Originally Posted by
pseudoswede
Based on what I see in the PDF file (
here)...
1. Unsure, most likely no. Either back to the US or within the country you are located in.
2. For texts, yes. For talk minutes, most likely.
3. Yes.
4. Unsure, most likely no.
5. Most likely.
Thanks. This is the same PDF/format that's been around for a while. As equally nondescript as it has been in the past. From experience, this sheet speaks more to what it is POSSIBLE to do in those countries than how much it will cost or what plan it will come from.
Originally Posted by
Letitride3c
This so called "Global Bundled" plan is really nothing new, it was available at least 3 or 4 years ago when we're still on VZW with our corporate discount plan, and I had looked into it while we're doing US-based cruises as add-on plans. With data-hungry apps & smartphone running layers in the background, it can easily - if unchecked - easily blow thru 100MB with just a few app "store" update & oops, that's another $25 plus 20% per increments (for taxes, fees & surcharges, etc.) for your client/employer's account, if you are luck enough to not pay for it out of own pocket.
Many FT's can't or won't temporary activate a non-smartphone for travel due to variety of reasons & if you think about it $250 USD for 1 GB of data, which can often be 3G or worst, 2G/Edge depending on the countries & partner arrangement (i.e. Bermuda comes to my mind) - some will do it for convenience vs. pricing, so YMMV. It wasn't that long ago, 6 or 7 years ago, that I can manage a week of calling home from overseas & find directions on Google Map with an unlocked Moto Q - using very little data ... times & things have changed, quite a bit.
We're no longer on CDMA and our primary carrier has been T-Mobile, the key question for VZW is how fast is the data speed while roaming on this global plan.
P.S. I read the PDF/linked info - nothing new, just the same old, same old re-packaged with the new name tag & priced practically same as then.
Perhaps you had a corporate plan that provided the bundle (I myself use a corporate discount, but we just apply it to the publicly-available plans), but the Global Bundle is somewhat new. Here's a BoardingArea blog about it being introduced:
http://theforwardcabin.boardingarea....l-bundle-plan/
The old plan that you describe is data only. I've used it many, many times in the past with great success. Leveraging wifi hotspots, carefully managing your app/sync settings before leaving airplane mode, caching maps for areas you anticipate visiting, etc....just a few months ago I spend 12 days in Swizerland/France/UK checking email, browsing Yelp, and using Google Maps to my heart's content, and I stayed under the 100MB cap. In much of western Europe, the data speeds are usually a very acceptable 3G and often a nice 4G. But again, with data-sipping settings, you notice the slower speeds much less. I'd say my data needs today are more than most peoples' were 3-4 years ago, but even so I don't particularly need 4G speeds when I'm not planning to stream music/video.
But back to my question, I'm interested to know more about the VOICE part of the new plan. I fully understand how the data side works and have never had any issues with it - either functionality or pricing - but if I pay my extra $15 for voice minutes, I'd like to know whether I can use those minutes to call local numbers, which would be my primary use of them (to contact home, I'd be using Skype on wifi).