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If you have the Canada Roaming Bonus, they will remove it if/when you add this $10/day international plan. I'm not sure how hard it is to get it back. Has anybody gone back and forth?
 
If you have the Canada Roaming Bonus, they will remove it if/when you add this $10/day international plan. I'm not sure how hard it is to get it back. Has anybody gone back and forth?

I can't speak to that specifically, but I would think they would be able to see that you had the feature previously and they would add it back for you.

As an aside, I used to have the Canada Roaming Bonus but I called retentions about three months ago asking if they would transition me over to the Roam North America feature for the two lines on my 6 GB Mobile Share Advantage plan. The agent gladly did it. You may want to see if they'll do the same for you.
 
I do think it is a great option, but I'll refer to my 6/1 post that the cost turns out to be more than $10/day, since phone bill taxes are based on total bill, including the $10/day. So if used for multiple days, that additional tax increase can be significant. Nothing illicit that AT&T are doing, just a call out on that.

Let me know if you think of a way to avoid those taxes. Using a local SIM is not an option for me-- I need contacts to be able to reach me at my familiar number. And, seems to me that if I replace a $120 pre-tax Passport with $50 of Day Pass charges, there will be less for the tax-man too. Win!
 
I just used it for 10 days in Paris and it worked absolutely fine. Much better than what AT&T offered 2 years ago
 
I do think it is a great option, but I'll refer to my 6/1 post that the cost turns out to be more than $10/day, since phone bill taxes are based on total bill, including the $10/day. So if used for multiple days, that additional tax increase can be significant. Nothing illicit that AT&T are doing, just a call out on that.
Hi, I am considering get the Day Pass for my upcoming road trip in Switzerland/Italy/France. Mostly for maps/GPS. How much more the taxes adds to the final tab? I did some research and heard in the 30% ballpark.
Right now I am not sure if the Day Pass or Passport might be better for me. I am planning to use for 10 to 14 days during my trip. Thanks
 
The percent doesn't increase, but it's based on your total bill. 10% of $100 is only $10, 10% of $300 is $30. You get the idea. For any extended trip, I'd look into a local sim.


Hi, I am considering get the Day Pass for my upcoming road trip in Switzerland/Italy/France. Mostly for maps/GPS. How much more the taxes adds to the final tab? I did some research and heard in the 30% ballpark.
Right now I am not sure if the Day Pass or Passport might be better for me. I am planning to use for 10 to 14 days during my trip. Thanks
 
The percent doesn't increase, but it's based on your total bill. 10% of $100 is only $10, 10% of $300 is $30. You get the idea. For any extended trip, I'd look into a local sim.
I was wondering if you had an idea of what is the percentage AT&T charges on the days pass. I heard 30% but that’s sounds too high. I understand this is a government charge but trying to see how much it is for folks that already use the pass. Thanks
 
Afaik it is not unique to the day pass. Just see what percentage of your regular bill is taxes and do the math.
 
I did it last summer in Italy. Probably will again this summer. It was more expensive than a local SIM. (I was there for 18 days.) But it was hugely convenient. I didn't have to go to a carrier store to buy a new SIM and get service. People in America could contact me without using WhatsApp and the like. At one point I had to make a 20 minute call to an airline and it was great to just call the American customer service number. It also used Vodafone which is the best carrier in Italy. Great LTE coverage and speeds everywhere I went.
 
Absolutely agree about convenience. For a long weekend out of the country it's a no-brainer. For me, I'd hesitate with anything over a week. But definitely to each their own and what they can afford. I just wanted people to be aware of the cost. Those 18 days cost you $200+, not just $180. Darn taxes


I did it last summer in Italy. Probably will again this summer. It was more expensive than a local SIM. (I was there for 18 days.) But it was hugely convenient. I didn't have to go to a carrier store to buy a new SIM and get service. People in America could contact me without using WhatsApp and the like. At one point I had to make a 20 minute call to an airline and it was great to just call the American customer service number. It also used Vodafone which is the best carrier in Italy. Great LTE coverage and speeds everywhere I went.
 
Afaik it is not unique to the day pass. Just see what percentage of your regular bill is taxes and do the math.
I see but my understanding from what I could find on the internet is that there are additional taxes the government charges due overseas usage. Not sure this is true.
 
I see but my understanding from what I could find on the internet is that there are additional taxes the government charges due overseas usage. Not sure this is true.

This summary may help others considering this plan.

Yes - there are substantial additional fees. As of June 2018 it cost me $11.88/day, not $10/day. That's with the tax rates in Nevada - it might be a bit higher elsewhere.

