TRYING TO FIGURE out how to register our newly issued SMART Postpaid line earlier today gave me a real panic, coming just a few hours before we were set to fly out of the country for a business-slash-leisure trip.

Google search failed to give me a helpful answer, so I was left to dig through results as desperately as I could. All the instructions that turned up were from ages ago, back when activating a roaming number for calls, texts, or surfing was as complicated as it gets. Do you still remember?

Na-stress ako, friend. Totoo.

Since I’m not a ‘call person,’ calling a hotline isn’t really my thing — I lose patience fast when I’m put on hold. It cost me a lot of brain cells and minutes checking the SMART website before I learned there’s actually no need to do anything to enjoy surfing, calling, or texting while abroad.

Everyone can enjoy roaming without fearing ‘bill shock’ with Smart’s all-day surf when outside the Philippines, for only P550, thanks to the network’s partner telecom companies abroad.

Yes, all we need to do is turn on ‘Data Roaming’ on our phone, and that’s it.

In fairness, P550 a day is a pretty good deal, especially for someone who can’t live without internet. I still remember renting a pocket WiFi in Singapore last year for around P800 a day. Too expensive, right? But it was worth it back then, since getting lost in a country like Singapore or missing an important meeting for lack of internet would have been a much bigger loss.

Still, to be sure, I had no choice but to call Smart’s customer service hotline to confirm it, and it checked out. I was told it may not be the same for everyone, but my number’s roaming came pre-activated, and that’s been the case for many others. Saang kuweba ba ako nagsususuot kasi?

So gone are the days when we had to worry about activating our roaming numbers before leaving the Philippines. Gone, too, are the days of nearly having a heart attack over a bill that ballooned with no explanation once we got home. Remember that whole hullabaloo with Globe a few years back, when one viral social media complaint revealed a bill that had gone unbelievably high? Kaya mabuti na ‘yung sigurado.

By the way, I also found this video helpful, so I’m sharing it here with you.

For more info, visit this page or this one if you’re a Filipino traveling the world. Big help.

Keeping this short, darlings. Here’s hoping Google indexes this post to help others, since the search results are still full of outdated information. Gotta go now. Carpe diem!