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 ATT iPhone for international travel, 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.
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 specific instructions for using ATT iPhone for international travel without incurring high international roaming charges (3Gs, 4 and 4s):
Settings for 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).
Settings for iPhone 4 and 4s:
- 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->Cellular Data->OFF). Also check your Data Roaming; it should be off by default, but for some reason if it is on, turn it off here as well
- 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)
- If you wish to reset the usage counter to zero in order to monitor it throughout the trip and ensure usage remains at zero, go to Settings->General->Usage->Cellular Usage->Reset Statistics
- NOTE: In my 4s I do not turn off Location Services and Notifications, as they both work over wifi as well as a cellular network. Disabling 3G and putting the phone in Airplane Mode ensures that they will use only the wifi network and not rack up expensive roaming charges.
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.
Planning international travel in the near future? Check out prices for your preferred destination at Booking.com, Hotels.com, or HotelsCombined.com. Read what travelers have to say about properties in your destination at TripAdvisor.com.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to hotel booking sites. If you click on any of the links and make a booking, I may earn a small commission, which keeps this blog free to read.
I am traveling on a cruise to South America and later on land. I plan to use the ship’s WiFI plan for my Ipad I. Do you disable the same things on an IPad? Also, I am using my Iphone as a camera and may want to send a few e-mails with a picture. I have looked at other posts regarding International travel and they recommend getting an ATT data plan just in case.
Sorry Tamara, but I don’t know anything about iPads. As for your phone, as long as you follow the instructions in my post and send your emails with the ship’s wifi only, you won’t incur any charges, but if you feel safer, get the AT&T plan. Just be aware that even their international plan has download limits as stated in my article and emailing photos or browsing the net can add up quickly, resulting in expensive overage charges once you exceed your limit.
what about facetime?
Jfierro – don’t know much about Facetime. Tried to find an app but didn’t have much success.
awesome info!
I;m travelling to Asia next week, do you know if it is possible to forward my regular # to my temp skype # to take calls safely while travelling? i would assume that Skype incoming calls can only be received when in wifi, but would voicemail take without charges?
thanks!
Hi Travelbug. That is exactly what I do. If you have a Skype phone number and a Skype subscription that includes voicemail it will work perfectly, but be sure to forward your cell number to the Skype number BEFORE going through all the other steps in my article or it won’t work properly. And you are correct that Skype incoming calls can only be received when you have wifi access, however if you happen to be online when someone calls your cell number and you have set it to forward, you will get the call live via Skype (assuming the computer you are using has Skype installed and you are signed on).
Hi,
This is great info. My 17 year old daughter is going to India in December and taking her iPhone 4. I want to keep instructions for her as simple as possible. I amt wondering what “holes” there would be if I told her to put the phone in Airplane mode with WIFI on from time she boards the flight until the time she deplanes upon return to the US.
Why would 3G and data roaming need to be turned off as well? Wouldn’t all data and push notifications (and calls through Viber) go through the local WIFI? (Viber requires push notifications on, doesn’t it?).
Thanks so much for your help.
Anne
You’re correct, Anne, but I like to be safe rather than sorry. The Airplane Mode and wifi buttons are right next to each other so if you are trying to turn on wifi and tap on Airplane Mode instead, accidentally taking it out of Airplane Mode, and you don’t notice it (I did this one time and didn’t realize for nearly two days) you can come home to big charges.
Hello. Let me see if I have this right. I can take out my sim card on my iPhone 4s and use Skype or Textfree Voice over wifi and not be charged by AT&T? I am going to France for the holidays (first overseas trip ever!) Or do I need to follow all of the steps you mentioned such as calling AT&T, which i would particularly like to avoid.
Yes, Bobby, that’s absolutely correct, however make very sure you do not update your iTunes version or operating system via the wifi connection while the sim card is out. Rumor has it that doing so can lock the iPhone and it must be unlocked by AT&T – better safe than sorry.
Oh that’s a really important tip thanks!
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: 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.
Hello Barbara, I have Expanded International Roaming (Voice) on my account. Do I really have to call AT&T to stop the service or can I just skip this step and do the rest?
Hi Aileen: I also had the international roaming set up on my phone. I was told by AT&T that if I was not going to buy an international calling package, it should be taken off, as it would cause the phone to roam internationally for things like app updates, location services, push services. I suppose if you had everything turned off properly it would be OK to leave it on but I recently spoke to someone who had left the international roaming on his phone and THOUGHT he’d turned everything off, yet he racked up big bills. He never did figure out what caused it and of course AT&T was not at all helpful in explaining what he could have done differently. Frankly, I say better safe than sorry – deactivate it.
I see, thanks!
I’m running an iPhone 4 on a NASA trip to Punta Arenas, Chile. Your steps to isolate the phone were spot on! Thanks for the help.
