Traveling with iPhone - AT&T Rate Information

[chriswheat]

I am getting ready to leave next week for an extended trip in Brazil and want to make sure I fully understand the AT&T international rates - so I thought I'd ask my friends here to double check my information and make sure I'm correct.

Calling:
$2.29 per minute for all calls
and even if someone calls and you don't answer, there is a charge (is this correct? - more later).

Data:
.0195/KB (ridiculous).
I am considering a $29.99 plan that would give me 20 MB of data to use.

Texting:
No extra charge for texts received (though they do count against your text plan...)
$0.50 for texts sent

Can anyone confirm that if you turn off "Data Roaming" that it will not check your visual voicemail? I'd hate to come home to a bunch of charges just because it was checking my voicemail.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, as I understand it, the reason for the charge even when you don't answer a call, is that AT&T (in the US) is having to find the phone in Brazil (in my case) and then the call is sent back to the US. So if I were to forward my cell phone calls to another US number (my Google Voice number), I could avoid that altogether, correct? I just want to make sure that AT&T in the US isn't going to have to ping the phone in Brazil just to see where to forward the call.

Any help would be extremely helpful to me.

 

[arykmax]

Can anyone confirm that if you turn off "Data Roaming" that it will not check your visual voicemail? I'd hate to come home to a bunch of charges just because it was checking my voicemail.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, as I understand it, the reason for the charge even when you don't answer a call, is that AT&T (in the US) is having to find the phone in Brazil (in my case) and then the call is sent back to the US. So if I were to forward my cell phone calls to another US number (my Google Voice number), I could avoid that altogether, correct? I just want to make sure that AT&T in the US isn't going to have to ping the phone in Brazil just to see where to forward the call.

Any help would be extremely helpful to me.

Voicemail goes toward your minutes and not your data so turning off data roaming won't have an effect on your voicemail.

You are right, they charge international charges because the call is routed through the international providers system when it reaches you in another country. If you have it setup to automatically forward to a different number so that you never get the call on your iPhone while you are gone, that should keep you from getting international LD charges.

 

[chriswheat]

Voicemail goes toward your minutes and not your data so turning off data roaming won't have an effect on your voicemail.

I'm assuming you're referring to calling the voicemail number as opposed to visual voicemail (which is what I was referring to), which I'm pretty sure does use data. Is that correct?

 

[Switz213]

I'm assuming you're referring to calling the voicemail number as opposed to visual voicemail (which is what I was referring to), which I'm pretty sure does use data. Is that correct?

I know that visual voicemail DOES use data, but I am not sure if it counts towards roaming. I'd call up AT&T and clarify.

 

[TheSunmiester]

I just got back from Brazil (Rio) about 2 weeks ago. I did not have any service while there. The phone didn't pick a signal.
Not sure if I should have added the World Traveler feature or not. Just be aware that service will not 'just happen' at least it didn't for me
You may know this already, but I did not and so i had no phone or data access while I was there.
Luckily there was plenty to do while I was there and didn't really miss not having the access

 

[Rooskibar03]

I just spent a week in Germany and can tell you with Data Roaming off the phone will not check Vis voicemail.

I would also STRONGLY suggest you purchase a pre-paid Data plan. I went with the mentality that I wouldnt use the data at all, if I couldnt find Wi-Fi I didnt need it.

On my last day there we got lost and I needed google maps. I turned it on long enough to pull up a map and directions. 8 voicemails, 43 emails and my map all downloaded at once, total bill was 72 bucks. For 29 I would have been covered up to 20mb of data.

Oh well, live and learn. And have a great trip.

 

[fedup flyer]

I know that visual voicemail DOES use data, but I am not sure if it counts towards roaming. I'd call up AT&T and clarify.

Yes, visual voicemail does count toward your data roaming. Luckily, most VM are around 10k in size.

 

[fedup flyer]

Not sure if I should have added the World Traveler feature or not. Just be aware that service will not 'just happen' at least it didn't for me

No, you did not need world traveler. What you need to do is let AT&T know that you will be traveling out of the country so they can turn on intl roaming in your sim card for those various countries. It cost nothing and it has to be done before you leave the US.

 

[fedup flyer]

On my last day there we got lost and I needed google maps. I turned it on long enough to pull up a map and directions. 8 voicemails, 43 emails and my map all downloaded at once, total bill was 72 bucks. For 29 I would have been covered up to 20mb of data.

.

You could have called AT&T before you next bill came and they will back date the data roaming to the beginning of the billing cycle. I have done that a couple of times.

 

[Nanook]

You could have called AT&T before you next bill came and they will back date the data roaming to the beginning of the billing cycle. I have done that a couple of times.

What does that accomplish?

 

[LEGALROMA]

Just get Truphone app and put $ 20 on it. Low rates, probably 1/3 of att.

Finding wifi should be easy.

 

[WPB2]

Just jailbreak, and unlock your iPhone. Get a new sim card once your in brazil, then forward all your calls from your AT&T number to your Brazil prepaid sim card number.

 

[fedup flyer]

What does that accomplish?

Lets say you only signed up for the 20mb data plan and for what ever reason, you went way over 20 mb. You can have AT&T go back and up your plan to say the 50mb plan so you wont be paying for data the overages which are very expensive. (Although it has to be done before your billing cycle closes.) Saved me some $400 on a couple of occasions.

 

[tivoboy]

phne is on

If the phone is on and you don't answer it, and let it go to VM, I think you are going to be charged for 2x whatever the minute charge is for the alert that you HAVE A voicemail. this is the way it has been now with AT&T for a decade now. You can have your VM disabled before going, or check your VM with skype or something else before turning the phone on.

In brazil, I would just keep data off and use the ubiquitous free wifi everywhere for quick data access