World Cup travellers warned over mobile bills

Industry experts have issued a warning reminding the lucky people that are travelling to South Africa for the up and coming World Cup to be careful about using their mobile broadband devices in order to avoid costly and unexpected bills.

Over the coming weeks a number of lucky ticketholders will be heading off to South Africa to enjoy watching the football games in the World Cup tournament. Many will be armed with their trusty mobile phones and mobile broadband devices, and the temptation to go online to let others know how they are getting on via social networking sites, email, etc will be high.

However, industry experts are warning those travelling to see the games with their mobile broadband devices to be careful how, why, and for how long they use their mobile broadband devices whilst they are abroad, as they could end up being hit with a huge bill if they are not mindful of the costs.

Many will take one of the wide range of smart phones with them, and may not realise the high costs involved in surfing and going online whilst abroad. One industry official said: “The rise of smart phones, like the iPhone, means that all it takes is a bit of browsing or a downloaded app and you are going to get absolutely stung if you don’t know what you are paying for. The high cost of roaming is always an issue in the summer but the fact that the World Cup is being held in South Africa has upped the ante.”

He added: “The first thing that anyone considering travelling this summer should do is speak to their existing provider and find out what they are going to charge and whether there are any special deals that will reduce that amount. Don’t forget to also shop around for better deals.”

Source – Guardian