Data roaming fees despite setting phones to airplane mode

[Kangadrool]

By just disabling the data on your phone is not good enough. Small packets of data still get sent/received.

 

You need to deactivate the data on the telco end, by either sending a USSD code or by app for prepaid users. For postpaid users, not very sure, but probably can be done using respective app also. If not, call up to disable.

 

 

[Atonchia]

I am a convert to M1's Data Roaming Data Passport.

 

https://www.m1.com.sg/Personal/RoamingAndInternationalCalls/GoingOverseas/DataRoaming/DataPassport

 

When I was in USA earlier this year for 2 weeks, all I paid is SGD$12. All the data usage is from my local 16gb data limit. Used it for google map GPS driving, even youtubes to entertain my kid while at restaurants or in transit. When I come back I just cancel the service.

 

Went Malaysia for 3 days in April, activated another SGD$12, and again in June for 4 days.

 

 

So it is a pretty worthwhile and convenient service compared to hunting high and low for a foreign country data sim and you are not contactable with your own number while your sim is swapped out (unless you have dual sim)

Wah, Sinktel is $16 per day.

[Heartlander]

For Singtel postpaid account holders, just need to use My Singtel app to turn off data at Data Setting menu.

[Thaiyotakamli]

M1 did charge me for data roaming when I disabled data roaming.

Until I TL, disabled roaming for both voice and data.

Scary. For my case i off mobile data if i nvr subscribe data travel. Heng never tio before

 

 

But got once data travel used up and within few mins i subscribed new data travel. To my dismay, that few mins interval cost me $30

Wifi router is expensive and ma fan hv to charge nightly.

 

Iâm always activate Starhub Data Travel overseas. Good n cheap

Yes starhub good. Now they got $5 for 1GB for 3 days asia pacific. Very worth getting if u travel to malaysia or batam day trip

1 GB is enough for whatsapp, emails and online game lol

 

 

Just dont open web browser or youtube unless got wifi

when i went Malacca in June, i was trying to find the best deal for a SIM card to use for navigation.

 

went to search in q0010, check MCF...

 

then i chanced upon my singtel plan, somehow got some data roaming rebate for $20/mth.

singtel has some readyroam plan, $12 for 1Gb.

So just nice, i activated that, got the 1Gb to use for GPS. Then end mth bill showed $0 net incurred cos offset by the $20 rebate. If i exceeded 1Gb, then for 2Gb will be $24, which means I would have had to pay $4 (after the $20 rebate)...

 

not bad lah. Good excuse to tell my kids say data roam v ex and v little only, sufficient only for navigation, so forget about tethering to play game during the long drives

Navigation can try use google map offline? Download before u go so no need use much data

[Mustank]

This SIM card will be activated upon arrival, no need registration with passport?

That time I bough from Qoo, reach Vietnam need to send some sms code to telco

No need registration

[Heartlander]

Allow me to share my personal experience on data roaming charges.

 

During one of the trip to Malaysia few years back, don't know what came over me, I cancelled the readyroam plan just before I boarded the plane, thinking nothing would happen as I also turned on airplane mode fairly quickly.

 

But few weeks upon my returned I was shocked to see a bill of $1600 for that month. Called up Singtel hotline to check and conclusion was that about 50MB of data were consumed by my hp during that brief period, and the cost matched by doing back calculation per MB back then. It was most likely that my hp performed auto update on 1 or 2 of the apps and used up that data amount. The Singtel staff was kind enough to offer me paying think $30 for another package in lieu of this $1600 charge. What a relief!

 

Since then I always pay attention when it comes to overseas roaming.

[Kopites]

why can't they just switch off data roaming ?? instead of going airplane mode ...

 

 

you know the song ...

 

nicky, nicky - yes papa

playing handphone - yes papa

data connection on - no papa

telling lies ... ha ha ha !

Johnny Johnny..yes papa...

No need. Just pay for the month you travel. No recurring charges.

 

Suits my usage as I generally go on 1 - 3 trips per year

must remember to cancel it upon return to singapore. otherwise monthly passport charges apply. Edited September 5, 2018 by Kopites

[Ysc3]

By just disabling the data on your phone is not good enough. Small packets of data still get sent/received.

 

You need to deactivate the data on the telco end, by either sending a USSD code or by app for prepaid users. For postpaid users, not very sure, but probably can be done using respective app also. If not, call up to disable.