Skype over WiFi works to send and receive just fine, so I grabbed a temporary phone number and can make and receive unlimited phone calls back to the States for about 18 dollars for the month over the hotel internet connection. Technology is a wonderful thing.
Hi Carl: Thanks for the tip. Sounds like you might travel a lot. If so here’s another tip. Sign up with a company that provides an SSL VPN service (I use WiTopia, but there are others) and when you want to use Skype overseas, turn on the VPN. That way, Skype sees your traffic as coming from a server in the US and if you have a subscription that allows unlimited calls in the US, as I do, you can call anyone for free, on any land line or cell, regardless whether or not they have a Skype account. Let’s just hope they never read this post. 🙂
Hi Barbara,
I have recently returned to Australia after a one month holiday in Italy, Croatia and Paris. Before leaving Sydney I followed your iphone information step by step and it worked perfectly. I notice a comment by Shel in your previous comment that she has Viber a free application that allows you to make free phone calls and send free text messages to other Viber users. For her information Viber worked perfectly for me in every country I visited as I was able to talk to my son in Honduras who is currently completing his Diving Instructors Certificate and numerous friends in Australia. Viber also needs a wifi connection and its a great application to have. There is no time limit on the calls and best of all its completely FREE. One last bit of information for you I tried to get free wifi in McDonalds Lake Como, Italy and was advised by staff that I needed an italian sim card in my phone to access the free wifi. I assume that this relates to all McDonalds restaurants in Italy.
Hi Mark: Thanks so much for the info. With everyone’s great comments we’re making a bit of a forum where AT&T iPhone users can find out most everything about traveling internationally and avoiding the high bills. Appreciate your input.
Hey Mark,
I am in Australia and leaving from Brisbane to America and South America .. were you with an Australian phone company and followed these steps and you didn’t get any bills? I called up Virgin and they said I had to either buy an international sim or enable global roaming .. just wondering the process you went through .. I’m not interested in making calls or texts .. I just want to use wifi for skype. What happens if someone in Australia tryys to call my number? Do I still get charged?
Cheers
Hi Barbara
I was wondering if you could help me. I am traveling to South Africa from the US for three weeks and I have an Iphone 4 with verizon. My questions is if I follow your instructions I can still download and send emails and not be charged? But if I want to make a phone call I need to turn my 3G back on. I have an App on my phone called Viber and this allows me to make calls to South Africa for free to anyone that also have teh same App and an Iphone. I was wondering if this will work just like skype? Last question. when using wifi will I be able to receive calls?
Your help will be greatly appriciated
Sheldon
I am so sorry Sheldon, but I am with AT&T and know nothing about Verizon. Though I think Verizon provides better service in the US, I chose AT&T because they use the GSM technology that is used in most of the rest of the world, so I am able (with a jailbroken an unlocked phone) to buy a sim card in whatever country I am visiting and have local phone service. Wish I could help.
Hello. I have the iphone 4 for verizon. I am traveling to Panama in a few months for a couple weeks and I will be staying in a house on a countryside with no internet near by. I have an online class that I need to have access to submit my assignments. Is there any way possible that I can access the internet without free wifi close by or without putting a whole in my pocket?
Sorry jsmith, but I don´t think so. Though i am not an expert on Verizon. I have AT&T. You might try calling Verizon to see if they offer any kind of package.
so if i have my enV3 on airplane mode while im in mexico i wont get charged?
Jenjancarcuties: I have no idea about the settings for an LG phone – my article is specific to iPhones
Barbara,
Thank you so much for the clear cut instructions! I’m actually using the Skype iPhone app here in Dallas to avoid long distance calls to Costa Rica. Wish I’d known this before I went to South Africa last year.
Thanks again!
Hi Barbara:
Thank you for the very complete instructions. I am already in France on a business trip reading this email. I do have international roaming activated. what will happen if i set phone in airplane mode and then activate wifi? will it work for me or will i incur charges as i have roaming still activated.
thank you,
Bob
Hi Bob: As long as the phone is in Airplane mode, no connection is possible, however I would take the added precaution of turning off 3G and roaming and all the other items as discussed in the article, just in case the Airplane mode gets accidentally turned back on.
Bob: Just realized I didn’t answer your question thoroughly. You can set it in Airplane Mode and then turn on wifi without incurring any charges. The only time you would get any charges is if Airplane Mode gets turned off, which can happen easily, as the wifi button is next to it. Best to be careful.
Hi Barbara: Will the regular Skype iPhone app work from a WiFi location in Europe, or would I need the Skype WiFi app? I’m reading the reviews of that app, and there are many that say it doesn’t work, freezes, is a disaster. (I have a 3GS, and I’ve already told AT&T to turn off my International Roaming.)
