This post is brought to you by Celcom.
Most, if not all of us are subscribed to decently large internet data plans these days. Almost everything on your smartphone or mobile device requires an internet connection, from social media to entertainment needs, and the vast majority of communication takes place over instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
But all of that counts for nothing the minute you travel overseas, with data roaming plans a minimum requirement for many of us who travel for work, or even for vacation. Navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze require internet connections to work, and the convenience of VoIP services like WhatsApp Call and Skype has been a godsend to frequent travellers. However, the challenge here is that data plans are often rather costly—especially for long trips.
Most roaming plans, in fact, only offer something like 500MB of usage data per day—which is nowhere near enough for most users nowadays. For example, popular social media apps such as Instagram can take up a large chunk out of the quota in a single day pretty easily. This includes uploading and viewing Instagram Stories, live streams, or simply scrolling through your feeds.
And many users also consume content on YouTube and Netflix on a daily basis—when was the last time you watched actual live TV? But video streaming is certainly one of the more data-heavy activities on mobile, while it’s pretty much the same story for live streams and video calls.
And the effect is double as important when it comes those who frequently travel for work. A majority of professional communication is conducted on Instant Messaging group chats, while the ability to reach colleagues and peers across multiple regions via VoIP calls is essential. And with the continued development of cloud-based solutions, having sufficient internet data to utilise is arguably more important than ever.
So besides burning your way through hundreds of Ringgit whilst roaming overseas, what’s the best way to roam overseas—without compromising your daily needs?
Roam like you’re at home with Celcom Passport
Celcom has introduced a new feature under the Celcom Passport that allows you to use the data quota from your local internet plan whilst roaming overseas.
Here’s how it works. The roaming internet quota is used first, and any additional internet usage once the quota is finished is used from your internet plan from back home. There are 3 roaming passes offered under Celcom Passport that allow this:
- 1-day pass for RM38 (500MB)
- 3-day pass for RM88 (1.5GB)
- 7-day pass for RM138 (3GB)
*add-on roaming data available
For example, for the 7-day pass, once 3GB has been used while roaming, users won’t be charged for continuing to use roaming data. Instead, the quota from your Malaysian internet plan (on the same number) will be used.
The Roam Like Home feature is available in 12 countries: Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Subscribing is a simple enough process: you can opt to use the Celcom Life App, dial *118# on your dialpad, or send a keyword to 28882 to subscribe.
The Roam Like Home feature is available to all postpaid Celcom Mobile Gold plans (RM80) and above, while combined weekday and weekend internet quotas can be utilised. It’s worth noting that only a maximum of 100GB can be used out of the Malaysian internet quota—which is certainly plenty for most users.
For more information on the Roam like Home feature, click here. If you’d like to find out more about Celcom’s Roam Like Home plans, click here for the FAQ section.
