Using iPhone for International Travel without Breaking the Bank

Using Your iPhone During International Travel Without Breaking the Bank

Published January 14, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

When I traveled internationally for the first time after buying my iPhone, I was concerned about the potential for racking up huge phone bills. I’d heard horror stories about people who used their iPhones while traveling overseas, only to discover they had mounted up thousands of dollars in cell phone charges upon returning home. As an underpaid writer, I needed to make very sure this didn’t happen to me.

iPhone 3GS

I started by calling AT&T and was told that I needed to add an International Calling Plan for $24.99 per month. Initially that seemed like a reasonable solution, until I read the small print. The plan provides 20MB of usage within 65 countries, and the list of countries did not include my destination. Additionally, usage over 20MB would have been charged at $.005 per KB. If that all sounds like a lot of gibberish, let me put it in perspective: opening an email with a five megapixel picture in it or downloading a three-minute video on YouTube each require about 2MB of data, so it wouldn’t take long to eat up 20MB of data. Additionally, there are 1,000 KB in each MB, so if I was over my limit, opening a 2MB email would cost me $10! Obviously, this plan was not acceptable.

Since I intended to access my email and the Internet solely through the hotel’s WiFi network, I asked AT&T for instructions to block the cellular network completely. Although it was a struggle to get the rep to agree to send me the appropriate information, she finally offered to send an email with instructions. The instructions were somewhat incomplete, but with research I was able to fill in the missing details and the steps I took successfully shut off the 3G network (I have since traveled internationally for months without incurring any roaming charges). The following are the steps I took for my iPhone 3GS:

Make sure that standard International Roaming and International Long Distance feature, if it is included in your cellular plan, is removed (call AT&T and make sure the rep adds a note to your account confirming that you requested this)
If you are going to forward your number, do so before you change any other settings (Settings-Phone-Call Forwarding-Turn ON-Enter number to which you want calls forwarded)
Disable 3G (Settings-General-Network-Enable 3G-OFF)
Turn off data roaming (Settings-General-Network-Data Roaming-OFF)
Make sure WiFi is enabled (Settings-WiFi-WiFi-ON)
Turn of automatic pushing of email (Settings-Mail, Contacts, Calendars-Fetch New Data-Push-OFF and set Fetch to Manually)
Put the phone in airplane mode (Settings-Airplane Mode-ON)
Although not absolutely necessary, I wanted to be very sure I was not mounting up the MB’s, so I reset the usage counter to zero in order to monitor it throughout the trip, ensuring my usage remained at zero. To do so, go to Settings-General-Usage-Reset Statistics (scroll to the very bottom).

When I arrive in an international destination, I simply log into an available WiFi network and Voila! I have access to the Internet, email, Twitter, and can even make international phone calls with the iPhone Skype app without incurring cellular charges. When you return to the U.S., simply reverse the process, although you may choose not to reinstate the International Roaming and International Long Distance feature.

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Posted in Travel Technology, Travel tips |

Tagged 3G, airplane mode, email, fees, fetch, high bills, international, iPhone, long distance, roaming, settings, Skype, Technology, Travel, twitter, WiFi

