Capitalizing on the popularity of my recent guide to London related iPhone apps, I thought it might be a good idea to put together a post about issues you’ll face traveling internationally with an iPhone.
Over the last two years, there have been several stories to hit the mainstream media talking about people who’ve gone a trip abroad, used their iPhone and gotten home to the shock of a $10,000 phone bill. While the iPhone is a revolution for travelers – due to the unfair pricing practices of AT&T, iPhone users must be careful on how they use their iPhone while traveling.
Here are some tips for making the most use of your iPhone while abroad – geared towards the UK and London.
Will Your iPhone Work in the UK?
Yes.
How Will Traveling Internationally with an iPhone Cost?
Depends. Two issues here – calling and data roaming.
For International Roaming for phone calls you need to make sure international roaming is activated on your AT&T account. It’s also a good idea to pay for a package of minutes to use while you’re gone. They can be expensive but you’ll save money over going without an international calling plan. Also, you’ll need to be sure to cancel the plan once you return or they will keep billing you for it.
For Internaional Data roaming, you can also get a data package from AT&T. However, these packages is simply ridiculously priced.
AT&T International iPhone Data Plans
- $24.99 per month – 20 MB Data Global Plan (20 MB of usage in over 90 countries*. Overage is $0.005/KB)
- $59.99 per month – 50 MB Data Global Plan (50 MB of usage in over 90 countries*. Overage is $0.005/KB)
- $119.99 per month – 100 MB Data Global Plan1 (100 MB of usage in over 90 countries*. Overage is $0.005/KB)
- $199.99 per month – 200 MB Data Global Plan1 (200 MB of usage in over 90 countries*. Overage is $0.005/KB)
Using Airplane Mode
This is the nuclear option. If you don’t want any extra charges at all, the best way to ensure that is to put your phone in airplane mode for the duration of your trip. This basically turns off all data functionality (including wifi) on your iphone and pretty much turns it into an iPod Touch. While this may be useful and work with most London travel apps, you won’t be able to use the GPS functionality, which will be particularly useful in a confusing city like London.
To Turn on Airplane mode go to –> Settings –> Airplane Mode.
Turning Data Roaming Off
This is the best option for dealing with extra charges, simply turn off international data roaming. You will not be able to use any app that requires access to the internet unless you are connected to a WIFI hotspot. Even with Data Roaming turned off, GPS will still work.
To turn off data roaming go to –> Setting –> General –> Data Roaming On/Off.
Relying on WiFi
There are thousands of free WIFI hotspots in London and most hotels have free broadband internet. This means that you can safely rely on WIFI to handle most of your data traffic. So, either keep WIFI on at all times (which will drain the battery) or plan your data usage to be near a WIFI hotspot. And as Apple likes to say, there’s surely an app for that – for finding free WIFI in London.
GPS Usage
GPS does not use the cellphone data networks, so you can safely use it without incurring data charges. It will work even with international data roaming turned off.
VOIP – Skype
Even with an international calling plan, phone calls back to the US will be expensive. So, a great option will be to use a VOIP application like SKYPE that will mimic the functions of a telephone. As long as you are connected to a WIFI network, you can make international calls at a much cheaper rate than if you used the cellular network.
Choosing the right London iPhone Applications
When you’re shopping for London iPhone apps, be sure to buy apps that have most of the data within the application so that you won’t have to get to a wifi hotspot to use them. Most London iPhone guidebooks, London iPhone maps and London iPhone Tube Maps work offline so that you won’t need to access the data network in order to use them.
Click here for a guide to London iPhone apps.
Tracking your Data Usage
There’s an easy way to see how much data you’ve been using while traveling. On your iPhone, go to Setting –> General –> Usage and you can see how much data you’ve been using. It’s a good idea to reset these statistics before you leave on your trip so you have the most accurate numbers.
Here’s Some Propaganda from AT&T About Using the iPhone Abroad
You can travel the world with your iPhone
AT&T knows that the mobile Internet on your iPhone++ is indispensable to you. That’s why we want to remind you that international data usage is not covered under your existing U.S. data plan. Any voice or data usage outside the domestic coverage area is considered as an International Roaming charge.
International roaming and data usage is not covered under your existing data plan.