I've tried it twice and there are upsides and downsides. On balance I'll continue to get international SIM cards whenever available and not use ATT. The convenience of having my usual phone number and not giving much thought to the cost of calls or texts or data is nice and is the big positive feature of this plan. Here are the negatives:

1. Once you add it it's ALWAYS there - so if you make another trip out of the country and your phone receives or sends ANY DATA (as almost all smart phones do in the background) then it starts charging you again. You have to CALL to remove the plan; the website tells you to call them to remove it.

2. They charge all the taxes and fees on the $10/day base rate, just as if you were making calls or using data. My effective rate was $11.88/day.

3. It automatically bills in 24 hour increments from the moment you first used any data or text or phone so you will likely pay for an extra day or two on your trip. Otherwise you have to turn off all data on your phone and not use it at all if you want the charges to stop - that's not very convenient.

4. The plan doesn't apply to all areas. You can find the list on the ATT site but it's not very convenient to find or to read on a smartphone. If you pass through, or your ship goes near, one of the non-covered areas you get an ENORMOUS bill when you return. They did work with me and reversed some of the charges but not all of them. ATT is charging a ridiculous rate for regular international data so you are virtually forced to use the plan or else get a SIM card from someone else.

In summary, I'd use it for a quick 2 or 3 day business trip to a major city. Otherwise I'm far better off to get a local SIM card.
 
What's also great about the $10 international day pass is that once you put the feature on your phone you never have to contact AT&T to remove it (after a trip) and add it (to your next trip) like the old international plans.

I've got a family of 6 and it used to be that when we traveled internationally my teens were miserable because they had to wait until we could find wi-fi in order for them to snap or insta. Now with the $10 a day completely unlimited international pass they are happy as can be and I don't have to stress out about overages. In the context of a $15,000 European vacation, $10 is cheap.
 
Absolutely agree about convenience. For a long weekend out of the country it's a no-brainer. For me, I'd hesitate with anything over a week. But definitely to each their own and what they can afford. I just wanted people to be aware of the cost. Those 18 days cost you $200+, not just $180. Darn taxes
I'm off to Italy in a few weeks for 3 weeks and I'll be using it again. I know it's expensive but it's hugely convenient.
 
in Taiwan its like 14 dollars for a week of lightning fast unlimited data and like 300 minutes talk. this might be good for countries with crappy prepaid sims, though.

AND you get your own number so locals can call you too, if needed.

That’s still too expensive.

In India Jio offers unlimited calls and text with 25 GB 4G data for USD 3 per month. Airtel offers unlimited call, text, 75 GB 4G data, free Amazon Prime for merely USD 7 per month. And these are postpaid plans.

And speeds avg 5-25 Mbps on 4G based on the location. So not too shabby.
 
Good post, but I do disagree with #3. It is easy to enable airplane mode or turn off just cellular. As long as you remember when your phone made a data connection, it should not be difficult to keep track of that 24 hour period. Plenty of timer apps in the app stores I really like this, as I can easily use data for just the parts of my trip I need it for.


This summary may help others considering this plan.

Yes - there are substantial additional fees. As of June 2018 it cost me $11.88/day, not $10/day. That's with the tax rates in Nevada - it might be a bit higher elsewhere.

I've tried it twice and there are upsides and downsides. On balance I'll continue to get international SIM cards whenever available and not use ATT. The convenience of having my usual phone number and not giving much thought to the cost of calls or texts or data is nice and is the big positive feature of this plan. Here are the negatives:

1. Once you add it it's ALWAYS there - so if you make another trip out of the country and your phone receives or sends ANY DATA (as almost all smart phones do in the background) then it starts charging you again. You have to CALL to remove the plan; the website tells you to call them to remove it.

2. They charge all the taxes and fees on the $10/day base rate, just as if you were making calls or using data. My effective rate was $11.88/day.

3. It automatically bills in 24 hour increments from the moment you first used any data or text or phone so you will likely pay for an extra day or two on your trip. Otherwise you have to turn off all data on your phone and not use it at all if you want the charges to stop - that's not very convenient.

4. The plan doesn't apply to all areas. You can find the list on the ATT site but it's not very convenient to find or to read on a smartphone. If you pass through, or your ship goes near, one of the non-covered areas you get an ENORMOUS bill when you return. They did work with me and reversed some of the charges but not all of them. ATT is charging a ridiculous rate for regular international data so you are virtually forced to use the plan or else get a SIM card from someone else.

