BackChat GlobalSIM launches 99 Cent per MB Data Roaming Rates

Did you know that downloading a $0.99 song from iTunes when you are travelling overseas onto your iPhone or iPad could end up costing you $100 because of out of control data roaming rates!

And the worst part is that you won’t know about it until you get your next bill from your mobile phone carrier. An average 5MB song, charged at Telstra’s data roaming rate of $20 per MB, will end up costing around $100, and the other carriers are not any better.

The problem for travellers using data when they are roaming is that they are caught completely by surprise at these costs. Most smartphone and iPhone users have a capped plan which includes data, so they do not have to closely monitor their online usage.

With roaming you pay for everything, and at an exorbitant rate. To make matters worse, Smartphones and Tablets are regularly accessing data to search for new app updates, update your location and check for emails. So even if you are doing nothing, your device will be clocking up a huge bill.

BackChat Mobile has a solution to end this pain, with data costs from just $0.99 per MB compared to Telstra’s $20 per MB, $15 per MB with Optus and $10 with Vodafone! The BackChat GlobalSIM has many advantages: firstly it is prepaid so you are limited to spending a small amount before you get a reminder to top up again, secondly the rates are a fraction of those charged by the carriers, and lastly BackChat educates their users how to minimize data usage.

“We have spent the past eight years providing cheaper roaming calls to Australian travelers, and now we have added cheaper data roaming into the package” said BackChat Mobile CEO Danny Nathanson.

“A customer came to us recently after he had spent around $6,000 on his iPhone while on holiday in Europe” said Nathanson. “He was conscious of not using much data, but did not count on the fact that his iPhone was busy in the background. Every two minutes he incurred a charge of approximately $0.20, and this quickly snowballed into a bill which was more than his flights and accommodation!”

Worst of all, most travellers have no idea that they will get this nasty surprise when they return home. Roaming charges are not included in your capped plans, so you still pay for the plan plus your roaming calls.

Tips from BackChat Mobile to save on data costs:

– Use wifi access wherever possible, especially free wifi available from hotels, Starbucks and the like
– Turn off all Location Services on your iPhone and smartphone, such as Maps and GPS
– Keep data setting turned off when not online – this will prevent unplanned updates while roaming
– Get a prepaid GlobalSIM before you leave so you can monitor costs and pay signifiacntly less for calls and data

The BackChat GlobalSIM will work in all mobile phones and tablets, with the smaller micro sims available for iPhone 4s and iPads.