Whether you aspire to live, work or study in another country or if you are already doing that, then the word “expat” is part of your everyday language. In the most general sense, an “expat” is anyone who is temporarily or permanently living in a country other than the one where they claim citizenship. If that is you, then you are in the right place.
Every time you become an expat, you go through the learning curve of planning, moving and acclimating to that new culture. At first the learning curve is steep, but once you get a hang of it, it becomes easier and easier.
That is what the Expatacular tips are all about. Making your first or next expat move easier. If you have any to suggest, leave them in the comments or send us a message.
Worldwide SIM cards. Photo attribution to mroach.
Today’s Tip: The Art of the SIM Card
Thank you to Katie Warner from Austin, Texas for this Expatacular tip!
The fear of not staying connected is one of the biggest hesitations of anyone moving abroad. Thankfully with the ease of using SIM cards on compatible GSM phones, racking up huge international phone bills to talk to loved ones or signing long-term phone contracts when you are only living in the country short-term, have become a thing of the past.
What is a SIM card? Basically it is a portable hard drive for your phone. Your SIM stores your contacts, text messages and allows you to easily switch account information between other compatible GSM devices. The advantage for international travelers is that you can buy SIM cards as you travel from country to country. This grants you the ability to pay as you go, permits you to access local cell phone coverage, and you only pay for the in-country minute charges rather than accruing roaming charges.
Here are some tips to reap the benefits of utilizing SIM cards as an expat or international traveler:
- Check to make sure your phone has SIM card capabilities. While the majority of phones do, there are still some carriers, particularly in the US, that sell phones without SIM cards. To find out if your phone has a SIM card, remove the battery and you will see the small stamp size chip in the back.
- If your phone does have a SIM card, make sure that your phone is unlocked. To test whether your phone is unlocked, borrow a SIM card from a friend and place it in your phone. If it reads the data from your friend’s card, then your phone is unlocked. Otherwise, you will have to get your phone unlocked.
- To unlock your phone, you can do a variety of things. You can go to a phone store where they will unlock it for you (there is usually a fee associated with this) or you can also trouble-shoot unlocking it for free using online tools. Check out Road Warrior’s resources for unlocking FAQ’s.
- After you’ve gone through the above steps, go to a store where they sell phones and purchase your SIM card. Aim to buy a card that already has minutes included on it. After those minutes have been used, you simply buy minutes as you go. Ask the store’s staff to identify the best places where to buy minutes. You would be surprised where minutes are available in some countries (like Newsstands and Grocery Stores).
How ironic that you posted this tip this week, especially since I ended up having to use it . . . I have learned that while I always thought this tip was great for international travel, it is also good for domestic travel. Make sure to always have a phone with a sim card so that if you happen to be on a holiday and your iphone falls in the pool, you can pull out your sim card, put it in a little “go phone” and that can hold you over until your replacement phone comes in.
To test whether your phone is unlocked, borrow a friends sim card who is on a *different* carrier. If its is a sim on the same carrier it will always work.
Thanks,
Expat John
Hi Katie! Utilizing SIM cards is not just an international art, but also a useful one domestically. Another important thing would be to make sure the data on your SIM card is backed up on your computer, etc. That way, if you loose your phone, your contacts have not been lost altogether. Hope all is well with your phone.
John you are absolutely right. Thank you for sharing that great and necessary point.
Cheers!