There is nothing worse than going on holiday to find that your phone – the phone which you topped up with a significant amount of credit before you left – is showing a balance of $0.00 within a matter of a few days. Unfortunately, this tends to occur when individuals are stung by extortionate data roaming costs. In this post, we will provide you with a comparative review of data roaming costs for Pay-As-You-Go users, with a particular focus on roaming rates in Canada, India, and UAE – just to compare three different locations across the world.
Throughout the research process, we tried to compare findings based on the same amount of data. However, this proved to be difficult in some instances, as a number of networks have complex payment terms in place, with various bundles and pricing strategies. As you will discover, EE is a prime example of this.
This shows why it is important to compare mobile phones before purchasing, as well as comparing networks. This further showcases how it’s easy for users to end up spending a lot more than they intended to since it’s a challenge to find clear information on the rates you will be charged. So, let’s take a look.
The search began with WorldSIM and thankfully their rates are presented in a way that is easy to digest. It costs £0.05/MB in Canada and £0.06/MB in UAE, whilst in India, it costs £0.16/MB.
The popular UK mobile network provider, Vodafone, also has a simple structure in place. For the three locations mentioned, the charge is £0.12 per MB.
Another popular provider in the UK is EE. They offer data add-ons, which is beneficial because you pay for a specific amount, and then you will be cut-off, meaning you need to buy another add-on. This helps you to manage your data use. However, it’s worth noting that the prices for pay-as-you-go are a lot more expensive than their contract data-add ons.
For India and Canda, there are Zone A data plans available. This includes 40MB of data for use within 24 hours, which is £4 per day, or 100MB of data for 24 hours of use, which is £7 per day. For the UAE, there are Zone B data plans available. This includes 20MB of data for use within 24 hours, which is £5 per day, or 45MB of data for 24 hours of use, which is £10 per day. On their contract plans, you can get 500MB for less than the 100MB pay-as-you-go offering, which can seem a bit unfair.
As you can see, the diversification in prices for data roaming is extortionate! The main mobile network providers in the UK generally charge huge fees, which is why you would probably be better off looking for a SIM-card provider in the location you’re travelling to, or searching for a global provider like WorldSIM that specializes specifically in overseas roaming and calls.
