AstroNee

I want to bring my US iPhone to the UK & France to do these things:

1) voice calls
2) skype calls
3) tether to Mac laptop to use 3G network for internet connection
4) use internet apps (subway maps, GPS/locale apps, etc.)

I do NOT want to pay AT&T massive amounts in data roaming charges. They actually advised me not to bring my phone to Europe (what kind of business model is that?!)

I've heard that I can unlock my iPhone and put a European SIM card in it to use a European carrier while there. This, I understand, gets me the phone service. But what I'd like is a Pay-As-You-Go data plan with that phone service. I will not have Wi-Fi or ethernet access in the flat in London, and really need to tether the phone to the laptop.

I've also heard about jailbreaking, but don't know all the consequences. Can I return/restore my phone when I get home to be able to use iTunes and the Apple App Store again, or will I be forever in mirrored app land?

I've done massive research on this and simply can't find any one set of instructions/info that comprehensively explains what I should do. Anyone who's actually taken their iPhone to Europe, bought a SIM card there, gotten data coverage, and successfully used their phone on return to USA, please, please let me know how you managed it. I truly apperciate your help!

alanRow

<<< (what kind of business model is that?!) >>>

1) company being honest with a customer (novel isn't it)
2) company not wanting another headline about someone with a $20000 bill because they insisted on watching college football on their iphone in Europe.

As to the subject

1) there isn't such a thing as a European Sim. You need a Sim for each country you are visiting
2) you need to jailbreak your phone. This upsets Apple and there's a really good chance that your iphone becomes an expensive paperweight when you get home and there's no guarantee that your iphone will work in Europe
3) you can get packages for overseas use from AT&T for phone calls
4) you can use wi-fi not 3G without problems whilst in Europe.
5) use Skype your iphone to make calls home

My advice, buy a cheap phone when you get to the UK / France, buy a new Sim when you go to the other country and keep your iphone for wi-fi use ONLY.

http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/using...ing-broke.html

hetismij

It might be easier/cheaper to look for a prepaid data plan for the laptop, rather than for the phone.
I don't know what the mobile phone companies offer in Britain and France, but certainly in the Netherlands that is possible. Since most of the companies are multi-national I would imagine they offer the same services in other European countries.
You can buy one, with a dongle modem, from some mobile phone companies.

Cheaper still, buy a cup of coffee at a McDonalds and use their free wifi .

Dukey

When you GET to Europe you will automatically receive a text message whenever you get close to moving from one cell provider to another, crossing borders for example. That message is VERY clear and warns you that the costs of sending and receiving data are (to summarize here) not cheap. Great way to be told when traveling on the Continent, especially by rail, that you've crossed into another country

Marko

use wifi hot spots

elaine

I've carried my iPhone to Europe, my carrier being ATT the whole way, and without wifi my text,email, and data charges were VERY high, even with their so-called international plan. My phone's fetch and push were turned off most of the time.
If I carry the phone and really want all the texting and data and internet features, if I think wifi will not be so available or convenient, I'd buy or lease a local phone, but it is one extra errand.
What I will suggest is that you pay a visit to your local Apple store--they can advise about features and options while traveling. In my experience, don't rely on advice from ATT; their salespeople in stores or by phone, imo either obfuscate or consistently err.

lmhornet

"you need to jailbreak your phone. This upsets Apple"

Gee, that you be terrible. There is nothing illegal about jailbreaking, despite what Apple implies

"there's a really good chance that your iphone becomes an expensive paperweight when you get home and there's no guarantee that your iphone will work in Europe"

This is nonsense. The worst that would happen is that you would have to install 3.1.3.

I think that you are confusing jailbreaking with unlocking. They are not the same thing.

rosiecaro

I would suggest that you go to the Apple store and talk to them you can prepay your data and phone charges then apply to the tune of about 99 cents a minute, but I have done it twice and found it very worth it!

rosiecaro

oops I meant to the AT&T store

julia1

ATT offers international data roaming for about $25 for 20MB and $60 for 50MB. I sign up for this when I'm away in Europe, Asia, etc., then cancel when I return home. The smaller package does me for 2 weeks in Italy, France, UK, etc where I use wi-fi whenever I can and turn on data roaming to use maps, gps, etc. The larger package works for 4 weeks in India, 3 weeks in Iran, Morocco, other places where wi-fi is not as accessible and so I turn on data roaming for checking email, as well as other uses.

Rosie is confusing voice and data, I think, in her advice. You can sign up for international voice package which costs about $6 per month and brings international phone (voice) cost down, but it's still expensive, depending on the country. Data packages are as I stated above, separate from voice.

AstroNee

Thanx to all for your comments. See how there's no consensus? I don't think 50MB will be enough for my photo-heavy blogs, but I get the idea of only using data roaming for the GPS, subway, and currency apps, etc. Man, what a pain. The fact is that Europe had the 3G network for many years before we did, and most carriers there do not charge such outrageous fees as the US carriers do. Which is why the AT&T folks don't want to make it easy to use the iPhone there. Sigh.

I believe Orange works in both the UK and France, and as they are the only 2 countries I'll be in this time, the one SIM card should work. At least for the phone service. I may have to do a separate dongle deal for the laptop data connection. Or travel 8,000 miles to sit in a McDonalds. Oy...

Anyway, thanx again for all the input. I really appreciate it.