Using your cell phone outside of the US...

[amarano]

im leaving for Punta Cana, DR tomorrow and i have an iPhone 6 on AT&T.

been googling and cant seem to get a straight answer plus i know NT has clever cats.

whats my best course of action to using my phone outside of the US.

normally i would just put it on airplane and only use the hotel WiFi but theres a chance i could be getting an important call so i cant really airplane mode it.

i dont mind paying for some plan or anything but if theres a work around or any tips or even an app you guys use or know of can you help me out?

 

[drew]

Make sure your phone is not service locked to one service provider.

I know with T-Mobile, all you have to do is call them and ask them to unlock your phone.

I usually tell them that I'll be going overseas and wish to use a local phone service at my destination.

I just purchase a pre paid sim card when I get to the country I'm visiting and slide the sim card into the phone. You'll have a new number that is linked to the sim card.

I found this method much cheaper than asking T-Mobile for data or minutes to use internationally.

Let me know if you got any questions, man.



-Drew

 

[drew]

I looked up on AT&T's website for any other solutions and I saw that you can purchase an international roaming package so that you can have minutes and data when you travel. It says that there is a one time charge.

I say the best thing is to give them a call.


http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB92113



-Drew

 

[amarano]

appreciate the response man.

im not trying to leave the resort TBH so i doubt im gonna get a sim.

im going to give ATT a call and just do what they think.

just figured there was like an app or workaround besides going through ATT because they prob looking to get me for my $$.

thanks again.

 

[drew]

appreciate the response man.

im not trying to leave the resort TBH so i doubt im gonna get a sim.

im going to give ATT a call and just do what they think.

just figured there was like an app or workaround besides going through ATT because they prob looking to get me for my $$.

thanks again.

No worries, man.

Hope everything works out well for you.

Enjoy the trip.



-Drew

 

[sneakaprince]

I have Sprint,

Whenever I go out of the country I just let them know and they unlock my phone,

Then like drew said I pick up a local carrier sim card and make moves.

Its actually pretty simple....

 

[drew]

I have Sprint,

Whenever I go out of the country I just let them know and they unlock my phone,

Then like drew said I pick up a local carrier sim card and make moves.

Its actually pretty simple....

It really is the best and cheapest way of going about it.



-Drew

 

[amarano]

I have Sprint,

Whenever I go out of the country I just let them know and they unlock my phone,

Then like @Drew said I pick up a local carrier sim card and make moves.

Its actually pretty simple....

It really is the best and cheapest way of going about it.



-Drew

appreciate the responses.

the only problem with me getting a new sim is that i wont have my # therefor wont be able to be reached, no?

im waiting on a possible call for a new job and dont want to miss it thats the only thing.

 

[airblaster503]

For those of you on T-Mobile, they offer free text and data in over 100+ countries worldwide along with $0.20 per minute calls and free wifi calling back to the US.

http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

Can search all the countries there on that page

 

[johnnyredstorm]

just turn your cellular data off and use viber to make phone calls and whatsapp to text if you get wifi down there.

 

[drew]

I have Sprint,


Whenever I go out of the country I just let them know and they unlock my phone,


Then like [@=https://niketalk.com/members/41154"Drew" url="/t/627358/using-your-cell-phone-outside-of-the-us#post_23410677"]
It really is the best and cheapest way of going about it.




-Drew

appreciate the responses.

the only problem with me getting a new sim is that i wont have my # therefor wont be able to be reached, no?

im waiting on a possible call for a new job and dont want to miss it thats the only thing.

I see what you mean. Honestly, if it were me, I would go ahead and call AT&T.

For those of you on T-Mobile, they offer free text and data in over 100+ countries worldwide along with $0.20 per minute calls and free wifi calling back to the US.

http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

Can search all the countries there on that page

Love T-Mobile. I've always utilized their services to the max.



-Drew

 

[amarano]

I see what you mean. Honestly, if it were me, I would go ahead and call AT&T.




-Drew

Called ATT.

they set me up with this "Passport Package" for $30.

not quite sure what unlimited WiFi is but im downloading the viber app to make calls so ill save on that.

and i think theres a way to turn off data to avoid app use when not on wifi but still be able to get texts (not imessage) and calls. right?

 

[drew]

I see what you mean. Honestly, if it were me, I would go ahead and call AT

Called ATT.

they set me up with this "Passport Package" for $30.

View media item 1550475

not quite sure what unlimited WiFi is but im downloading the viber app to make calls so ill save on that.

and i think theres a way to turn off data to avoid app use when not on wifi but still be able to get texts (not imessage) and calls. right?

Yes, I believe so.

Try going to the "Settings" app on your iphone > Cellular > then toggle cellular data "off" whenever you don't want to use any of your data allotment. This will restrict data usage only when you are on a Wi Fi connection.

You should be able to test that out while you're still in the U.S.

Hope that helps, man.



-Drew

 

[drew]

I see what you mean. Honestly, if it were me, I would go ahead and call AT

not quite sure what unlimited WiFi is but im downloading the viber app to make calls so ill save on that.

In regards to the "Unlimited WiFi", I think that pertains to unlimited use of their international hot spot locations.

"Unlimited Wi-Fi available at participating hotspots in over 18 countries. Requires download and activation of AT&T Passport app. Available for iPhone[emoji]174[/emoji] and iPad[emoji]174[/emoji] with iOS[emoji]174[/emoji] 5 or higher, Android[emoji]8482[/emoji] smartphones with OS 2.2 or higher, and Android tablets with OS 3.2 or higher at participating international hotspots in over 18 countries. See att.com/intlwifi for a list of countries and more information."



-Drew

 

[amarano]

In regards to the "Unlimited WiFi", I think that pertains to unlimited use of their international hot spot locations.

"Unlimited Wi-Fi available at participating hotspots in over 18 countries. Requires download and activation of AT&T Passport app. Available for iPhone[emoji]174[/emoji] and iPad[emoji]174[/emoji] with iOS[emoji]174[/emoji] 5 or higher, Android[emoji]8482[/emoji] smartphones with OS 2.2 or higher, and Android tablets with OS 3.2 or higher at participating international hotspots in over 18 countries. See att.com/intlwifi for a list of countries and more information."



-Drew

i read not to DL the app because it defeats its own purpose i think.

like the app uses all the data the passport plan allots you. 

 

[drew]

In regards to the "Unlimited WiFi", I think that pertains to unlimited use of their international hot spot locations.

"Unlimited Wi-Fi available at participating hotspots in over 18 countries. Requires download and activation of AT

i read not to DL the app because it defeats its own purpose i think.

like the app uses all the data the passport plan allots you. 

True. That does make sense. I think it's best not to use the app as well since the Dominican Republic doesn't have any participating hotspots with AT&T. I did a search on their country list and I couldn't find any local hotspots over there.



-Drew

 

[HNL HI]

Is it a business call or from a friend/family member? Line is good app for texting and calls, if you need WiFi away from the hotel see if there's a place in the airport that rents pocket WiFi.

 

[sneakaprince]

I may sound a lil old but bro trust me when I say if a job wants you they will leave a message.

You can even set an away message saying to leave a message because your out of the country for however long.

I personally started applying for jobs while I was still away from the states for nearly another month. I would check my voicemail from here about 3-4x a day and then would just respond either via email or by call.

 

[AZwildcats]

My phone is unlocked so I just grab a local Sim and pay for however many minutes I think I might need. Did this in Saudi Arabia and Mexico several times

 

[ice city fc]

OP I know you already bought AT&T's International plan but if you're gonna be in DR for more than a month or for anybody else with the service, it's a common misconception that AT&T won't unlock iPhones for free like TMobile. You just have to personally request the unlock, not really a surprise why they wouldn't really advertise this option.

Just go to https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/#/ 

On my iPhone 6 which is still under contract it took about 48hours for them to process it and accept the request.  I've read online they wont always unlock if you're behind on your bill. 

That International plan really isn't that bad at all if you're just gonna be texting and checking email but if you need to talk on the phone or travel a lot or you're going to be out the country for a long time, it's useful since the unlock is permanent and you can just pop in a foreign simcard whichever country you're in and pre-load it with minutes/data pay as you go from now till forever. 

 

[amarano]

appreciate all your responses guys.

I'm only going for a week.

I think I'm going to just stick with the passport plan and turn my data off and use the hotels wifi that we get.

I think I'll be ok, I spoke to someone just now and he said he just used their wifi didn't mention getting any crazy charges.

thanks again. especially drew you been a big help.

 

[airblaster503]

Called ATT.

they set me up with this "Passport Package" for $30.

View media item 1550475

not quite sure what unlimited WiFi is but im downloading the viber app to make calls so ill save on that.

and i think theres a way to turn off data to avoid app use when not on wifi but still be able to get texts (not imessage) and calls. right?

Holy balls those prices on those packages are ridiculous :x

 

[3am scholar]

You can make phonecalls on WhatsApp for free.

 

[Coromanti]

Buy a pay as you go sim card from a local carrier and switch it out for your phone.

When I travel to the Caribbean fam usually brings an older model cell so the likely hood of them having the appropriate sim card is higher and the chances of the phone being robbed is lower and we just switch out the sim card.

 

[drew]

appreciate all your responses guys.

I'm only going for a week.

I think I'm going to just stick with the passport plan and turn my data off and use the hotels wifi that we get.

I think I'll be ok, I spoke to someone just now and he said he just used their wifi didn't mention getting any crazy charges.

thanks again. especially drew you been a big help.

Anytime, man.

I'm happy to help as much as I can.

The best of luck with the job interview and enjoy the trip to D.R.



-Drew