In summary, I'd use it for a quick 2 or 3 day business trip to a major city. Otherwise I'm far better off to get a local SIM card.
 
As long as you understand you will have a pretty large phone bill, go for it. Only you can put a value on convenience for yourself. But a local SIM would save you a ton.

I'm off to Italy in a few weeks for 3 weeks and I'll be using it again. I know it's expensive but it's hugely convenient.
 
As long as you understand you will have a pretty large phone bill, go for it. Only you can put a value on convenience for yourself. But a local SIM would save you a ton.
It would, but my situation is very particular. We frequent a beach community and the only Italian service there with respectable cellular coverage is Vodafone. Except I have to go to the next town over to obtain a Vodafone SIM and service. Which means the day after I wake up in Italy (we usually get to our hotel by dinnertime) I have to waste a few hours in the morning obtaining this SIM and service. Instead I pay more and get Vodafone service from the moment I land in Rome, can be reached at my American number at all times, and don't have to worry about running out of data and going back to the next town over.
 
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That is unfortunate that there is no one selling a SIM in your town. Just your day pass cost will be around $250, and that doesn't include the normal part of your phone bill. Just one more vacation expense

It would, but my situation is very particular. We frequent a beach community and the only Italian service there with respectable cellular coverage is Vodafone. Except I have to go to the next town over to obtain a Vodafone SIM and service. Which means the day after I wake up in Italy (we usually get to our hotel by dinnertime) I have to waste a few hours in the morning obtaining this SIM and service. Instead I pay more and get Vodafone service from the moment I land in Rome, can be reached at my American number at all times, and don't have to worry about running out of data and going back to the next town over.
 
Who talks on the phone for an hour every day while on vacation? For work, perhaps, but you're also likely in an office so you're using that phone, not your mobile as it was in my case. You use far less data while traveling than most people think for basic things like email, tweets, social media, maps, etc. Are you streaming movies? Again, WiFI everywhere so the slower data wasn't really an issue. But if you must justify AT&T's costs or if you are stuck on a contract with them, then so be it. It's better than previous AT&T roaming schemes but let's not pretend it's a good deal.

Sometimes international travel involves visiting family who live abroad, especially if you’re from an immigrant family. The vast majority of my travel for vacation is not really for sight seeing. In some of the cities I’ve been to a dozen times, I still have yet to see much of the touristy sites.
 
This summary may help others considering this plan.

Yes - there are substantial additional fees. As of June 2018 it cost me $11.88/day, not $10/day. That's with the tax rates in Nevada - it might be a bit higher elsewhere.

I've tried it twice and there are upsides and downsides. On balance I'll continue to get international SIM cards whenever available and not use ATT. The convenience of having my usual phone number and not giving much thought to the cost of calls or texts or data is nice and is the big positive feature of this plan. Here are the negatives:

1. Once you add it it's ALWAYS there - so if you make another trip out of the country and your phone receives or sends ANY DATA (as almost all smart phones do in the background) then it starts charging you again. You have to CALL to remove the plan; the website tells you to call them to remove it.

2. They charge all the taxes and fees on the $10/day base rate, just as if you were making calls or using data. My effective rate was $11.88/day.

3. It automatically bills in 24 hour increments from the moment you first used any data or text or phone so you will likely pay for an extra day or two on your trip. Otherwise you have to turn off all data on your phone and not use it at all if you want the charges to stop - that's not very convenient.

4. The plan doesn't apply to all areas. You can find the list on the ATT site but it's not very convenient to find or to read on a smartphone. If you pass through, or your ship goes near, one of the non-covered areas you get an ENORMOUS bill when you return. They did work with me and reversed some of the charges but not all of them. ATT is charging a ridiculous rate for regular international data so you are virtually forced to use the plan or else get a SIM card from someone else.

In summary, I'd use it for a quick 2 or 3 day business trip to a major city. Otherwise I'm far better off to get a local SIM card.
Yep,
After all the taxes here in CA, I have a similar daily charge like yours. It was great using it while in Europe since I could not get a SIM card right away. So I use it for 7 days on my 3 week trip. After, I purchased a local SIM with 5GB of data for $30 and that was perfect for the remainder of the trip.

So in the end the AT&T is great for the convenience of having a connection as soon as you land but if you are planning to use for many days, getting a local SIM card is the way to go. saving you big time.
 
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I used this on a recent Panama Canal cruise. It worked great in Columbia and the canal but performance in the Caymans was horrible, basically useless. Once I got home I called AT&T and said I shouldn't have to pay the $10 for there since it was useless, they refunded my charge no problem.
 
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