Exposing Local Data SIM Hoax
How Cellular Providers are Making Stacks at Your Expense.
If you are travelling abroad, you are probably aware of unreasonably high roaming fees charged by your cellular provider. We’ve all heard terrifying stories of people unwittingly racking up huge data roaming bills after using their phones on another network. Unfortunately most of these stories are true and this extortion is not going away any time soon. That’s why seemingly affordable prepaid local SIM cards have rapidly gained popularity among international travelers. They are cheaper than roaming with your cell company, they are relatively easy to buy and install, and they are far more convenient than using dodgy hotel Internet or looking for free WiFi in foreign places.
There are 3 scenarios where buying a local SIM is clearly not the best option
Scenario 1: Being an average data user
According to US Travel Association, one of 3 most popular international travel destinations among US citizens is UK. In the country, you can find a deal with a local provider like EE for as low as £25 (or roughly $32) for a whopping 4GB of data (valid for 30 days). Now, that’s a lot of browsing if you are a true internet buff. However, in reality, an average traveler uses 1.8 GB of cellular data per month or approximately 61 MB per day. After all, we do not travel abroad to watch HD movies on our cell phones…
If you are going on an average 7–day trip to UK, you will be using a total of 430MB of data, which is roughly 10% of what you paid for. Ultimately it means that you will end up paying $0.074 per MB (instead the advertised $0.007). The rest of your unconsumed Internet plan (3.58GB) will go back to where it came from, the local mobile provider.
Following the example, buying a new SIM that will expire after 30 days is not the most economical option after all. Local mobile providers are aware of that and that’s why they offer you such “attractive” deals. They know that the chances of you depleting your data balance in one trip within 30 days (or 14 days in some instances) are rather slim - so they offer you “a lot for almost nothing”.
Scenario 2: Visiting multiple destinations
Let’s take one step further and take an in-depth look at the statistics. According to the Statistics Portal 26.5% of US travelers go abroad at least a few times a year.
We picked 5 of the most popular international travel destinations among the American travelers. The below table shows the cost of local data SIM cards along with the figures for how much data and money you will end up wasting due to limited data validity and coverage.
| COUNTRY | AVERAGE TRIP DURATION | LOCAL DATA PLAN | RATE PER MEGABYTE (based on average usage) |
HOW MUCH YOU WILL BE GIVING BACK TO THE MOBILE PROVIDER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEXICO | 5 DAYS | 3GB-$24 NEXTEL | $0.08 | $22 |
| CANADA | 4 DAYS | 2GB- $50 ROGERS | $0.02 | $45 |
| UK | 7 DAYS | 4GB-$32 EE | $0.74 | $25 |
| FRANCE | 4 DAYS | 4GB- $40 SFR | $0.16 | $37 |
| ITALY | 7 DAYS | 20GB- $45-TRE | $0.1 | $44 |
| * All above mentioned data plans are valid for 30 days | ||||
To sum up the presented data, after visiting 5 countries you will end up buying 33GB of cellular data, using only about 1.6 GB of it, consequently “donating” approximately $173 to the local providers.
Scenario 3: Visiting non-native English speaking countries
When you are on the go, every minute counts – you pay for your ticket, your hotel, and for missing work. It is important to be aware of the fact that buying local SIM cards comes with a lot of headache since different countries have different regulations on data roaming. In Germany, for example, you have to provide a valid local address, in Russia, a scanned copy of your passport, in Cuba you can’t buy a SIM card at all. You may easily end spending 3-4 hours looking for a SIM store, explaining to the locals what data plan you need, installing, signing waivers, refilling, activating, scanning your passport etc. Obviously, the hassle increases dramatically when you have to cross several borders traveling to multiple destinations.
With Keepgo data SIM your initial gigabyte will cost you $70 ($0.06 per MB) with additional options for data refill for as low as $39 per GB (0.03 per MB). It will provide you coverage and the same flat rate in 64 most visited destinations around the globe. On top of that your data will never expire (if refilled at least once a year).
Keepgo Lifetime Data SIM eliminates the hustle of getting a new SIM for every new destination and ultimately saves you a lot of money (I know arithmetic…more facts).
You will be able to test drive the SIM prior to your departure and leave your home knowing that your data will work the moment you land in your next destination. If something goes wrong, you can always rely on 24-hour English-speaking customer and tech support provided by Keepgo.
Also, take into account that local SIM cards require an unlocked GSM device. Keepgo SIM can be provided with a Wireless Hotspot router, which eliminates the logistical nightmare of unlocking your phone.
The moral of the story is simple: if you are a “typical” user who does not require enormous amounts of cellular data and travels periodically, Keepgo Global data SIM would be an ideal solution for you – cheap, hassle free and convenient..
