The iPhone comes equipped with an unlimited data plan for users in the U.S., meaning that they pay just US$20 a month for all the data they can download or send from their iPhones.
The same, however, is not true when you take a U.S. iPhone overseas. There, youre phone will be in roaming - a status that costs more to make calls or download data. And since the iPhone constantly checks email accounts and can be used to browse the web, data roaming can quickly add up to a bill of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
There are two easy ways to avoid incurring the huge charges that iPhone data roaming can cause:
- AT&T's Data Global Package
- Turn off Data Roaming
Use AT&T's Data Global Package
This monthly data package is designed for iPhone users planning to take their iPhones overseas to any of 29 designated countries.
Turn Off Data Roaming
To turn off your iPhone's data connection when the phone is roaming to save yourself those big bills, do the following:
- Be sure you've updated to iPhone Firmware Update 1.1.1 or later
- Tap the Settings button
- Tap the General option
- Tap the Network option
- Slide the Data Roaming slider to Off
With this setting off, you'll save yourself from big bills. If you need to use data from your iPhone while overseas, you can turn this option on, but when you're done, be sure to turn it back off to save the costs.
