[AOTB]

Hi all,

I have always in the past been a Blackberry man but now have an iPhone 4s. My network provider is 3.

I am travelling to Amsterdam this weekend and just wondered what the best course of action was with regard to turning off unnecessary data stuff to hopefully avoid any surprising/ large bills at the end of the month!

I want to be able to use the phone for regular things, such as calls/ texts but also still have most of it's functionality, i.e using maps and certain apps for example.

I don't really need to be receiving emails etc for the weekend, but I'd imagine I'd still want access to the internet.

Please accept my apologies for the basic nature of this thread, I know that turning off roaming will stop some of this but I am rather naive when it comes to these things!!

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

[AOTB]

Hi all,

I posted this in the phones forum, but not sure if it's more appropriate for the advice one?

I have always in the past been a Blackberry man but now have an iPhone 4s. My network provider is 3.

I am travelling to Amsterdam this weekend and just wondered what the best course of action was with regard to turning off unnecessary data stuff to hopefully avoid any surprising/ large bills at the end of the month!

I want to be able to use the phone for regular things, such as calls/ texts but also still have most of it's functionality, i.e using maps and certain apps for example.

I don't really need to be receiving emails etc for the weekend, but I'd imagine I'd still want access to the internet.

Please accept my apologies for the basic nature of this thread, I know that turning off roaming will stop some of this but I am rather naive when it comes to these things!!

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

[c4rv]

You get a local SIM. I would be very surprised if you couldn't pick one up from the airport. Of course it would mean that nobody can call you on your normal number.

[AOTB]

c4rv- thanks. I was wondering if you could even do that with iphones. I didn't know if this was a better option than just changing the settings- turning off roaming etc?

To one honest I don't need anyone from the UK to call me, I suppose it's only the people I'm going out there with in case we get separated + I want to use it for maps/ apps/ places of interest etc whilst out there without running up massive bills.

[madscotsboy]

Well as you're on Three they do have a data roaming package but that £5 a day to access their AYCE data. You could just turn off data and use wifi?

[Irvine]

with three you can go online and turn data off when you are heading abroad and still get calls/texts but as you said you still want maps etc which needs data.

You are best contacting three and asking if they do any add on bundles

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by AOTB

Hi all,

I have always in the past been a Blackberry man but now have an iPhone 4s. My network provider is 3.

I am travelling to Amsterdam this weekend and just wondered what the best course of action was with regard to turning off unnecessary data stuff to hopefully avoid any surprising/ large bills at the end of the month!

I want to be able to use the phone for regular things, such as calls/ texts but also still have most of it's functionality, i.e using maps and certain apps for example.

I don't really need to be receiving emails etc for the weekend, but I'd imagine I'd still want access to the internet.

Please accept my apologies for the basic nature of this thread, I know that turning off roaming will stop some of this but I am rather naive when it comes to these things!!

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

If you want to use data whilst you're away (internet, downloading map data from Apple/Google maps), then you have a couple of choices:

1. Get Three's data roaming package - you need to speak to them before you go to enable this.

2. Turn off Cellular Data and Roaming Data in Settings, and just use free wifi whilst you're there.

3. Turn off Roaming Data whilst you're there and just switch it on briefly when you actually need it and then switch it back off - this is still going to cost you.

It's worth also remembering that your minutes and texts will be priced at roaming prices, not just come out of your allowances.

Best speak to Three today and ask them what you need. Or if you don't want to call them, try their UK Twitter help.

[johnny_t]

Don't quote me on this, but if iPhone e-mails are anything like a Blackberry, you only get sent the text and don't really 'receive' any attachments until you open them. The data involved in that is fairly minimal, to be honest....

[shelleyj89]

I'm with tmobile, I think they do special deals or packages for when travelling abroad. I'd check with 3 to see if they do anything similar.

[AOTB]

Originally Posted by grumpyoldbat

If you want to use data whilst you're away (internet, downloading map data from Apple/Google maps), then you have a couple of choices:

1. Get Three's data roaming package - you need to speak to them before you go to enable this.

2. Turn off Cellular Data and Roaming Data in Settings, and just use free wifi whilst you're there.

3. Turn off Roaming Data whilst you're there and just switch it on briefly when you actually need it and then switch it back off - this is still going to cost you.

It's worth also remembering that your minutes and texts will be priced at roaming prices, not just come out of your allowances.

Best speak to Three today and ask them what you need. Or if you don't want to call them, try their UK Twitter help.

Thank you so much. I think 'Very Helpful Forum Member' is perhaps a more appropriate username for you than grumpyoldbat!

[AOTB]

Thank you all for the replies. Much appreciated. I shall indeed contact 3 to see what my options are (I didn't even realise companies offered this type of thing which shows how much I know!)

[SkittyMissKitty]

I took my iPhone abroad with me to paris for three days and run up a huge bill by using the internet on the 3g (internet use both on emails and on apps). I learnt from that, and when I next went abroad I turned the 3g off (and data roaming) and just used available wifi instead. Barely ran up any extra charges at all.

