Going to Germany - Advice on Avoiding a $5k Phone Bill?

[TheJimbo]

So I'm going to Germany for a week soon. I'm bringing my iPhone along. I want to avoid what happened to the guy in the other post where his iPhone kept using data time creating an enormous phone bill. So, how can I avoid this based upon the below two points?

1. I don't want to take my SIM card out.
2. I'd like to be able to use WiFi to check email via a buddy's wireless access point in Germany.

Ideas?

 

[ps49556n]

Why don't you want to take your sim out? If you want to use wifi the only way you can be 100% sure you wont receive any data charges is to remove the sim...

 

[Hondamaker]

Take the sim out and only put it in to check email and such, then take it back out.

 

[TheJimbo]

Why don't you want to take your sim out?

I've got two concerns with taking it out. One is forgetting it somewhere (I'm going to Germany for Oktoberfest, so I may not be in the right mind set ). The second is I worked in fraud for AT&T Wireless for 3 years. Do you know how many sim cards get stolen from phones? Let's just say, more than you think. I'd really rather not leave it around.

But I want to thank both you folks for the replies - this is an excellent forum!

 

[tdefriez]

Unlock it and...

Unlock it (now free but needs some knowledge), leave ATT SIM at home, buy local pre-paided SIM in Germany -- You could take you SIM with you but...

 

[TJET]

no problem

Don't take out the sim. I travel to the EU and the UK and all I did was set my e-mail check to manual. And only check your e-mail or use maps or safari where there is Wi-Fi. At&t also has a plan where you pay a fee each month for lower calling rates out of country.

 

[adseguy]

Someone here had a way by calling up ATT and telling them to shut off the service. You call them up tell them to navigate a few screens on their monitor and get them to turn something. I wish I could pull up the post to show you. It seemed to work for the guy. Simplest option would be to remove the sim card. You can still totally use your iPhone, just not be able to dial out....which is exactly what you want to do.

 

[JASmine]

I'm in Europe at the moment and all you have to do is as TJET says...set mail to manual and only open safari and web-base stuff when on wifi. This is my second trip using my iPhone so I'm sure this works.

 

[greenjbhsd]

And don't forget airplane mode if you are really paranoid. I know when I go abroad it is typically me that needs to call out and I don't many that come in. So this would at least work in that case, stay in plane mode till you need it. Oh, and of course do as others said, set it all to manual and don't accidentally hit any buttons!

 

[JKD]

Doesn't the iPhone try to connect to Edge / ping Edge when you first turn it on or bring it out of airplane mode though..surely this will count as data usage?

 

[Hawk]

Removing the SIM chip is the BEST way to guarrantee that the phone is not connecting via cellular network. There is no other way to do it.
Airplane mode disables all "radios" in the phone, which will prevent WiFi and BT as well.

 

[tsmith00]

follow up question

can you take out the SIM from iPhone and use it in another phone to make calls on your number?

 

[MotherTucker]

can you take out the SIM from iPhone and use it in another phone to make calls on your number?

I just got back from France and here's the exact deal. I called AT&T before I left and told them I was going to Europe. I enacted a a phone plan that is only in use while I'm using my phone in Europe - there is no extra set monthly charge. I leave my phone on as normal and here's the deal:

$1.29 per minute for voice
.50 per text sent
.15 per text received
.02 per kb internet

I "reset statistics" under "usage" in "settings" as I got on the plain to go, charted my usage and it all added up down to the cent when I received my bill. The hardest part was knowing that I didn't actually need to use my phone as much as I wanted to use my phone.

 

[TheJimbo]

All, I really appreciate the replies and advice - thank you!

 

[tkljr]

Another option is to activate a SIM pin (Settings->Phone->Sim Pin). Upon power-up you will be prompted for the pin, touch "OK" to leave the SIM locked (no calls or EDGE) but wi-fi will work. Basicly the same as taking out the SIM but without the worry of loosing it.

BTW, if you've never changed the SIM pin, the Apple installed default is 1111.

Tom

 

[Fant]

Anyway to just turn off / disable EDGE on the phone so that it doesn't automatically try to connect when its sleeping?

 

[lensey543]

dude don't even take your phone. I went to Canada for 4 days n got charged $260 just for data usage. AT&T will get what coming to them

 

[ciaran00]

Now that you have the option, just unlock it.