international phone

[wsuffa]

I called up Verizon before going to Europe, told them what I was doing, and that's what they told me was available. If you're talking AT&T, then that's a completely different matter, and from what it sounds, they don't offer as good packages.

Certainly there is high variability, both between carriers and countries. My point was I've managed to get some packages that price wise I think are quite attractive, and nowhere near prohibitively expensive. My experience is strictly limited to Europe and Canada at this point with Verizon. Although next week will be Mexico, and I'm sure I'll be making some calls and data use then.

I've tried on Verizon a couple of times (I have one VZ phone and a TMo phone personally, and a corporate ATT phone) and been told "not available". At $60/month prorated, it would make sense to use VZ roaming data on one of their world phones as opposed to the alternative. But if it's not available, then I do something else.

These are VZ's published rates: http://b2b.vzw.com/international/GlobalAccess/plans_coverage.html

They range up to $20.48 per MEGABYTE internationally, lower if you're on one of the plans, but the cheapest int'l plan is $129/month with a 100 MB allowance ($5.00 per meg overage).

That's prohibitive in my book.

So, I'm interested in the fact that VZ offered you a much lower unlimited rate overseas. Was that on a company owned phone/company rate plan?

 

[Ted]

I've tried on Verizon a couple of times (I have one VZ phone and a TMo phone personally, and a corporate ATT phone) and been told "not available". At $60/month prorated, it would make sense to use VZ roaming data on one of their world phones as opposed to the alternative. But if it's not available, then I do something else.

These are VZ's published rates: http://b2b.vzw.com/international/GlobalAccess/plans_coverage.html

They range up to $20.48 per MEGABYTE internationally, lower if you're on one of the plans, but the cheapest int'l plan is $129/month with a 100 MB allowance ($5.00 per meg overage).

That's prohibitive in my book.

So, I'm interested in the fact that VZ offered you a much lower unlimited rate overseas. Was that on a company owned phone/company rate plan?

This was only in Europe and was last year. I have since found the same rate doesn't apply in Canada (this was after a discussion over a recent expensive bill). So saying that it's an just a low unlimited rate overseas is not entirely accurate (nor what I said). My company does get you a discount on personal phone plans through Verizon, and that may have some impact on it. I don't know if it did or not. They don't go over that part with me.

The $5-$20/mB is prohibitively expensive, I'd agree there. But clearly, that's not what I got.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Also look into international data plans or how to turn off data on your iPhone, otherwise it will be trying to check your eMail, etc., and you'll get charged for it.

That's another point, Mari: even when not intentionally using data the iPhone can access data. Without knowing it, you can accumulate hundreds of dollars in data costs.

On the iPhone, just go to Settings -> General -> Network and the second item there is "Data Roaming." Flip the switch to "Off" and you're good to go.

My iPhone has pinged both Canadian and Mexican towers in the last 2 months, which triggered automatic texts from AT&T warning about the international rates: $15.36/MB in Canada, $19.97/MB in Mexico. Ouch.

 

[Everskyward]

On the iPhone, just go to Settings -> General -> Network and the second item there is "Data Roaming." Flip the switch to "Off" and you're good to go.

Yup, that is what I do already.

My iPhone has pinged both Canadian and Mexican towers in the last 2 months, which triggered automatic texts from AT&T warning about the international rates: $15.36/MB in Canada, $19.97/MB in Mexico. Ouch.

I get those texts too. Strangely though, text messages in Canada are free if you have any kind of texting plan. At least AT&T and Verizon are both that way.