[shelleyj89]

Originally Posted by AOTB

Thank you all for the replies. Much appreciated. I shall indeed contact 3 to see what my options are (I didn't even realise companies offered this type of thing which shows how much I know!)

I didn't either till a few months ago. I went in to a store to get a mini-sin for my iPhone 4S, and saw loads of displays and signs for deals. They offer so many different deals for so many different things these days, and there's me on good old pay-as-you-go

[The Lord Lucan]

If the phone is unlocked.. i generally get a local pay as you go sim card

[FairyFeet1964]

I'm with TMobile myself when I went to Rome I took a spare PAYG and just did some boosters that way no scary surprises!

Details for using three abroad:hope it helps:

http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-...et_subcat=4147

[Keefy-boy]

Just switch off data roaming in the 'mobile data' menu, which is accessed through general settings.

[rickrickricky]

With 3 you can pay £5 per day for EU internet use.

http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-...=obj%286018%29

So depends how long your going for.

This site has some good advice on how to avoid excessive bills whilst abroad:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/tra...p-data-roaming

[x_malibubabe]

Be careful with data bundles. I went to Greece in may, bought a euro 3G bundle, £15 for 30gb 30 days and came home to a £400 bill. I'm with orange and when I went to America they sent me a text saying I'd used X amount of data so when I hit my limit I stopped. Never got the texts in Greece (same phone same network, contract etc) so presumed I was under my limit. 30gb to me is alot but apparently it costs £400! Tried to dispute with orange but got accused of fraud and had to pay bill. Still disputing from may!!!

[Dave1979]

If you want to use maps get an Amsterdam tourist app that has a map in it. You can then use the location services on it with no data charges. I did this in New York and Berlin

http://www.10travelapps.com/search/amsterdam

http://themap.nl/

[grumpyoldbat]

Originally Posted by Dave1979

If you want to use maps get an Amsterdam tourist app that has a map in it. You can then use the location services on it with no data charges. I did this in New York and Berlin

http://www.10travelapps.com/search/amsterdam

http://themap.nl/

The location services (i.e. the GPS chip) will only work if you're in view of the satellites. If you're indoors and you only have the GPS chip with no additional data assist, then you're unlikely to get a location fix.

[AOTB]

Originally Posted by Dave1979

If you want to use maps get an Amsterdam tourist app that has a map in it. You can then use the location services on it with no data charges. I did this in New York and Berlin

http://www.10travelapps.com/search/amsterdam

http://themap.nl/

This is EXACTLY the type of thing I was looking for- cheers!

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by AOTB

c4rv- thanks. I was wondering if you could even do that with iphones. I didn't know if this was a better option than just changing the settings- turning off roaming etc?

To one honest I don't need anyone from the UK to call me, I suppose it's only the people I'm going out there with in case we get separated + I want to use it for maps/ apps/ places of interest etc whilst out there without running up massive bills.

It depends on if your phone is unlocked or not.

There is more information, costs and places to buy SIM's here,

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop..._Province.html

Also it seems to indicate that wi-fi is available in many public places but not everywhere.

I have no idea how iphone maps thing works, but on Android using Google Maps you can pre-cache the maps in the UK before you leave and you won't be using much data for maps function then.

[Matt D]

Originally Posted by Keefy-boy

Just switch off data roaming in the 'mobile data' menu, which is accessed through general settings.

Data roaming is off by default on the iPhone anyway, as is using mobile data for Automatic Downloads, FaceTime, etc.

----------------


Something else to watch out for, as well as data roaming, is voicemail.

Unless things have changed, you get charged anytime someone leaves you a voicemail if you are roaming (same principle that causes you to get charged if you accept an incoming call while roaming).

[Daveoc64]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Unless things have changed, you get charged anytime someone leaves you a voicemail if you are roaming (same principle that causes you to get charged if you accept an incoming call while roaming).

That is illegal if you're roaming in the EU and Three chooses not to charge for that outside of the EU.

[tdenson]

I am on holiday in. Australia ATM and have been abroad to Europe several times this year. You have three options -

1. Avoid roaming like the plague and rely on wifi hotspots

2. Sign up for the Network provider's daily data plan e.g. Orange have a £3 per day 30MB plan. The thing to watch for here though is that by signing up to the plan you waive your rights to the EU limit of 50 Euros. The network are supposed to warn you by text when you approach the quota but my experience with Orange is that they never do and as a result it is easy to exceed the quota. One thing to watch out for with IOS devices is photostream. This is not a problem unless you are tethering. However, if you are tethering then photo stream sees that you are using wifi and syncs photos. This has bitten me several times including on my current trip. I went through 1GB of data syncing photos accidentally.

3. Use a local SIM card. This is the best option if you can do it - easier said than done in some countries. However, here in Australia it has been easy. I have an Amaysim card in my mifi, a Telstra SIM in my iPhone 5, and an Optus SIm in my iPad (there are good reasons for having all three).