Hi Paul: sorry but I really don’t understand what you are asking. There is only one Skype app for iPhone, as far as I know, and it requires wifi. As long as you have a decent wifi connection, no matter where in the world you are, it should work. I never have any problem with it.
Thanks. There is a separate Skype WiFi app, but I’ll just go with the standard Skype app. Thanks again…
Hi Ruth!
Greetings from Brazil and thanks for your tips! They are great. I only got one doubt I’d like to double check: why is it necessary to go through the set airplane mode ON/OFF before activating/deactivating the WIFI mode?
Patricia: My name is Barbara. When you put the iPhone in Airplane mode the wifi automatically shuts off; you have to turn it back on to use the phone in wifi mode. Airplane mode is turned on to avoid huge international charges.
I want to take my iPhone from Canada to the USA for a two week vacation but do NOT want to incurr any charges for data or calls or texts etc. I basically just want to be able to use the Wi-Fi for checking and sending emails while I’m gone. All I really want to know, rather than turning all this stuff on or off etc, is can I just removed my SIM card so that my iPhone basically turns into an iTouch so no matter who calls me or send me texts while I’m gone I won’t incurr charges? I am NOT willing to take ANY chances with international roaming I have had too many friends come back with HUGE bills.
Yes, Trekkergal, that will work just fine.
Thank you for your reply to my confusion, if I understand you correctly I should either have the phone on airplain mode or completly off unless I need to make a call, text or in a wifi zone. I’ll try to stop at the At&t store and see if they can help me set things up. Thank you for your help. Ruth
Ruth – I’m afraid you still don’t understand. Separate the cellular network (3G) from the wifi zone in your mind. If the 3G is on, the phone will always use that connection first, as a default. You don’t want this – you want to use the wifi whenever possible to avoid huge charges. To do this, turn on Airplane mode, which completely disables all connections, then turn on the wifi again. When you do this, you have wifi operating ONLY, so the phone cannot use the 3G network.
With wifi you can send emails, receive emails, browse the Internet, and make and receive calls with Skype. The only things you cannot do are call someone using the 3G cellular network or text, because you have it turned off. If you want to make a call or text using your Internatiobal package, simply turn Airplane mode off and let the phone find the local network. I suspect you’ll need to turn on your 3G services and roaming at that point as well, but I’m not sure because I never use the 3G to make calls – I use wifi with Skype. After you are done with your call, make sure to return the settings to their original configuration, turn on Airplane mode again, and re-enable wifi.
What you propose to do is a bit complicated. I understand that you feel more secure having access to international calling but perhaps you might consider using Skype with an available wifi connection for most everything and ONLY turning Airplane mode off and using the 3G network in the event of an emergency. For texting you can download the free app “TextFree with Voice”
which allows you to send free text messages over wifi.
I’m really confused… I have At&t, I purchased International Roaming plan so I can make phone calls at a discounted rate of $1.69 per minute if needed also purchase a Golbal Messaging 50 which gives me 50 free texts (this is how I plan to communicate with family) I don’t plan to use Data Roaming, I turned it off as well as “Fetch New Data” and “Auto-Check” I plan to use Wifi only. Do I still need to put my phone on airplane mode and if I do will I be able to make phone calls if I need to and will texts work?
Hi Ruth: The whole emphasis of my post is to save people the cost of an International plan with AT&T. Putting the iPhone in Airplane mode and using it with wifi only allows you to call using Skype (with the Skype app) for free if you are talking to someone else who has Skype, or for just pennies a minute with those who don’t have Skype (something like 40 countries are available for about 2 cents per minute). The problem with these International plans is the danger of going over your data allotment, which happens all the time when people surf the net or automatically download emails, or allow location services to operate in the background. That kind of data mounts up fast, and once you exceed the limit, HUGE charges start to accrue.
However, I think you are mixing up the services. You say: ” I plan to use Wifi only. Do I still need to put my phone on airplane mode and if I do will I be able to make phone calls if I need to and will texts work?” Keep in mind that your phone will default to the 3G connection for all services first, then try the wifi if it can’t connect to the cellular network. This goes for all texts, so once you exceed your 50 free ones, you will be charged for the data required to send or receive additional ones because the texts will use the 3G network. If you’re absolutely sure you have all push and location, etc. services turned off, you don’t have to put it in Airplane mode, but it’s the safest thing to do. You can always turn it back on again when you want to make a call.
