“Referring specifically to these $3,000 bills some owners are getting when they head overseas without bothering to check in with AT&T before they leave,” David Chartier reports for Ars Technica on how to avoid just such a fate.
“To find just about everything you need to know about AT&T’s roaming and data rates for the iPhone, you’ll need the iPhone Center, easily accessible from the main AT&T wireless page (click the iPhone ad, then iPhone Center instead of searching for a local iPhone stock). Scrolling to the bottom of the compact iPhone Center page are some informational links for AT&T World Traveler, the wireless provider’s suite of international plans and options that should cover most travelers (iPhone-toting and otherwise). AT&T allows users to add World Traveler to their plans for $5.99/month, giving them access to these discounted rates in over 80 countries,” Chartier reports.
“Now, the appeal of those rates can fluctuate depending on the destination country and length of stay, but an unofficial poll among Ars staff and some of our acquaintances says that going this route is worth it in many of these countries if you’re staying for a week, maybe up to a month. Plus, if you’re on business, keeping the same number and phone (with all of your contacts and data in it) is an additional value that should be factored into going the AT&T World Traveler route,” Chartier reports.
“Owners could still use the iPhone’s iPod features safely, however, by turning on the iPhone’s Airplane Mode, or wait for this month’s iPhone software update for the ability to disable EDGE completely,” Chartier reports.
Full article, with links, here.
MacDailyNews Note: Ars published this article on Monday, but we’ve had many questions on this issue, so here you go!