iPHone 6 use in Paris, with ATT?

Old Aug 30th, 2015, 01:23 PM
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iPHone 6 use in Paris, with ATT?

Last time we went to Paris, 4 years ago, it seems to me I had to go thru quite a few steps to insure that I didn't get major charges on my iPhone, but that I could still use it in WiFi areas.

I know to turn off "data roaming." And I know to go on airplane mode, but is there more? I don;'t want to have a phone to use. If we decide we need that, we have a European phone we can take and get a SIM card in Paris. I just want the iPhone to make plans and look at maps etc, in WiFi areas.

Can someone point me to a thread which answers my questions? I've looked and can't quite seem to gt the answers. Maybe things have changed. I'll have my iPhone 5s with me. Many thanks
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Old Aug 30th, 2015, 01:23 PM
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Woops! my title is incorrect. It's an iPhone 5s,not a 6
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Old Aug 30th, 2015, 02:14 PM
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If you use the iPhone 6 in a WiFi zone, then there shouldn't be a problem, but that leaves the iPhone rather useless everywhere else. Just something more to pack around.

With T-Mobile, you would be able to use the iPhone on a regular basis as all data and messinging are free, and you would have free WiFi calling (currently only offered by T-Mobile). Local calls would only be $0.20/minute when not in a WiFi zone.
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Old Aug 30th, 2015, 02:17 PM
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Using the iPhone 5s would be the same as using the iPhone 6. You can use it only in a WiFi zone without facing the steep charges from AT&T.
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Old Aug 31st, 2015, 03:08 AM
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The problem with recommending any US carrier for its travel convenience is that the coverage and reliability of carriers differs wildly in the US, no matter whose network they might be on.

Where I live, Verizon service is excellent, but seven miles away, there is no signal. When we wintered in Florida, we could make ATT calls in the bedroom but not from the living room.

This is simply an area where the rest of the world has left us behind.
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Old Aug 31st, 2015, 07:09 AM
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With AT&T you can buy a month of data for use in Europe. I think that 120 MB for 1 month costs about. $30. When you get to Paris, turn off data roaming. You can use wi-Fi when available for free, so do most of your research at your hotel or apartment ( assuming wi-Fi is provided). When you're out in the city and need some info, turn on data roaming briefly and use the cell provided data (part of your 120 MB). When you're finished with this, turn data roaming off. You can reset your data usage to 0 when you land so that you can track how much data you've used.

Hope this helps.
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Old Aug 31st, 2015, 07:19 AM
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120MB is nothing, you can use that up really quickly even if you shut the roaming off most of the time. That said, it's still better than no plan and see if ATT will have a similar price for overages (IE 30 bucks per 120MB).

Sprint just started a plan, for certain countries (not France, but works in London) which is 30 bucks for 1GB of data - which is probably good for a week if you shut off data most of the time.
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Old Aug 31st, 2015, 08:26 PM
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As long as you turn your data off and leave it off, you will not incur any data charges. You will still be able to make calls, send and receive texts and use your phone on wifi without doing anything else. Go to settings, then cellular, flip the cellular data button to off, that also turns data roaming off. I have an iPhone and ATT and have used it in Europe a few times.
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Old Aug 31st, 2015, 08:32 PM
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Just to add, you do not need to put the phone in airplane mode. Doing that turns off texting, wifi, calling......the only step I've taken is to turn off cellular data. I do this before the plane leaves my home airport and don't turn it back on until we land back in the U.S.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 03:23 AM
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Airplane mode doesn't turn off wifi. It turns off texting, data services and talking. If you leave talking turned on, you'll have to pay fairly high fees for phone calls from wrong numbers, people who don't know you're on holiday, your dentist, etc.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 07:51 PM
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I took an iPhonet4S to France in May and June (AT&T let me unlock it but I think yours is already unlocked) and when I got there, bought an Orange SIM card for $10 and a 2 gb data plan for about $30. I could call and text anywhere In France and used it to make dinner reservations and call our B&B's. I was also able to use Google maps for directions while walking around or in the car when our GPS sent us off on some back road to nowhere. I felt it was well worth the investment, and there were cheaper plans with less data. We used FaceTime, Skype, or Viber for video calls home to the U.S.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 07:51 PM
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I took an iPhonet4S to France in May and June (AT&T let me unlock it but I think yours is already unlocked) and when I got there, bought an Orange SIM card for $10 and a 2 gb data plan for about $30. I could call and text anywhere In France and used it to make dinner reservations and call our B&B's. I was also able to use Google maps for directions while walking around or in the car when our GPS sent us off on some back road to nowhere. I felt it was well worth the investment, and there were cheaper plans with less data. We used FaceTime, Skype, or Viber for video calls home to the U.S.
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Old Sep 1st, 2015, 07:57 PM
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I forgot to say that when we went to Italy last year, we just bought the AT&T international text plan. They did not explain that because our trip occurred across 2 different billing cycles that we would be charged twice even though we were only gone for 19 days. Personally I don't think their international calling plan is worth the cost. The one we looked at only covered calls to the US, not within the foreign country we were visiting. It is easy and free to make voice or video calls home using FaceTime, etc. as long as you have WiFi.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 02:01 AM
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if you want to use data, and your phone is unlocked, buy a sim-only data plan. About 24 - 30 euros gets you 1gb that way.

I was in the Aveyron two weeks ago for two weeks and I bought 500mb via T Mobile. I used up everything, and I was partly on wifi, shut of data for the most part etc. You'll burn through 120mb incredibly quickly, especially if you use your data for wayfinding with Google Maps.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 02:11 AM
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ie, buy a physical sim card in Paris.

for instance

https://www.bouyguestelecom.fr/carte-prepayee

they've got physical shops: pop in your card, activate it and you're done. That 40 euros 2GB deal seems pretty ok.
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Old Sep 3rd, 2015, 03:39 PM
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When I turn airplane mode on on my iPhone 4s, wifi gets turned off. I can go in and turn it back on if I choose.
Just go in and turn cellular data off and you'll be fine. You can reset the data usage before you leave and check it periodically for peace of mind. You can also go in and turn cellular data off for each app. I do this for e-mail since I don't like e-mails downloaded onto my phone constantly.
Go into settings, cellular, scroll down to the list of apps. There is 'use cellular data for".....you can turn them all off individually.
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