With iPhone’s many Internet-based applications, it’s natural for users to use more data on their iPhone than they would using other handsets or PDA devices.
International data roaming can get expensive quickly.
For example, opening an email with a 5 megapixel picture in it, or downloading a 3-minute video on YouTube, each takes about 2 MB of data. The cost would be almost $40, based on pay-per-use international data rates of $0.0195/KB.
What can you do to minimize your international data charges?
Turn Data Roaming “OFF”: Be sure to download and install the latest version of iPhone software from iTunes. By default, this setting for international data roaming will be in the “OFF” position.
To turn data roaming “ON/OFF”, tap on Settings>General>Network>Data RoamingUtilize Wi-Fi instead of 3G/GPRS/EDGE: Wi-Fi is available in many international airports, hotels and restaurants to browse the Web or check email.
Turn Fetch New Data “OFF”: Check email and sync contacts and calendars manually instead of having the data pushed to your iPhone automatically. This way you can control the flow of data coming to your iPhone.
To turn off the Auto-Check functionality, tap on Settings>Fetch New Data, change Push to “OFF” and Select to Fetch Manually
Consider Purchasing an International Data Package: Purchasing an international data package can significantly reduce the cost of using data abroad. AT&T now offers four discount international data packages.
Happy Travels!
Related iPhone Travel Accessories
Author Info - Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, always dreaming of his next trip to England, wishing he lived there - specifically Dorset - and is always trying to figure out a way to move to England. It will happen one day. Keep up with him on Twitter here. Read more from this author
British Pound Exchange Rate
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dream of living in the UK a reality.
And as someone who just got back from a trip to London in which I brought my iPod Touch as my only piece of technology, I’m going to strongly suggest that you get a *good* adapter and charger. All of the above is moot when your battery is dead and you’re stuck at the airport without a USB port from which to boost enough power to get to your phone contacts needed to find a ride home. *grumble* My charger/adapter came from DealExtreme and died after three charges (I should have known…)
Wouldn’t this be so much easier if AT&T unlocked the iPhone and you could get a “top-up” SIM card from O2? Oh, but that would be simple.
No hate for iPhone – I was a former user and loved it – but some of the limits enforced by the iPhone at AT&T are a tad ridiculous.
You can’t use the American iPhone on O2? That is ridiculous! Shame on you AT&T. FYI, if you are on AT&T and have an international calling plan (different from the international ROAMING plan) you will lose your special international rates while the roaming plan is activated. Please be aware that if you are used to paying their reduced rates for international calling (which are the best if you are wondering) then you won’t have those same rates when the international roaming package is activated.
I read a few topics. I respect your work and added blog to favorites.
Thank you! You often write very interesting articles. You improved my mood.
The best, clearest, most detailed-yet concise overview of the iPhone Abroad Dilemma and some of its solutions..Someday, AT & T ‘ll get it together and be a bit more reasonable–and practical.
j
Thanks for the kind words!
Thank you thank you thank you! I am about to go to London with my family and this is exactly the information that I needed!
There is a new solution for that problem! Rent an iPhone with unlimited internet and free calls, and it’s filled with great London travel apps. Check out the website Check out Aziphone.com
A mobile wifi from Fonmigo gives you wifi wherever you want in the UK. $1GB for $60. Vs 50MB from AT&T for the same price
I’m in London;
Buy a $30 pay as u go phone from vodafone store (or carphone warehouse)
Buy a $30 freedom pack 300 mins and unlimited texts. Top up as needed
Create vodafone login and register phone and here why; when you add the totally free “international dialing” option, you can call USA for less than 0.08c (5p) a minute.
Buy a USB 3G dongle from vodafone. $15 for dongle. $25 for 3GB / month pay as you go data plan.
Throw it all away when done or keep for future trips. AT&T just don’t get it, all of the above is 10x less than using them in UK.
Oh and combine this with everything said in the blog. When you see an incoming call on your iPhone, ignore it and use Vodafone 0.08c a
Min phone and call that number straight back. Also use the vodafone to check AT&T voicemail … Spread the word
i just want a simple solution!
Well the simple solution is to just pay for AT&T international roaming.
Have you guys heard of mificlub? I used it when I visited London. They pretty much give you a mifi so you have wifi wherever you are all over UK. Highly recommended.