Studying abroad, leave IPhone home?

<p>We paid the $10 per month extra to ATT to get the basic 50 texts (40 cents each over 50) so my daughter who is abroad on an internship would be able to text quickly (to me only) from her iPhone 4 if necessary. After she got to Europe, she learned from some others that we could use FaceTime for free to talk iPhone to iPhone as long as we both were on wireless. I hope this is true because we had a lengthy talk the other night. I am dreading seeing the first bill and finding out she was wrong. Anyway, if the FaceTime deal works, I would definitely recommend taking the iPhone.</p>

<p>^^ You can go online to ATT and see what the usage is on that line. It’s worth doing a double check sooner rather than later.</p>

<p>I gave him the option, but with all that’s involved, he decided to leave it home. He thinks two phones will be cumbersome, and he doesn’t see the point. He’ll have to get use to a map, alarm clock, and using the phone to actually make a call. This might not be a bad thing.</p>

<p>I think virtually every cell phone has a built in alarm clock, even the cheap ones, so he likely has that one covered already.</p>

<p>Good! Now at least I don’t have to worry he’ll fall asleep on the train trips!</p>

<p>I’d recommend getting a phone in Europe and getting a plan or a pre-paid SIM card. iphones abroad without data turned off can be outrageously expensive – can be several hundred dollars per week. Even if you turn on the data for email every once in a while, the charges can be substantial. You can also sign up for something called localphone that gives you cheap calls to his local mobile number. I do not know about the Facetime app. That may work. But, my company has paid some very expensive bills the first time a consultant took an iphone overseas. Skype works wonders (on the computer and on an iphone with wifi).</p>

<p>I live in Europe and use a first generation iphone. It picks up wifi around town and I use my local sim. I would take it since it can access the wifi zones. THose zones now seem to be opening up at the airports in this neck of the woods.</p>

<p>AT&T charges 50 cents for outgoing texts internationally and considers incoming as part of your texting package. Most kids have unlimited texting, so incoming would be free.</p>

<p>Verizon charges 25 cents for outgoing texts internationally and 20 cents incoming.</p>

<p>Texting isn’t the problem; it’s the data usage.</p>

<p>Your son is right; he should leave the iPhone home.</p>

<p>All these discussions about various ways of limiting phone uses to only wifi is making me rethink allowing my daughter taking her droid phone to Europe. We’ll play with the phone configurations at home to see how it works. It may be nice to allow her at least Skype and email over wifi. Sigh, they seem so lost without their electronic toys that it is more pathetic than comical. I can survive just fine with the prepaid SIM card for my own use.</p>

<p>I agree ccreader, too many toys, but not at this expense.</p>

<p>I asked my son. He said if your iPhone is in airplane mode when you turn it off it is still in airplane mode when you turn it back on.</p>

<p>I’ve talked to the worm most days while he’s abroad, and he’s used the iphone4 as camera. I will let you know cost. This thread has prepared me for the worst. Still, I’d rather run up a phone bill & e available. I did add world wide coverage for $5/month, but he says he’d rather call when gets back.</p>