Sorry Barbara, but the order of access for the iPhone is wi-fi, and then only if wi-fi is unavailable, 3G, not the other way around… You can clearly see which the phone is using by looking next to the carrier name – if it says “3G” (or has the little circle picture), then the phone is accessing the cellular network. If the phone is showing the 3-tiered wi-fi picture, then the phone is accessing wi-fi. You also don’t need to switch the phone to airplane mode – switching off both mobile data and data roaming will prevent the phone from accessing any cellular data in the same way that flight mode does, however it will still allow you to receive ordinary text messages. 🙂
Guest: I couldn’t disagree more. You are correct about the order of access – if the 3-tiered wi-fi icon shows up in the upper left, the phone is accessing the wi-fi network, and if it says 3G it is accessing the cellular network. HOWEVER, not turning off location services and push services and putting the phone into Airplane mode, in my opinion, is risky. I am not a technician, but I do know this: people who have followed my instructions have not incurred a cent of charges while traveling internationally. On the other hand, I have spoken to dozens of travelers who have done what you suggested and came home to HUGE bills – and I am talking in the thousands of dollars. And if you receive a text message WITHOUT having an AT&T International plan in place, regardless of whether or not you have switched off mobile data and data roaming, you will be charged for that text message at very high rates (that vary depending on the country you are in). I also find it interesting that you leave no name and your email address is just a string letters, which is usually a sign of a spammer.
This info is great, thnx so much…i have an iPhone4 and travelling from US to Australia (first time outside the US with an iPhone)…will your steps work for the 4? and do i have to call att to turn off the International Roaming and International Long Distance feature or can i just do that on my own?
Hi iDownUnder: I don’t have an iPhone4 because they can’t be software unlocked, so I can’t say for sure. But a few people here have indicated the steps are essentially the same, except that there is apparently an additional option 3G data setting that needs to be turned off. You need to call AT&T to turn off the International Roaming & Long Distance feature.
Hi Barbara thank you so much for this information. I have a Iphone and I am also with At&t I am leaving from California to Canada from Sept 9 to the 19. Do I need to have the At&t international data plan in order to use skype? Im trying to find the most inexpsensive way to use my phone because I will have to make calls the US and Im sure I will recieve calls from the US. Please help me!! Thanks
Hi Nabushareef: You do not need an international plan to use Skype. Download the Skype app for iPhone, follow the instructions in the post to disable 3G, etc., go into Airplane Mode, re-enable wifi. As long as you have wifi access you can use Skype on the iPhone. If the people you wish to talk to also have Skype the call will be free. If they do not, you will need to buy Skype credit to make those calls, but it is pretty cheap – around 2 cents a minute.
Thank you baweibel you are AWESOME!!
Barbara, I’m looking to jailbreak and unlock my iphone 3g. I tried a few methods last night, and they were all unsuccessful. Have you heard of this website and whether or not it’s legit? I’d like to do it soon, but need a few recommendations. Thanks!
http://iphone-unlocker-pro.com/index.php
Hi Aallen: Frankly, I had the same problem. Spent an entire day trying to do it myself without success, and I’m pretty tech competent.
I’m located in Chicago. Maybe if I call them they will know someone in the area.
Worth a shot! You might also try Googling “iPhone unlock service Chicago reviews” (or recommendations). I’d feel free using someone who others have used successfully and had a good experience.
Let me see if I have this correct. When I travel to Thailand, my 3G will have to be unlocked in order for it to work? And will this harm the phone or put it at risk for problems?
Hi Simpleman: Your iPhone does not need to be unlocked to work in Thailand. It will work fine just as it is, however you will need to buy an International plan from AT&T if you plan to use it in Thailand. Without a plan, you would pay astronomical prices per minute. Even the plans are pricey. You would be better served if you downloaded and installed the Skype app for your iPhone, followed the instructions in my article to turn off the 3G cellular network and put the phone in Airplane mode, then make all calls using Skype when you have a wifi network available. Skype to Skype calls are free, Skype to landlines in the US are 6.5 cents per minute; to cell phones in the US are 11.5 cents per minute, or even cheaper if you buy a subscription. Beats AT&T hands down.
Barbara, when I turn on my wifi and set the phone in airplane mode, nothing seems to load. I try logging into the skype app, but it just continuously keeps loading. When I open the internet and try to download to a page, it says I am not connected to the internet. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Oyevey: Not sure, but are you putting it in wifi first and then in Airplane mode? If so, you need to turn on your wifi again, because once you enable Airplane mode it automatically turns off everything, including wifi. After enabling Airplane mode, go to Settings -> Wifi -> turn on wifi manually and choose your network. Wait until you see the wifi icon in the upper left hand corner of the phone, next to the little airplane icon. If that doesn’t show up, you’re not connected to a wifi network. Sometimes you have to do it a couple of times to get connected when you’re in Airplane mode. If the wifi icon is visible and you still don’t have a connection, the next thing to do is check your ISP and wireless router. Try connecting to a different wifi network – like at a McDonalds or something. If you can, then you know it’s a problem with the other wifi network. Hope that helps.