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Poohky27
This was the best googled information more then verizon gave me there were trying to rape me in charges thanks so so much…
Anonymous
Hi Poohky27: Thanks for sharing – that’s exactly what I hoped to accomplish with the post!
Ick881
Thanks a lot!! It’s great information!!!
Robjimwood
when you caution that “if you are going to forward your number…..” what do you mean? forward it to what? heading to johannesburg in a couple of days. have an old iPhone 3G and a new 4S. would love to have the technology at hand. seems goofy to purchase a local “dumb” phone at the airport when i already own these phones which have so much capacity. thanks for your insights. Robin
Anonymous
Hi Robin: I have a Skype subscription and a Skype phone number, which also gives me voice mail through Skype, so I forward my cell number to my Skype number whenever I am out of the U.S. and then can retrieve messages and return calls using Skype wherever I have a wifi connection.
Anonymous
Hi Ikka: You are absolutely correct. You can actually use an iPod and turn it into a phone with the Skype app and a wifi connection (don’t know about the iPad because I don’t own one, but I assume it’s the same). And you have guessed my main reason for using my iPhone overseas. Mine is jailbroken and unlocked, so I can pop in a SIM card in every country I visit. That gives me the ability to make local calls, which is invaluable, since I travel without reservations and am usually calling around at the last minute for availability in hostels, etc. For instance, I recently stayed two months in Ecuador and was able to buy a SIM, activate a data plan, and buy credit for calls for less than $50 for two full months.
In places where I stay longer lengths of time (Nepal, for instance) I actually have local friends I call. And, with a wifi connection, I also have the ability to call the U.S. via Skype. Plus, when I jailbroke my phone, I had the added advantage of having access to thousands of apps that are not approved by Apple, so for instance, I have an app that allows me to turn the phone into a wireless modem and then connect my laptop to it. That means that whenever I’m in the U.S, sitting in an airport waiting for hours, I have free wifi. Finally, my iPhone is my alarm clock, receipt keeper, calculator, e-reader, translator in several languages, dictionary, and thesaurus, which has allowed me to dump a lot of weight I used to carry around.
I understand that iPhones shipped outside the U.S. are all unlocked – if
this is correct, and if it includes Canada, you are one step ahead of the
game, as you do’t need to go through the process of jailbreaking and
unlocking.
VariousArtist
Having lived in two different countries, and traveled a lot (sometimes staying for extensive periods) I have been faced with the issue of cost and convenience of a mobile phone in an international roaming context many times and learned my tips and tricks to deal with these. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading through your well-written piece that succinctly provides a lot of useful information along with specific steps.
One thing to highlight which might not be clear to everyone reading. In general, and basic terms, SMS/Texting is not part of the data usage — neither technically nor cost-wise. I believe that SMS/Text messages are sent over the carrier’s cellular network that is used to make calls, rather than over the data network (3G, EDGE, or even Wi-Fi), which probably explains why they are offered and billed separately from any data plans. Generally speaking data plans enable the use of IP-based services, such as internet and any apps that use web services to get information (in layman’s terms think of a weather app, a map app, voice-over IP such as Skype, Vonage, etc.)
Long before there was any concept of a data package people had access to SMS/Text functionality, and still today many in the world use it without having data capabilities on their phone (either by choice or because their phones do not support data).
I mention this because people might be under the assumption that disabling 3G and/or Data Roaming might think that they are not able to use SMS/Text. I don’t think this is the case, but…
The issue gets a bit more blurry with messages that include media (photo or audio or video — referred to as MMS messages) as well as apps that people download to do “texting” but which might not strictly be using SMS as the gateway alone. In those situations there may be some reliance on data.
I think the convenience of being able to use SMS/Text is great for travelers — and there are some packages that allow for “International Texting” that aren’t so expensive — whilst reducing the reliance on making a much more expensive phone call or email message. I still think texting should be cheaper, both local and international use, but this option might appeal to some who would like to switch off their 3G and disable data roaming.
emredd11
Hi Barbara, thanks so much for this information. Will taking the following steps block me from being able to receive calls?
Anonymous
Various Artist – well written and very accurate! For a very long time I was frustrated by the fact that I could not send/receive SMS text messages overseas without either paying for an International plan or incurring huge charges. I was further annoyed that the carriers did not make it clear that SMS messages were not attached to the data plan, which led many to believe they could text for free if they had access to the Internet via wifi, only to come home to huge unexpected bills.
I tried using the TextFree app over the past year but found it to be wholly unreliable, however I do believe I have found the best solution. I signed up for a Google Voice phone number (which was free). Now when I’m overseas I send sms messages using Google and a wifi connection (either on my laptop or my iPhone with the Google Voice app). I have my Google phone # forwarded to my cell number, so in the U.S. I get it like any other sms; when overseas, I forward my cell # to my Skype #, so I can get the text whenever I have a wifi connection, again either on my laptop or my cell. On the inbound side, I just tell family and friends to use the Google phone number if they’re texting me instead of my normal cell number. Sounds a bit complicated but it’s not, plus it’s free and totally reliable. And I could even simplify it if I told eveyone that my number had changed permanently to the Google number, as it allows multiple numbers to ring a single phone.
The only thing missing now is mms, as i is not supported by Google Voice at this time. Thanks very much for your thoughts.
Anonymous
emredd11: Please elaborate for me to be able to answer your question. You say “Will taking the following steps block me from being able to receive calls” but then don’t add any “following steps” so I don’t have any idea what you’re referring to.
Romildapsmith
Barbara sorry if I sound like a broken record. I am going to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia. I have GV. If I turn off all the things you said, will I still be able to get calls through GV? Also is texting to an from on GV free.
ROMILDAPSMITH
Oh I forgot one thing. I have two phones. I was planning to forward the calls to my other phone and leave it her. A virtual assistant will be retrieving messages. If my calls are forwarded, will I still be able to use GV?
Anonymous
Did/do you need a voltage converter for the iPhone? Sorry I have so many questions, but I have been googling this for weeks and this is the most succinct place I have found. Thank you sooo much
Anonymous
Hi Romilda: Google Voice is not a VoIP service. While you can use Google Voice to make cheap international calls (with a subscription), it is not a tool for calling over a Wi-Fi or 3G data connection. However, if you download the Google Voice app for your iPhone, you can text for free with a wifi connection (sms only; mms will incur international charges if your 3G connection is not shut off as per my instructions in the article). Hope that helps
Anonymous
Thank you Barbara. What about the converter. I called the Apple store and they tried to sell me their converter. Said the charger I have (the square w/USB on the end) will not work.
Anonymous
Romilda: You either got a tech on the line who was trying to sell you something you don’t need or he just didn’t know what he was talking about. All Apple rechargers (and most other electronics these days) have built-in converters. You can check this by looking at the fine print between the two metal plug tines (you might need a magnifying glass, the type is very small). It says: “Input 100-240V ~ 50-60 Hz.” This small white block IS the converter and can be used with any electric source between these ranges. What you WILL need is an adapter, which many people make the mistake of confusing with a converter. The adapter is just a simple plug that makes it possible for your existing recharger to fit into the receptacle in another part of the world, since every country has its own plug designs. You don’t need a converter – I have used mine all over the world without one and Apple’s website clearly says it is not needed. And you can buy an adapter when you get to a country, usually for less than a dollar.
http://www.andeandrift.com/ Tom Bartel
The charger that comes with your iPhone will handle 220. You will need an adapter to fit the plug wherever you are going however.
http://www.andeandrift.com/ Tom Bartel
By the way, another way to accomplish all this is to get your phone unlocked. Verizon will unlock it for you. I don’t know about ATT. Then when you get where you are going, you can buy a chip from the local provider. (Only $10 for a month’s internet and voice plus $5 for the chip in Indonesia. $30 in Australia for a month’s internet and voice, including chip, from Vodafone. Both of these included SMS, too.) Then, you won’t have to find wi-fi to use internet. You can use 3G. Also, you will have a local number to make local calls. Of course, if you are in a wi-fi zone, use it. It’s usually a lot faster.
Gerber
Hi, Rhonda,
Doesn’t putting it in Airplane Mode mean you can’t use the wifi? I though Airplane Mode disabled the device from sending or receiving any information/data etc…?
Anonymous
Gerber, that’s a misunderstanding. When you pit the iPhone in Airplane Mode it automatically turns off the wifi, but you can go right back into settings and turn it back on again. It doesn’t matter in planes, because above 10,000 feet there is no signal available.
Marge
I am leaving for Israel for 2 weeks on Monday. I will be staying with family and able to use their computer to receive and send emails. All I want is to be able to make and receive local phone calls while there. What do I do to achieve this? And thanks for all you do for us travelers. I also had the AT&T plan previously, and had your experience
Anonymous
Hi Marge: If you have an unlocked iPhone you can buy a local sim chip for very little money and that will give you the ability to make local calls. If not, you can buy a pre-paid (throw-away) phone or maybe a phone card (not sure if they have the latter in Israel). You’ll likely have to show your passport to buy a pre-paid phone. It’s realy handy to have an unlocked phone, but you must be very careful not to EVER upgrade the operating system after it’s unlocked, and be aware that unlocking or jailbreaking will void your warranty with AT&T.
Marge
I’m afraid I’m a computer dummy, so what does it mean to have an unlocked phone? I want to use my IPhone for dates, addresses, etc. while there. What is a sim card and can I buy it here before I go? And where do you put it? Sorry, it sounds so dumb, but I actually have a Ph.D., obviously not in computer technology.
Daniel
Hi Barbara,
Following up on Bobby’s question…do I have to take the sim card out of my phone to make calls and texts via skype and a wifi connection? What if I forward my cell # to my skype # but I leave the sim card in my phone?
Daniel
Hi Barbara,
If I want to forward my cell # to my skype #, do I have to take the sim card out of my phone? Can I leave it in? Assuming I forward my cell # to my skype # and then follow the steps in your article, do I still have to follow your step #1 to turn off the international long distance feature? Because wouldn’t it not matter, as all the incoming international calls would be forwarded to skype anyway?
Anonymous
Daniel: You do NOT need to take your sim card out of your phone to make calls & texts via Skype via wifi. Think of it this way – the 3G connection and the wifi are two separate and different connections. When you are using one, you are not accessing the other. When you turn on the wifi, the 3G symbol in the upper left hand corner disappears and the wifi bars appear – this means you are connected via wifi only and the phone defaults to that connection. When you install the Skype app, it is designed to use only the wifi connection; it will not work with the 3G connection, so there is no need to worry. And if you have followed all my other instructions properly, your 3G connection will not be accessible.
Anonymous
Daniel: My advice has always been to turn off the International calling feature. That way, you ensure the phone does not roam automatically if the 3G gets accidentally enabled.
Philip Sedlmair
Daniel,
I am currently in Lima, Peru and have done just that. I forwarded my iphone number to my skype number and did not take out the SIM. Just remember to use your respective phone’s call forwarding feature – NOT the conditional call forwarding: ie. after 3 rings forward, etc.
Another way we use our phones in Lima is to unlock or jailbreak (completely legal) and then we purchase a pay as you go SIM through CLARO (local cell company)
If you are up for it, just google: Devteam and read up on the newest iphone 4s jailbreak.
Happy Travels!
changy06
Hi,
I just came across your (very helpful!) article – thank you for the helpful tips! I will be teaching abroad in Korea for a year starting at the end of the month, but will be taking my phone with me (I would like to keep the same number for when I come back). I plan on getting a mobile when I get there, so forwarding won’t be an issue.
However, my father & I share a family plan – would removing the international roaming and long distance feature affect both lines or just mine?
Anonymous
Hi Changy06: I wish I could help, but I know nothing about the family plans. My gut tells me that all core settings would probably have to be made on the account holder’s phone, and that it would affect any phones added on to the master account, but I’m afraid that’s a question for AT&T.