was rubbing their hands at the prospect of charging me £6 for each day I used my UK SIM. It depends how many days you are in SEA for. My alternative approach was to buy a local SIM at the airport - $10 for unlimited data for a month, plus some text and minutes. I'm in Laos for a few weeks - maybe less geared-up than other SEA countries. Also, when I landed, my UK SIM didn't work (but it did after a few days - I just didn't persue it once I had a local SIM).

So, I realised that if my cards didn't work (sometimes they don't until you call your bank), I would be stuck as I wouldn't be able to ring them. You need access to local money as soon as you land (and you may not want to swap your hard currency stash so early). Internet and mobile network access is a bit of a juggle, and you may have to swap SIMs in and out to get connected to people/services that only know your UK SIM. You might find yourself using your mobile far less than at home?

[Emmanuel]

What I did was lower my plan to the bare minimum, was like 10£ or so per month for 1GB and bought sim cards wherever I went. Either that or those Esim services you find online (bit more expensive)