Compare mobile plans with roaming in Europe

A roaming plan is worth purchasing if you travel regularly in Europe and often make calls and use the Internet while you are there.

Consider whether you need a plan in which roaming is available at any time. You also have the option of purchasing an additional data package as needed, which may work out cheaper. Check carefully what the roaming plan includes and how much data you can use. If you exceed the data allowance, the cost can quickly add up.

The most common data plans offer a monthly data volume of 1 GB, 4 GB or unlimited data. 1 GB of mobile data is enough to read news articles and e-mails and for writing WhatsApp messages. Users of social media will find 1 to 4 GB of mobile data sufficient. If you listen to music for several hours at a time, you'll need at least 4 GB. If you like to stream videos and films on YouTube and Netflix or surf on your laptop using your mobile phone hotspot, an unlimited deal is your best bet.

Here are some examples of data usage as a guide:
- Social media: 300 MB for 30 minutes
- Watching a football match while out and about: 6 GB
- Watching Netflix with low-quality resolution: 250 MB
- Sending a WhatsApp text message of 200 characters: 1 KB
- Sending a photo via WhatsApp: up to 90 KB
- Sending a WhatsApp voice message: 0.3 MB per minute

So depending on your usage, you may need anything from very little mobile data to an unlimited, flat-rate deal. Such flat-rate deals give you unlimited data in Switzerland and even abroad if necessary.

Roaming plans include the use of your mobile phone abroad and a certain amount of data in the monthly price. Data packages can be purchased spontaneously when you are abroad if your plan doesn't include roaming.