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If you’ve ever been shocked by data roaming charges, you know how important it is to avoid them when you’re traveling internationally. That is, unless you like to pay more for your cell phone bill than you did for your trip.
Some people like to be free from their electronics when they travel, but when you need to check email, access maps, geocache, or check out social media, you may want to hop on the Internet in spite of your vow to be gadget-free.
A new company is trying to help people avoid the shock of their data bills when traveling internationally. They recently introduced the Doodad, a prepaid SIM card that works in over 60 countries so you can access the Internet from your mobile device when you’re away from Wi-Fi.
How Doodad Works
Visit the Doodad website and sign up to get a Doodad card. The card is free, you pay $3 for shipping. Then you can purchase international Internet access for your card at the following rates:
The data you purchase works in the countries listed in the image above and expires after 365 days.
See, Mind the Cap! to learn about how much data you use on your mobile device.
Here’s a video showing you how to use a Doodad:
WHY GET A DOODAD from DOODAD on Vimeo.
You can put a daily limit on your Doodad card so you don’t use up your data allowance too quickly (and to get you off of your mobile device and enjoying your vacation!).
Doodad notifies you when you have run out of data. Even after you’ve run out of data, you can still connect to Doodad to add more data to your SIM card.
What Else You Should Know
Doodad only includes data, not cell phone service.
In order to use a Doodad, your mobile device need to be unlocked. Many 3G and 4G iPads come unlocked but most phones in the US are sold locked to the carrier. You can request that your carrier unlock your phone. I requested AT&T unlock my phone and my helpful agent Cherise unlocked my phone instantly during our online chat.
[warning]If your phone is locked to your carrier, a Doodad card won’t work in it.[/warning]
Check for international data plans with your carrier. Compare prices, your carrier’s international plan might be a better deal for you than getting a Doodad.
You may be able to get a local SIM card in the country you’re visiting that includes both cell phone coverage and data. In some countries, you can only get a phone card though. Getting a Doodad means that you don’t have to hassle with sorting out your SIM card when you’re traveling.
My International Data Roaming Wake-Up Call
I learned the hard way not to use my mobile phone to roam internationally. When we lived in England, I took a trip with my family to Germany where my husband decided to watch the last 15 minutes of a Washington Redskins game on my smartphone connected to a Slingbox back in the US. We figured that it couldn’t cost a lot to watch 15 minutes of the game over the Internet.
Imagine our shock the next month when the cell phone bill arrived. The cost of watching the game? $1000. My carrier reduced the charge to $200 eventually, but it was still an important lesson.
Don’t use data roaming internationally without knowing the cost.
Adding insult to injury, the Redskins lost the game.
Later, I realized that my bill could have been much worse. Thank goodness my husband didn’t watch the entire game! See, Man gets $27,000 phone bill after watching Bears game on web
Your Thoughts
Have you ever had a shocking cell phone bill from international data roaming? Do you turn off your devices when you travel outside your home country? Have you tried a Doodad? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Also see, International Travel with Your Mobile Device!
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Carolyn is away on vacation trying to remain gadget-free as much as humanly possible for a polygadgetist. Wonder of Tech articles will continued to be published while she is away. Carolyn will respond to comments when she returns to her gadgets.
Sounds cool…..Actually it is the need of the time…..It is very important to start using Pay-as-You-Go International Internet Access cards in order to reduce the overall data costs while traveling to abroad…Doodad is providing this only…..I loved this….The amount $3 is well-decided…..I loved the idea and implementation procedure too….thanks for letting us know….
Hi Aditya, Yes, Doodad is a fantastic idea. To be able to have one SIM card that will give you access in many countries is very useful. The $3 charge is just for the shipping of the card though, not for the cost of the data. That would be an amazing deal if the data were only $3!
Hi Carolyn !
Its very important to avoid using networks like 3G,4G while traveling/roaming unless you’ve subscribed to some data plans or use a service like Doodad ..I’ll share this post on my timeline as it can help someone in my friends-list who travel a lot …I liked the story of the Man who was charged 27000$ by AT&T for just watching a match ..although the browsing charges was reduced to 6000$ ..its a huge amount of money .
-Pramod
Hi Pramod, Yes, some people decide to stay out of touch while they are outside their home country, because they are afraid of huge charges. Doodad is a helpful alternative that can help people stay in touch while traveling without the fear of huge phone bills when they return home.
This is the first time I hear about this awesome App I’m wondering if it is available for Galaxy S4 android?
thanks for sharing :0
Hi Anis, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m glad you like Doodad, but it’s not an app. It’s a SIM card that you can use with your Samsung Galaxy S4, so long as your phone is unlocked.
Carolyn – This is interesting, though I do not see India listed in any of those plans up there, that is really sad 🙁
I recently visited India for a month and I had to purchase a local SIM there, cut it to fit my micro SIM slot and use it. Before leaving US I confirmed with verizon that my Samsung S3 is unlocked, but to my horror, the data is not unlocked !!!!
So all I could use it was for calls and messages. In a way it was good so I was not spending too much time on social networks (made my parents happy)
Hi Praveen, Yes, it would be great if Doodad would expand to India. I have several friends in the US who travel to India to visit relatives in the summer. I had never heard of a phone being unlocked for voice but not for data. I recently traveled outside the US and got an international data plan with AT&T that wasn’t very expensive and allowed me to check in on email while I was away. It wasn’t enough data to maintain my blog or stream video, but just enough to keep from being totally out of touch.
A very good idea from doodad but if you want you could just as well get a sim card locally in the country you are in. Cheaper also.
Good point, Johan, it’s important to shop around. But there may be times when people can’t get a SIM card in a country, such as when they are taking a quick business trip or on a cruise and only spending a few hours in each country.