Trust me, having a cell phone is important! Especially in our modern day. I went on a trip to Japan once for ten days and decided not to bring or buy a cell phone. It ended up being a very difficult time period for me. I couldn’t contact anyone except through the laptop at the inn that I was staying at because I had also decided not to bring my own computer. Trying to contact people to meet up and making plans was very difficult, and I guess I honestly can’t live without my phone! So, here are some tips/options for obtaining a cell phone while studying abroad.
1) Getting a cell phone.
There are two options: Bring your own or buy one when you’re there.
If you’re planning to bring your own, then you need to get it unlocked or jailbroken. If not, you probably can’t use it abroad. Unlocking and jailbreaking is fairly easy. You can either search up the instructions online or get someone to do it for you. You might have to pay them a small fee, but I know that there are places and people out there that do that stuff for free (and you didn’t hear that from me). Advice: do this before leaving your country and get it done ahead of time. If you try to unlock your phone while you’re abroad, you might encounter some technical difficulties that might end up being harder to solve there then they would be back at home. (True story: It happened to my friend) Also, if you don’t do it ahead of time, it might actually not be jailbroken.(True story: it happened to me).
I personally like the first option more, of bringing your own cell phone but I know that some people take this time to buy cool high tech phones that you can only get when abroad. I like the first option because you have the convenience to use your own phone. In addition, you’ll have to unlock your new phone to use it when you go back home. And I feel like it’s a total waste of money to get a new phone especially when you already have a perfectly working one. However, I do know some people who purchased really cheap cell phones here in Hong Kong.
2) Plan vs Prepaid SIM
(Now depending on how long you are studying abroad, you might want to consider getting a plan.) FYI: I have both prepaid sim and a cell phone plan…it’s complicated.
Prepaid Sim: I personally like this option a whole lot more. These days it’s very easy to purchase one from any convenient store and some of the sim cards even come with internet. The sim card includes prices for calls to different countries, so you can call home if you want depending on which brand you get and which country you end up calling, since the cost per minute is different. But overall, it is very reasonable pricing and it’s simple to use and recharge.
Plan: I feel that getting a cell phone on a plan while you’re abroad is a little bit more complicated because you actually have to go to a cell phone company and negotiate a contract and everything. It’s different with every country, so this comes with a lot more hassle. However, this option might be beneficial for people who will be abroad for a long time because in the end, with the amount of calls you make, it might end up being cheaper then a prepaid sim.
Additional Advice: You should definitely try to use a phone that can access the internet. My phone doesn’t, and I feel that my life especially as a college student would be sooo much simpler if I could access the internet anywhere I went, instead of having to be forced to go back to my dorm. Also, there are some online programs that offer free calling such as kakaotalk. And in some countries you don’t have to pay for texting like you do in the US. Instead, there are free internet and texting programs! I wish I could use the Hong Kong internet and texting program!
Well, that is it for now.
GOOD LUCK!