How to Activate Smart Roaming While Abroad
Before leaving for another country, I always activate my cellphone roaming services. As a prepaid subscriber, it's very easy to do it because you need not call customer service. Activation is only a text or SMS away. With Globe Telecommunications, you only need to text GROAM ON mm/dd/yyyy to 2884. They activate it on the specific date. With Smart Telecommunications, you also activate it just by texting ROAM ON to 333. They activate it immediately. But the disadvantage of Smart activating your roaming immediately is that they also disable calls to you. From the time of activation, whether or not you're abroad and using their roaming service, no one can call you. Note that this is applicable only to a prepaid subscriber. To avoid my calls being disabled, I did not activate my roaming in advance. I decided to do it at the airport while waiting for my flight. However, in my last trip, I did not have too much waiting time at the airport so inevitably I forgot to activate my Smart roaming service.
It was important for me to activate my roaming service because I informed the people I left at home that I'm just a text away so in case of emergency, I could be easily reached. With no other information as to my hotel phone no., it was very important for me to activate my roaming service.
So how did I activate the Smart roaming service while abroad?
Update as of November 15, 2015!!!
They reply immediately but you need to give them the ff. information:
1. your SMART number
2. roaming destination
3. handset model
4. last reload date and amount
My conversation with Smart customer service via personal message in their facebook page:
Me: Hi. How do I activate smart prepaid roaming while abroad when I have not registered to a smart web account before leaving the country? I just registered but to link my prepaid number, I need to receive a verification code. How can I receive the verification code when I don't have a roaming signal in the smart prepaid number I'm linking?
Smart: Hi. We can activate it for you, Meanne. Send us your SMART number, roaming destination, handset model and last reload date and amount.
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The Smart website is not very clear on how to do it so I will take you to a step-by-step process. It also took a while for me to do it because as I said, the Smart website is not very clear on the process.
Basically, you need to be able to access the internet because you activate roaming by registering and logging on my smart.com.ph. See instructions below:
1. Go to www.smart.com.ph
2. Click at the right hand side of the page "Manage my account."
- If you have previously registered before, just log in by using your mobile number or your email email address.
- If you have not registered before, click the "register now" icon and create an account.
5. After you have logged in to your account, click the left hand side icon "Services" and it will show "International Roaming".
6. Click "International Roaming", then click "Activate service".
What you need to be able to activate your Smart roaming service while abroad?
1. At least 100 peso load in your prepaid phone.
2. A smart phone or PC
3. An internet connection
4. An email address