When I went China in May, I bought an China sim card from q10. Since my phone is dual sim, I put my singtel card in sim2 and turned data off. Then I plugged in the china sim into sim1 and data on. 8 days no issue at all.

 

My singtel card lets me voice roam and the China sim is for data.

[Lala81]

I am a convert to M1's Data Roaming Data Passport.

 

https://www.m1.com.sg/Personal/RoamingAndInternationalCalls/GoingOverseas/DataRoaming/DataPassport

 

When I was in USA earlier this year for 2 weeks, all I paid is SGD$12. All the data usage is from my local 16gb data limit. Used it for google map GPS driving, even youtubes to entertain my kid while at restaurants or in transit. When I come back I just cancel the service.

 

Went Malaysia for 3 days in April, activated another SGD$12, and again in June for 4 days.

 

 

So it is a pretty worthwhile and convenient service compared to hunting high and low for a foreign country data sim and you are not contactable with your own number while your sim is swapped out (unless you have dual sim)

 

I thought USA is 25 dollars?

 

I'm also a user of M1. But the singtel 1gb roaming for like few dollars is also very good. good enough for whatsapp definitely.

must remember to cancel it upon return to singapore. otherwise monthly passport charges apply.

 

now no need liao. when u subscribe on the app, it will auto limit to 1 month or u can opt for longer if u want. 

[Vratenza]

USA is $10 +$2.

 

Only some countries are $25 +$2, including Japan/UK/S Korea etc

 

I thought USA is 25 dollars?

 

I'm also a user of M1. But the singtel 1gb roaming for like few dollars is also very good. good enough for whatsapp definitely.

 

now no need liao. when u subscribe on the app, it will auto limit to 1 month or u can opt for longer if u want. 

 

[Lala81]

USA is $10 +$2.

 

Only some countries are $25 +$2, including Japan/UK/S Korea etc

 

ah ic. i went to both SK and Japan in the last 2 years. Thought USA was also 25.

[Kusje]

must remember to cancel it upon return to singapore. otherwise monthly passport charges apply.

 

You can signup for 1 month only. They will not autorenew.

[Vratenza]

I must say ....Even $25 is still worth the while for the convenience and seamlessness.

 

I can even share my data using my phone's wifi for my family's devices.

 

ah ic. i went to both SK and Japan in the last 2 years. Thought USA was also 25.

 

[Lala81]

I must say ....Even $25 is still worth the while for the convenience and seamlessness.

 

I can even share my data using my phone's wifi for my family's devices.

 

korea. my hotel wifi was pretty good.

But for japan, the airbnb only has those pocket wifi (which wasn't really working anyway) and my wife had her own data passport (in case we got separated in disneyland and USJ). 

 

internet crucial lah. especially with kids that sometimes just doze off and u need to wait for them to wake up 

[Vratenza]

yes, most hotels provide quite decent free Wifi anyway.

 

Just the public free wifi is spotty and usually hit and miss to the point that in USA, I don't even bother to try login on to the public free wifi (usually need to register and have some complicated verifications or tied to their telco like Verizon), just use my data passport all the way whenever I am out of my hotels.

 

You can save a ton too if you intend to self drive, don't rent the GPS unit from the rental company, Just bring along a detachable windscreen phone mount and use your google map for navigation. I bring my own ciggy USB charger and USB cable to charge my phone while mounted. The phone google map IU is much more intuitive with real time traffic routing than the stand alone GPS unit anyway.

 

korea. my hotel wifi was pretty good.

But for japan, the airbnb only has those pocket wifi (which wasn't really working anyway) and my wife had her own data passport (in case we got separated in disneyland and USJ). 

 

internet crucial lah. especially with kids that sometimes just doze off and u need to wait for them to wake up 

 

[Beehive3783]

Executive summary:

 

1. Disable autoroaming

2. Disable automatic updating of apps

 

[Hamburger]

USA is $10 +$2.

 

Only some countries are $25 +$2, including Japan/UK/S Korea etc

just to turn it on for standby at that particular month would cost $10/$25.

 

not exactly cheap. Better use changi thingy as its cheaper.

[Mcf777]

For M1 data Passport user.

 

If I use my M1 line to activate Australia (which is S$10 only), do I need to set my phone to manual search for  Telstra and Vodafone line or will it auto lock to these two telco?

 

Thks