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Posted Nov. 3, 2014

Studying Abroad: Choosing the best phone contracts

You can buy a phone contract that allows you to talk to people in other countries for a reasonable cost. Most people know that if you use a mobile phone to talk to people abroad that it is going to cost a lot of money. Yet, there are providers out there that have negotiated great international rates that they can pass on to you.

How much do you want from your contract?

The first thing you need to do is figure out what you want from your phone contract. If you are just looking to use your phone for international phone calls, then your quest is going to get a lot easier. This is because you can search out phone contracts offering overseas/international calls at a great rate, without having to focus on other things. A contract specifically built for overseas/international calls is going to cost less if it is a no-thrills contract. Though, if you go for that, then you may need another phone or a dual Sim mobile phone.

Still, you have to figure out if you want mobile Internet, how many texts you want, how many phone-calling minutes you want for national calls, and how many you want for international calls. You may need to give some thought to what sort of rate you think is suitable for overseas calls. They may charge a high rate, but may also have free minutes within the contract, which means you also need to figure out how long you wish to talk internationally per month.

Having a dual sim phone If you pick a phone contract that only concentrates on international calls, then you may struggle when it comes to calling, texting and using mobile Internet in your current country. You can get around this by buying another phone , or buying a dual sim phone.

A dual sim phone will allow you to set your international contract to one sim, and your national contract to the other. You can then switch between the two when using your phone domestically and using your phone to call/text abroad.

Compare the phone contract providers based on your needs You should have figured out your needs if you followed the advice earlier on this post. This allows you to correctly compare phone contracts. If you wish to talk for over ten hours per month, then your best contract may be one that offers ten hours of free international calls. However, that same contract may charge a massive amount for call-time after ten hours. If you wish to talk fifteen hours, then it may be better to use a company that offers no free time, but that has a cheaper calling rate.

This sort of contract comparison is not possible if you do not figure out what you need from your contract before you start your comparison research. Overall, you really need to do your research to find the best deal. Phone contracts are varied, and there are a lot of them because competition is so tight. Do not simply go with the contract that is the most heavily marketed.

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