Unless, I have an extremely important reason to use data, I’ll never use Fido Roam for international travel.
I don’t have to check in on Facebook where in the world I am.
But my photos need to be automatically save on iCloud. I’ll have photos of lush forest and ancient temples that will always make me wonder the hows and whys of the old days.
The place invokes serenity which is disrupted every time I remember how how much I paid unnecessarily for data roaming overseas.
I’ll Think Twice Before Using Fido Roam
I learned my pricey lesson when it comes to roaming fees in my first trip in Asia, specifically in Cambodia and Philippines.
Before I leave, I wondered how can I have access to data whenever I want without racking up high phone bills. We successfully did the following hacks:
- Rented a roaming device through Klook for five days in Cambodia. I paid CAD 43.42 for 1GB of 4G Wifi.
- Bought a local SIM card and put it in an Android phone of my sibling. USD 5.00 for a week of data, call, and text.
But in spite of such seemingly ingenious ways to stay online whenever necessary, I still managed to get a high Fido phone bill.
Why I Had to Pay a High Fido Bill
How much? I paid CAD 120.00 for 10 days of using data outside Canada.
On top of that I still had to pay my Fido Pulse plan of $55.00 (GST is not yet included). Folks on Reddit and Fido Community were disappointed like me.
How did that happen?
It’s as easy as turning ON Data Roaming for a few minutes, several times a day to check emails or send messages. My mistake. I assumed that because I didn’t stream a movie I would only pay a little.
To turn on Data Roaming on an iOS device:
- Go to Settings > Cellular.
- Turn on Cellular Data.
- Set Cellular Data Options from Roaming Off to On.
- Set Data Roaming to On.
Every time I used the Data Roaming for a few minutes, I immediately turn Data Roaming to OFF again.
Does this help? Not really.
Well, I’m not quite sure how does the Fido Roam work. I’ll give it a try to see how I was caught off guard with such a hefty bill.
How Much Does a Fido Roam Cost
Fido Roam fee is charged every 24 hours, and only on days the device is used. It starts with the first use of the phone that day.
- US – $7.00/day
- International – $12.00/day
Check if you can use Fido Roam in your next destination. Roaming allows users to use the data, talk time, and texts from the monthly plan while abroad.
If you are traveling for a month or more, should you expect to pay more?
Obviously, but might not have to.
Only pay for up to 15 days per billing cycle, per zone. If you want to keep roaming after that within the same billing cycle, it’s on us!
Find out more with Everything You Need to Know and FAQ.
Related Post: Why You Should Cancel Fido Premium Device Protection
Avoid High Roaming Fees
With the knowledge of how the fees are calculated, I’ll be more cautious in using data roaming.
Why not pay nothing at all. Zilch.
To avoid paying roaming charges use a local SIM to unlock phones. Not sure if yours is unlock, follow these steps:
- Find the phone’s IMEI before calling. For iOS: Settings > General > About. Or dial dial *#06# to see the 15-digit IMEI.
- Contact your carrier (eg. Fido, Koodo) and give the IMEI. Unlocking the phone is free.
I admit that having a dual SIM phone like android is convenient when traveling abroad while avoiding roaming fees.
It’s cheaper to use a local SIM card. Once you reach the limit, it’s up to you to pay more. Even if you do, the fee is cheaper than a Canadian carrier.
We have a good healthcare but expensive phone plans that other nations were asking WHY?
I’ve been asking that this whole time.
The cheapest phone plan I can get in Fido is $45.00 which includes pay per use data, talk, and text.
Oh well. I’m waiting for a promo to switch phone plan in Fido or other carriers. I tried Virgin and Freedom Mobile; it’s either it was expensive or the Wifi signal was horrible. Loyalty is scarce. What’s next?
How do you avoid using data roaming fees in international trip?
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