How to Activate Glo International Roaming

Many travellers assume roaming turns itself on and everything just works. For Glo prepaid lines that is partly true, but a line that can roam is not the same as a line that is ready to roam cheaply. The steps you take before and after landing decide what you pay.

This guide walks through activation for prepaid and postpaid lines, in the order you should do things, with checks at each stage.

1. Confirm your destination is covered.
2. Check your line type: prepaid or postpaid.
3. Make sure you have airtime.
4. Buy a roaming bundle.
5. Set up your phone.
6. Connect to an approved network and test.

Step 1: Check Coverage

Look at the roaming section of Glo’s website or app and find your destination. Note the approved partner networks. If your country is not listed, ask customer care about pay-as-you-go roaming and consider Wi-Fi or a local SIM.

Step 2: Prepaid or Postpaid

Glo has said prepaid lines are enabled for roaming automatically, while postpaid customers must activate roaming before selecting a bundle. If you are postpaid, contact Glo before you leave and ask for confirmation by SMS. If you are prepaid, still confirm with customer care if you are unsure.

Step 3: Check Airtime

Keep enough airtime for the roaming bundle and a little extra. If a bundle fails to buy because of low balance, you may be stuck without data on arrival.

Step 4: Buy a Roaming Bundle

Roaming data bundles were announced as available through the *312# menu under the roaming option. Menus can change, so read the options on screen. Pick the size and validity that fit your trip. You can buy before departure or on arrival.

Step 5: Set Up Your Phone

• Switch on data roaming in settings once you are abroad.
• Turn off background refresh and automatic uploads.
• Turn off automatic app updates on mobile data.
• Switch to manual network selection if the phone picks the wrong network.

Step 6: Connect to an Approved Network

This is the step many people miss. Open network settings, search for networks and choose a partner network from Glo’s approved list. If the phone is on automatic selection, it may join a different network and trigger pay-as-you-go charges.

Test Before You Rely on It

Open a light web page and check that your bundle balance changes by a small amount. If the page loads but the balance does not move, you might be on a non-approved network. Stop and check.

Troubleshooting

What to Do on the Plane

Keep the phone in airplane mode during the flight. When you land, switch airplane mode off, wait for the phone to search and then check the network name. If the name is not on your approved list, search manually and choose one that is. Do not browse until you have confirmed the network.

Travelling With Two SIMs

If your phone has two SIM slots, decide which line carries mobile data abroad. Set data to the line with the roaming bundle and switch off data roaming on the other. Otherwise the phone may use the wrong line without telling you.

A Quick Pre-Departure Checklist

• Coverage checked and approved networks saved.
• Line type confirmed.
• Airtime topped up.
• Bundle bought and confirmation saved.
• Background data switched off.
• Customer care options noted.

Ticking through this list takes five minutes and covers the mistakes behind most roaming complaints.

Questions People Ask

Final Word

Activation is a short routine: confirm coverage, check your line type, keep airtime, buy a bundle, set up the phone and connect to an approved network. Do it before you travel and you remove most of the risk.