Going to the US for a week...

[FCAV]

...is it worth it to change up my cell phone plan (iPhone 4) or should I just turn the roaming off and not worry about it?

[DownhillGoat]

Depends if you want to use your phone or not...

Last time I went to vegas I was getting nailed $1 per text. And data roaming charges are more than absurd. If you plan on using your phone, get an international package. If you can live without the phone for a week, don't bother.

[FCAV]

Depends if you want to use your phone or not...

Last time I went to vegas I was getting nailed $1 per text. And data roaming charges are more than absurd. If you plan on using your phone, get an international package. If you can live without the phone for a week, don't bother.

International package it is, thanks.

I dont plan on talking on it at all but there will be some texting involved.

[QuadCityImages]

Can't you use Skype to make calls when on WiFi? That's what I did in Ireland last year, and it worked great, as long as you don't need to receive calls.

[FCAV]

Can't you use Skype to make calls when on WiFi? That's what I did in Ireland last year, and it worked great, as long as you don't need to receive calls.

Could, but am also driving from Las Vegas to Phoenix and meeting up with people so I dont want to have to rely on WiFi.

[malcolmk14]

Texting is still ridiculous with an international package, unless there's a sweet one I don't know about.

Even an American pay-as-you-go phone might be cheaper than some of the international packages that I've seen.

[FCAV]

Texting is still ridiculous with an international package, unless there's a sweet one I don't know about.

Even an American pay-as-you-go phone might be cheaper than some of the international packages that I've seen.

May be a dumb question but getting back to turning off roaming and using WiFi. If I turn roaming off, absolutely everything (email, web browsing, skype, ect) will run off the available WiFi? Essentially all I'll lose is regular calling and texting?

[malcolmk14]

May be a dumb question but getting back to turning off roaming and using WiFi. If I turn roaming off, absolutely everything (email, web browsing, skype, ect) will run off the available WiFi? Essentially all I'll lose is regular calling and texting?

If you turn roaming off that's not the same as turning calling and texting off. To turn those things off, just put your phone on airplane mode and turn on WiFi.

[photon]

Definitely airplane mode and turn on WiFi if you want to have the device on at all.

A friend found out the hard way that even if you don't send any texts, don't use any data, and don't make any calls, if someone calls your phone and it goes to voicemail and they leave a message, you get billed time for the time they're leaving the message!

At least on Rogers/Fido anyway, and this was confirmed to me by them the last time I went to the US. I got a 1 month international something or other for when I was down there.

[CrusaderPi]

What we really need to do is have 4 or 5 people go in together on a US phone to share. A timeshare! But for an iphone. No freaking way am I going for two weeks without using my phone. This isn't 2008.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

If the iPhone isn't locked is there a US provider that you can get a prepaid microSIM card from?

[FCAV]

At the airport now and putting it in airplane mode with YYC free wifi isn't allowing me to connect to safari or Facebook or twitter ect. Thoughts?

[Yeah_Baby]

At the airport now and putting it in airplane mode with YYC free wifi isn't allowing me to connect to safari or Facebook or twitter ect. Thoughts?


Did you turn wifi one again after airplane mode. By default airplane mode turns off wifi. However you can go back into your settings and turn wifi back on.

[FCAV]

Did you turn wifi one again after airplane mode. By default airplane mode turns off wifi. However you can go back into your settings and turn wifi back on.

I did yes!

[FCAV]

Must have been a Calgary Airport thing. Works fine in Vancouver!

[Yeah_Baby]

Must have been a Calgary Airport thing. Works fine in Vancouver!

Don't you have to go into the browser and authorize at YYC or something?

[PIMking]

if the iphone isn't locked is there a us provider that you can get a prepaid microsim card from?

tmobile

[ken0042]

I was looking at just grabbing a pre-paid phone when I go to the States. Does anybody know which carriers down there use sim cards? I'm guessing the phone will end up being unlocked after I get home.

[Ryan Coke]

T mobile uses sim cards--we got our phone for $20 then put some money on it. The more you put on the lower per minute rate you get....we put on $100 and got .10/minute or text.

You could put the sim into an unlocked iphone, but so far I haven't found pay as you go data. PIMking, has that changed lately?

[MoneyGuy]

We travel a lot and I always put my iPhone into airplane mode (and turn on wifi) when we leave the country and it stays that way until I return to Canada. When I get my iPad I'll have 3g and can add a month of service when I need it. I can hardly wait for the iPad.

[Jing]

If you turn off roaming, it means your phone will not connect to mobile network for data (not calls/texts).

The Iphone does not work with T-mobile.

If you are on rogers they have some decent US text plans. If you are not with rogers then I am not sure what the other carriers offer.

Also, you wont be able to use other sim cards if the iphone is not unlocked.

[Temporary_User]

wow I just looked at tmobile's website and the plans are rediculously cheap.

monthly, no contract plan:
International unlimited talk/text + 2GB of data for $80.
That is what my bill comes to now, and no where near as good a deal.

I'm stuck with Rogers (a huge mistake I know now), will I be able to bring my iphone down with me and hook one of tmobile's plans up to it for the month?
What will happen to all the calls/text I get through rogers for the month?

[Jing]

wow I just looked at tmobile's website and the plans are rediculously cheap.

monthly, no contract plan:
International unlimited talk/text + 2GB of data for $80.
That is what my bill comes to now, and no where near as good a deal.

I'm stuck with Rogers (a huge mistake I know now), will I be able to bring my iphone down with me and hook one of tmobile's plans up to it for the month?
What will happen to all the calls/text I get through rogers for the month?

The iPhone will not work on T-mobile.

[Ryan Coke]

The iPhone will not work on T-mobile.

Not even for normal calling/texting? If so, why not?

[Jing]

Not even for normal calling/texting? If so, why not?

T-Mobile in the states uses the same frequency as Wind and Mobilicity in Canada (which is 1700mhz). The GSM version of the iPhone utilizes the 850/1900/2100 3g frequencies. The iPhone does not use the 1700 frequency for 2g or 3g.

[Temporary_User]

The iPhone will not work on T-mobile.Okay, the reason I asked about Tmobile was because PIM (who lives in the states) brought them up.
What about a different company such as AT&T. Could I use them?

[Jing]

Okay, the reason I asked about Tmobile was because PIM (who lives in the states) brought them up.
What about a different company such as AT&T. Could I use them?

AT&T would work.

[QuadCityImages]

I'm pretty sure you can you an unlocked iPhone on T-mobile, but 3G won't work. So phone calls, texts, and slow data should still be possible. A google search reveals quite a bit about this.

[Jing]

I'm pretty sure you can you an unlocked iPhone on T-mobile, but 3G won't work. So phone calls, texts, and slow data should still be possible. A google search reveals quite a bit about this.

Sorry, my mistake, just checked and T mobile does indeed use 850mhz for 2g.

[DownhillGoat]

Good lord. Just looked at getting an international data/text/calling package from bell for an upcoming trip for GPS, finding restaurants, etc.

Looks like I'll resort to going old school and carrying a map.