There are many reasons to buy or get your phone unlocked. Besides the ability to be more agile in your phone or phone plan purchasing, these reasons can be broken down for specific purposes. I spoke with FlightHub, an online travel agency based in North America, to get the scoop on what unlocking your phone means for the high mileage traveller. FlightHub reviews the best ways to save while abroad so they can help their customers have a cost-effective trip. They provided me with a few great perks that come with travelling with an unlocked phone.
More Coverage
Locked phones may work great on home soil, but once you are overseas you are subject to the networks your service provides decides to give you access to. This means not only can your phone become a paperweight, but is also subject to the agreements your carrier has made with international providers. In addition to this issue, you don’t have the freedom to switch if your phone is locked due to the device subsidy you are paying, essentially trapping you with your current service provider according to FlightHub.
Ditch Roaming Charges
Something is becoming less and less of an expert move, travellers are beginning to en masse recognize that you can skirt outrageous roaming charges by simply unlocking your phone and using local SIM cards. It isn’t just people who are recognizing this as many phone makers today are designing phones with multiple SIM card slots to facilitate this process according to FlightHub. So what does this process get you? It gives you access to networks at local costs, meaning you are not a slave to what your provider offers in terms of overseas roaming rates or plans.
Lost Phones
Every travellers nightmare. Imagine being on vacation and losing your phone or having it stolen. In the 21st century we have developed an addiction to phones. While this has improved access to information, it has made us vulnerable to being unprepared to deal with life without a phone. If you are an avid unlocker you are at least prepared to buy a new phone before getting home, knowing full well you know how to access local networks. While this sounds like it could be unnecessary, think about the flight numbers, reservations, and other info you may have stored on just your phone and imagine losing that data.
