Cell Phone Use Out of the United States Can Result in Large Fees, Says Better Business Bureau

ST. CLOUD - More people have smart phones than ever before, and the Better Business Bureau wants to remind you to be careful in how you use your phone while traveling out of your service area.

Last year alone, the BBB received more than 27,000 complaints against big cell phone companies; some of them were from people who were unaware that the "unlimited data plan" they usually have at home was causing an excess of charges outside of the country. One customer even reported $1200 dollars in fees just for quickly checking emails each day.

Before traveling abroad, make sure you contact your carrier to get the details on your plan and roaming details. Also, get into the habit of keeping your phone off when you're not using it. And lastly, consider a temporary international add-on plan if you're going to be there a while.