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International travel with Razr Maxx
- Thread starter sdfsmc
- Start date
Update from SDFSMC:
I ended up using Verizon's international rates and data plans which cost $5 and $25 per month. I activated the plans the day I left, and shut them off when I returned. I also shut off the data functions in the background as outlined above, and used any free wifi networks I could find to collect my emails.
The fees were prorated for the 1/2 month I used them resulting in about $30 cost per phone. I would have preferred to have the normal functionality but $30 was a reasonable amount to pay for the security of having the phone while I was away.
Thank you to all of the members of this forum for your help and advice.
I ended up using Verizon's international rates and data plans which cost $5 and $25 per month. I activated the plans the day I left, and shut them off when I returned. I also shut off the data functions in the background as outlined above, and used any free wifi networks I could find to collect my emails.
The fees were prorated for the 1/2 month I used them resulting in about $30 cost per phone. I would have preferred to have the normal functionality but $30 was a reasonable amount to pay for the security of having the phone while I was away.
Thank you to all of the members of this forum for your help and advice.
I am taking a trip to europe next month. I plan to only use the phone via WiFi, and only make emergency calls if necessary if WiFi not available. Do I need to activate my phone for international use before I go? What settings should I use on the phone to prevent any un-intended roaming and data charges?
I am taking a trip to europe next month. I plan to only use the phone via WiFi, and only make emergency calls if necessary if WiFi not available. Do I need to activate my phone for international use before I go? What settings should I use on the phone to prevent any un-intended roaming and data charges?
If you're only going to use it via WiFi, then there's no need to activate anything for international use. Just keep the phone in airplane mode while you're gone (you can enable and use WiFi while in airplane mode), and you'll be good to go.
Thanks bsweetness. As I mentioned in my post, I also want to ability to make emergency calls even if WiFi is not available. I plan to make calls via WiFi only. But in an emergency situation, WiFi might not be available.
Oops, missed that part. For that, you have two options.
A) Activate international roaming on your Verizon account. This will allow you to turn off airplane mode and make an emergency call if you need to. However, you'll run the risk of getting a flood of high priced text messages (if you receive a lot of messages) when you turn off airplane mode. If you decide to go this route, make sure to turn mobile data completely off in the settings. You don't want to run the risk of something connecting in the background that you don't know about that might cost a small fortune.
B) Purchase a pre-paid SIM card from a local carrier in the country you'll be visiting in Europe and put it in your phone. This will provide you with a local telephone number and give you an allotment of minutes and texts to use while there, including for emergencies. You can even get data if you want. The advantage with this is that it will be much cheaper than making calls via your Verizon account with international roaming. Prepaid cards abroad can be found in most places for virtually nothing, especially if you don't need a lot of minutes on it. This also gives you the option of calling people or places in the country you're visiting if you need to (for directions, reservations, etc.), or to have people call you. You also don't run any risk whatsoever of incurring any charges from Verizon since the phone will be activated on a European network for the time you're there. And, if for some reason you want to make a call from your Verizon number, if you've enabled international roaming, just turn off the phone, put your Verizon SIM back in, boot it up, and you're good to go.
Personally, I think option B is definitely the way to go. This is what I always do when I'm out of the country. It's really easy, it gives you a working phone in case of an emergency, and it provides a way to contact people locally (as well as a way for them to contact you) while you're in the country you're visiting while avoiding any large charges from Verizon.
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Thanks bsweetness! I knew you would know the answer to this. I had no idea...except for getting an international sim and I agree, that seems like the better of the two.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Droid Forums
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Droid Forums
Well I returned fom Europe. When I turned on my phone with the Verizon SIM installed, I had no problems. Everything worked right off the bat.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know about your experience using the MAXX internationally. It's very much appreciated, and will valuable provide information in the future for users who have some questions about it!
Going to the Netherlands this fall, plan to buy a pre-paid SIM card from a local carrier for my razr maxx when I arrive. The question I have is will I be able to call back to the States if need be or just local calls? Thanks!
That entirely depends on what the carrier you're using in the Netherlands allows for pre-paid calls. If they allow international calls, then you're good to go. Chances are you'll lose minutes at a higher rate than for calls within the country, but it should work. I've called the U.S. while using a local SIM card abroad several times, and everything worked just fine. It just drained my minutes in no time.
Sim
@littman
Well I am in Dubai nd tried using a local sim and get a message saying sim card from unkown source and when I switchh to GSM/UMTS and search for networks I just get a message saying available networks and nothing there to choose. The sim card is working fine in my iphone and HTC one x.
Any sugestions?
Thanks
@littman
Well I am in Dubai nd tried using a local sim and get a message saying sim card from unkown source and when I switchh to GSM/UMTS and search for networks I just get a message saying available networks and nothing there to choose. The sim card is working fine in my iphone and HTC one x.
Any sugestions?
Thanks
@littman
Well I am in Dubai nd tried using a local sim and get a message saying sim card from unkown source and when I switchh to GSM/UMTS and search for networks I just get a message saying available networks and nothing there to choose. The sim card is working fine in my iphone and HTC one x.
Any sugestions?
Thanks
Did you turn off the phone to switch the SIM cards? SIM cards aren't hot swappable in the MAXX, meaning you need to at least reboot them to properly switch cards. The best thing to do is to turn off the phone, remove whatever SIM card is in there, insert the SIM card you want to use, and then turn on the phone. Sometimes a card will catch if you switch while the phone is on, but it may not function correctly. The iPhone and One X are hot swappable, although it's still recommended to power down each device when switching SIM cards.
You never cease to amaze me bsweetness! Once again, I knew you would have the answer to this!
Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums
Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums