Apple must hate international travelers

This is my first trip overseas with my iPhone, and it's hard to express in polite language how disappointed I am with Apple's international data roaming packages. I say "Apple's" instead of "AT&T's" because with my old Blackberry on AT&T I didn't have the problem, so I'm laying the blame at Apple's feet.

What's the problem? The cost. With my old Blackberry, I paid an additional $9.95/month for unlimited data while roaming internationally. With my iPhone, I pay $24.99 per month for just 20MB. Scratch that: Last night I upgraded to the only other plan Apple/AT&T offer: $59.95 per month for 50MB of data (on top of the $40/month I already pay for domestic data).

Sound like a lot of MB? Nope. I hit nearly 10MB in just one day, and that's with Saturday email traffic (not much) and very, very little web browsing. No pictures or attachments.

Apple fan that I am, I'm trying to think of a good reason why it should be so much more expensive to access email and browse the web internationally on my iPhone than it was with my Blackberry. (Same sites, same email volume.) It has put a huge crimp on how I use my iPhone. I'm actually frightened to use it at all, lest I go over the 50MB limit (when overage prices hit $5 to $20 per MB(!!!)).

I love my iPhone, Apple. I'd just like to be able to use it internationally. On the plans you currently offer through AT&T, I can't.

P.S. Don't tell me this is AT&T's fault. Apple has had so much control over everything to do with the relationship that if international roaming is ridiculously pricey, it's with Apple's blessing or direction.

[tomsaccount22]

I totally agree....I'm out of the country 45 days a year ....I no longer carry my iPhone on international trips .....the cost is outrageous! So much so that I may pass on the next generation of iPhone.

[ccoc]

I received this email from AT&T - Translation - AT&T is fed up making refunds but unwilling to fix the problem - just put the burden onto the users to get all the settings correct !! Took me a while to get my $1K refund.

Users will find it easier to unlock the phone and the gray marketers will continue to make a tidy sum.

Solution Apple to sell unlocked phones and allow SIM swaps or get AT&T their ridiculous international









AT&T knows that the mobile Internet on your iPhone is indispensable to you. That's why we want to remind you that international data usage is not covered under your existing U.S. data plan.

Your iPhone provides access to email, Visual Voicemail, Web browsing and other applications that can use a significant amount of data. It's no surprise that you might find yourself using more data than you thought. AT&T wants to let you know of some easy ways to help minimize data usage charges when traveling overseas.



Turn Data Roaming "OFF":
Be sure to download and install the latest version of iPhone software from iTunes. These software updates will enable the ability to turn on/off data roaming when traveling outside the U.S. By default, this setting will be in the "OFF" position.


To turn data roaming "ON/OFF" tap on:
Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming

Utilize WiFi instead of GPRS/EDGE:
WiFi is available in many international airports, hotels and restaurants to browse the Web or check email.

Turn off your iPhone's "Auto-Check" Function for Email:
Data usage from email can accrue quickly. Check email manually using WiFi instead of having emails downloaded to your iPhone automatically. This way you can control the flow of data coming to your iPhone.


To turn off the Auto-Check functionality tap on:
Settings>Mail>Auto-Check and select Manual

Learn More about Our International Data Packages:
Before you travel to one of the countries we cover, learn more about our international data packages to reduce the cost of data usage abroad.

Reset the Usage Tracker to Zero:
When you arrive overseas, you can track estimated data usage in Settings.


Learn more or call 1-866-MOBILITY


contact us privacy policy

Voice and data usage outside the U.S., including data usage incurred from delivery of Visual Voicemail Messages, will be charged at international rates. Data Global Plans for iPhone can be added to the Data Plan for iPhone for reduced data rates in 36 countries. Visual Voicemail Messages received when roaming internationally are charged at international data pay-per-use rates unless the Data Global Plan applies, in which case receipt of Visual Voicemail Messages will decrement kilobytes included in the plan. Substantial charges may be incurred if the phone is taken out of the U.S. even if no services are intentionally used. Data Roaming toggle set to "OFF" will block data roaming (but not Visual Voicemail) outside the U.S., Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, with the exception of Guam or Northern Mariana Islands.

This email was sent to:

You have received this Account Service email because you are a wireless customer of AT&T. You will receive this type of notification to communicate important information about your account, payment and self-service options or updates to your att.com/mywireless account. If you have any questions about how AT&T collects, uses and protects your personal information as a wireless customer, please visit our Privacy Policy at wireless.att.com/privacy.

© 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

AT&T Mobility 5565 Glenridge Connector,
Attention: Suite 1300 Atlanta, GA 30342, United States of America.

[ccoc]

Oops - sorry about the formatting - I guess cut and past destroys it !

[flickrz]

"on top of the $40/month I already pay for domestic data" It seems to be a mistake. Domestically, unlimited data is only $20/month for iPhone. $40/month was for Blackberry and other devices.

[hardmanb]

It's not Apple's fault. The international charges are determined by carriers for all phones. Apple has no control over international charges.

[chumfrombrum]

I thought this would have been an article about the very expensive price of Apple hardware in the UK compared to that in the US. Still, interesting article. Most iphone owners I know have jailbroken their devices for precisely the reasons mentioned in the article.

[jusben1369]

I ran into same problem. I was stunned how fast I was burning through MB's!. I agree with a prior user that I can't imagine it's in either Apple or ATT's control. My best guess was that international carriers probably are scared to death of the iPhone because it's essentially a small computer. You can do a lot more "damage" with an iPhone than a BB just sitting around in a cafe or airport etc.

[aaddpp]

All this news is a real bummer.

I was planning on a switch to iPhone prior to a trip to Europe, but the concept of uncapped data is troubling. I want to use the phone for email, news (RSS would be best), and GPS, but the thought of what attachments, web pages, and transferring Google's maps could do to my bill is not easy to digest. Even a $100 unlimited plan would be OK with me since I can blow close to 30 euros per day on hotel internet access in Europe