Using data on your smartphone while overseas

[3kids4me]

Most of my friends have turned off data on their phones to avoid large phone charges, but Verizon seems to think that, based on my usage, I can pay about $30 for a special international plan and leave my data on. Has anyone else kept their data turned on while traveling?

Thanks for any input!

Sharon

 

[Fern Modena]

And if Verizon is wrong, are they going to pay your phone bill?

I thought not.

Fern

 

[MALC9990]

Most of my friends have turned off data on their phones to avoid large phone charges, but Verizon seems to think that, based on my usage, I can pay about $30 for a special international plan and leave my data on. Has anyone else kept their data turned on while traveling?

Thanks for any input!

Sharon

Even though my service provider says that my max data bill is fixed per month - I turn data roaming off and just seek out the free wifi wherever I can.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Sharon,

You're probably aware that there are Apps available to keep track of your Data usage.

For instance, see - How to Track Data Usage on Your Android Phone - by Ed Rhee/ How To/ C/Net.com


Richard

 

[billwright1]

I bought the $30.00 package when I went to Canada last year and thought that I was monitoring usage very well and had turned off data plan to mainly use wi-fi and even called them several times to check. When I got my next bill there was a big charge still. I called and they explained how the charge was arrived at and it seems that I was not monitoring everything I needed to.
I have a Verizon account and to their HUGE credit, they removed the charge.

 

[MichaelColey]

Several years ago, we went to Jamaica and had use of a local cell phone with prepaid minutes that could call the US. That was easy and affordable.

We bought a plan and turned on data a few years ago on a trip to Italy, and it was outragously expensive. Fortunately, we used Wi-Fi most of the time, or it would have been much, much worse.

On our recent trip to the Bahamas, we just used Wi-Fi.

 

[x3 skier]

I Use one of three approaches, all of which involve turning off my USA data.

Rent a wifi portable hot spot like tepwireless.com

Use free wifi hotspots like hotels (Hilton Gold gives me free wifi), McD, Starbucks, libraries, etc

Use my unlocked smartphone with a local SIM which is much much cheaper.

Even if you think you are not using data, it can happen in the background like when google uses your location when you do a search or when updates to social media are pushed to your phone. Only way I know for sure to avoid excesses is to turn the bleeding thing off and use one of the methods above.

Cheers

 

[MaryH]

Sharon,

My Canadian cell has 5GB of data in Canada but roaming cost me something like $5-6/MB for US and an outrageous $23-26 when I was in Europe. To prevent any surprises, I simply turn my data off. I text if I need to and even though it is .75 sending and receiving for my phone internationally, it is better than getting surprised with data.

I monitor my data usage and things you don't expect take data. Like GPS finding your location, Skype login automatically with data, sometimes my yahoo or gmail get mail automatically since I have the setting for my PC and if I log ino goggle talk or yahoo im, sometimes with my android phone some apps get hit by mistake and it goes to my book marketplace app, etc. all those take data and even with minimal usage on web, sometimes I get 500MB in short order.

I think T-mobile used ot have an international plan for $30 and I know some people who used to travel to Europe who used to be on it. But with the advant of smartphones, they no longer sells it.

 

[MaryH]

you might want to check into Boingo...

They have a lot of hotspots and it may be possible to sign up to a subscription when you arrive in UK / France and find you have convenient hotspots near you. you can subscribe and cancel it after your trip to Europe is over.

http://www.boingo.com/wifi-plans/?lang=en

Might be worth a call to Boingo CS to find out about the Europe Plus for $35 (could add 2 more mobile devices for $5 each) if you are taking a PC
or just the mobile plan for $8. They say unlimted on the web but I would call or email customer service and get everything checked out in fine details.

you can find a list of hotspots here since you know the address of Allen House and the hotels to see if there is one nearby.
http://boingo.jiwire.com/?lang=en

I know sometimes the hotels I stay at in US have agreemen with Boingo so I could have access it with a boingo account (US $10 per month) if the hotel had not given me free access due to my status.

 

[x3 skier]

you can find a list of hotspots here since you know the address of Allen House and the hotels to see if there is one nearby.

There's free wifi @ Starbucks across the street from The Allen House and a McDonalds about 100 yards away on the High Street. If you are staying @ The Allen House, they rent a dongle for your laptop for wifi service.

Cheers

 

[Laurie]

Sharon, if you're not attached to having your usual phone and phone number, fyi here's what we did for cell phone service in Europe last fall:
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156833&highlight=sim+card

and we brought along a little netbook as well.

The Verizon store tried to convince us to go w/a Verizon solution, but we weren't confident enough in the alternatives presented.

But if you do this and it works out, hope you'll share your experience.

 

[hibbeln]

Last year going to Italy, I signed up for that Verizon International whatever plan so I could use my phone and data. Well, something happened and it never loaded correctly into my phone and it never worked. SO FRUSTRATING especially since my MIL was terminally ill. So we ended up doing it the old fashioned way. Bought a phone card there (so cheap and available everywhere) and used public phones or room phones. And I put my phone on airplane mode and tapped in to wifi.
This spring in Russia, I just put my phone on airplane mode and used the wifi (again, available all over the place).