Switching between AT&T's global data plan - permitted?
#1
Original Poster




Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plt
Posts: 2,613
Switching between AT&T's global data plan - permitted?
I'm getting fed up with Verizon's lousy global phone selection and thinking of moving to AT&T. Currently, I spend every other month in the US and have Verizon switch me in between a domestic calling plan when I'm in the US and a GlobalData plan outside the US. This works well. AT&T has a similar deal (price-wise) and I have a corporate account. But it's unclear whether you can switch back and forth easily. Anyone have recent experience with this?
Thanks
Thanks
#2


Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,077
many (probably almost all) people who subscribe to the $65 unlimited int'l data get it with a one year commitment.
That said, I have never had a problem switching back to the domestic plan. I just call 611 and they switch it back.
the process of putting it on/taking it off, can take anywhere from 10-25 minutes on the phone. So if you are going to be doing a lot of back and forth, I would recommend just keeping it on.
That said, I have never had a problem switching back to the domestic plan. I just call 611 and they switch it back.
the process of putting it on/taking it off, can take anywhere from 10-25 minutes on the phone. So if you are going to be doing a lot of back and forth, I would recommend just keeping it on.
#3


Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,676
If you have an unlimited global data plan on either network, I would urge you to consider just leaving it on. ATT just cancelled its domestic unlimited data plan and probably reconsidering its international options. If you get it on ATT, there are always issues about whether you are a corporate responsibility account, whether your FAN includes it, or whether you can persuade them without a FAN. If you get it, you've got it unless you cancel it. If you cancel it, you will need to revisit that issue and may not be grandfathered if it is every pulled.
I have to imagine Verizon is reconsidering the unlimited situation as well. Rumors are already floating that Verizon may pull the domestic unlimited plans and copy ATT. While I appreciate the $35 a month savings for many months, figure out the cost of data roaming if you don't have the plan. My most recent trip to South Africa involved 850 megs of data on my iPhone. The rack rate for this would be over $12,000. I'm not going to jeopardize this to potentially save a couple of hundred bucks for the months I don't travel.
I could go with prepaid SIMs (which I often use for voice) when I land, but it is usually a day or two before I get those SIMs, the data plans may not be great deals, and there are frequently Government mandated registration requirements with the SIM.
I frequently can make VOIP calls over 3g and that is a nice savings. I can use GVMobile to trigger callback calls to my roaming SIM reducing my cost for outbound calls to the US to under 20 cents a minute in many countries.
If I were you, I'd leave my plan on 24/7 unless you are really hurting for money.
I have to imagine Verizon is reconsidering the unlimited situation as well. Rumors are already floating that Verizon may pull the domestic unlimited plans and copy ATT. While I appreciate the $35 a month savings for many months, figure out the cost of data roaming if you don't have the plan. My most recent trip to South Africa involved 850 megs of data on my iPhone. The rack rate for this would be over $12,000. I'm not going to jeopardize this to potentially save a couple of hundred bucks for the months I don't travel.
I could go with prepaid SIMs (which I often use for voice) when I land, but it is usually a day or two before I get those SIMs, the data plans may not be great deals, and there are frequently Government mandated registration requirements with the SIM.
I frequently can make VOIP calls over 3g and that is a nice savings. I can use GVMobile to trigger callback calls to my roaming SIM reducing my cost for outbound calls to the US to under 20 cents a minute in many countries.
If I were you, I'd leave my plan on 24/7 unless you are really hurting for money.
#4
Original Poster




Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plt
Posts: 2,613
If you have an unlimited global data plan on either network, I would urge you to consider just leaving it on. ATT just cancelled its domestic unlimited data plan and probably reconsidering its international options. If you get it on ATT, there are always issues about whether you are a corporate responsibility account, whether your FAN includes it, or whether you can persuade them without a FAN. If you get it, you've got it unless you cancel it. If you cancel it, you will need to revisit that issue and may not be grandfathered if it is every pulled.
I have to imagine Verizon is reconsidering the unlimited situation as well. Rumors are already floating that Verizon may pull the domestic unlimited plans and copy ATT. While I appreciate the $35 a month savings for many months, figure out the cost of data roaming if you don't have the plan. My most recent trip to South Africa involved 850 megs of data on my iPhone. The rack rate for this would be over $12,000. I'm not going to jeopardize this to potentially save a couple of hundred bucks for the months I don't travel.
I could go with prepaid SIMs (which I often use for voice) when I land, but it is usually a day or two before I get those SIMs, the data plans may not be great deals, and there are frequently Government mandated registration requirements with the SIM.
I frequently can make VOIP calls over 3g and that is a nice savings. I can use GVMobile to trigger callback calls to my roaming SIM reducing my cost for outbound calls to the US to under 20 cents a minute in many countries.
If I were you, I'd leave my plan on 24/7 unless you are really hurting for money.
I have to imagine Verizon is reconsidering the unlimited situation as well. Rumors are already floating that Verizon may pull the domestic unlimited plans and copy ATT. While I appreciate the $35 a month savings for many months, figure out the cost of data roaming if you don't have the plan. My most recent trip to South Africa involved 850 megs of data on my iPhone. The rack rate for this would be over $12,000. I'm not going to jeopardize this to potentially save a couple of hundred bucks for the months I don't travel.
I could go with prepaid SIMs (which I often use for voice) when I land, but it is usually a day or two before I get those SIMs, the data plans may not be great deals, and there are frequently Government mandated registration requirements with the SIM.
I frequently can make VOIP calls over 3g and that is a nice savings. I can use GVMobile to trigger callback calls to my roaming SIM reducing my cost for outbound calls to the US to under 20 cents a minute in many countries.
If I were you, I'd leave my plan on 24/7 unless you are really hurting for money.
Right now with Verizon it's easy enough to call and change at-will but if they turned unlimited off, I'd stay 100% on GlobalEmail.
#6

Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: The People's Republik of MSN
Programs: Hilton Diamond. Anti-Apostheid Platinum, PWP CentCom
Posts: 4,768
If you have an unlimited global data plan on either network, I would urge you to consider just leaving it on. ATT just cancelled its domestic unlimited data plan and probably reconsidering its international options. If you get it on ATT, there are always issues about whether you are a corporate responsibility account, whether your FAN includes it, or whether you can persuade them without a FAN. If you get it, you've got it unless you cancel it. If you cancel it, you will need to revisit that issue and may not be grandfathered if it is every pulled.
#7
Original Poster




Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plt
Posts: 2,613
It's disappointing especially since HTC has a WinMo phone (Touch Pro 2) that can be hacked to run Android. Unfortunately, it won't work with the Verizon SIM card though.
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: San Rafael, CA
Programs: Life SPG Plat, 7X NH DIA
Posts: 2,840
AT&T still offers an unlimited domestic plan to corporate responsible business accounts. I just upgraded to an iPhone 4, and I was offered Enterprise 200MB ($25?), Enterprise 2GB ($35?), or Enterprise "unlimited" (aka 5GB) ($40). Then, there's the Enterprise "unlimited" international at $65 with 1-yr commitment, or the other international data add-on packs for the infrequent international traveler.
Yes, 1 year commits required for this.
I have 2 intl unlimited "iPhones". One just has a much larger screen, no camera and a home made micro sim

Cheers,
Scho
#9

Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: The People's Republik of MSN
Programs: Hilton Diamond. Anti-Apostheid Platinum, PWP CentCom
Posts: 4,768
Not for large business customers, as of one week ago. I did my iPhone preorder on AT&T's website on 6/15, and was offered the unlimited international data option.
#10
Original Poster




Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plt
Posts: 2,613
Actually after stopping in the store today, they reiterated the unlimited global data is gone for most users. Corporate Responsibility Users (ie., direct billed to your company) are eligible for an unlimited Blackberry data plan only although I'd bet they can't really tell if you're using it in another device. So I'm out of luck for now it seems.
#11




Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Nomad
Programs: AA MM EP, QF Gold, UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LTT, HH Gold, National Exec, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,117
Actually after stopping in the store today, they reiterated the unlimited global data is gone for most users. Corporate Responsibility Users (ie., direct billed to your company) are eligible for an unlimited Blackberry data plan only although I'd bet they can't really tell if you're using it in another device. So I'm out of luck for now it seems.
And make sure you're talking to the international support people. AFAIK, store employees haven't been able to add it for a while. If you dial 611 from your phone, you can ask to be transferred to the international support folks. I lost the unlimited international data plan when I upgraded to the iPhone 4 and called in to re-add it on July 6th. They were quite happy to add it again with a new one-year commitment, but I had to fight a bit to not be put on a new one-year contract for it (since I'd already had it on my iPhone 3G for more than a year and involuntarily lost it when I upgraded).
#13


Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,676
My wife has ATT Blackberry International w/o voice. We pay $69 (not sure about the cents) for it opposed to $64 if you had a voice plan. Her account is opened up for PAYG voice. It costs something like $0.45 a minute, but she pays the same roaming rates as anyone else. We may pay an extra $2.00 in service fees for that service, but roaming sims don't have perfect reliability and I wanted her to have a something that worked like a Swiss watch if she got stranded in Timbuktu.
#14
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: ABJ
Posts: 755
My wife has ATT Blackberry International w/o voice. We pay $69 (not sure about the cents) for it opposed to $64 if you had a voice plan. Her account is opened up for PAYG voice. It costs something like $0.45 a minute, but she pays the same roaming rates as anyone else. We may pay an extra $2.00 in service fees for that service, but roaming sims don't have perfect reliability and I wanted her to have a something that worked like a Swiss watch if she got stranded in Timbuktu.
the above mentioned data only plan is strictly for business lines or can anyone get it; i already have access to a at&t family line..
thank you again for your assistance!
#15
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: ABJ
Posts: 755
Sadly no, no dual GSM/CDMA phones and none in the pipeline either. That's the primary reason I'm about to leave Verizon. They have three months until my contract is up!
It's disappointing especially since HTC has a WinMo phone (Touch Pro 2) that can be hacked to run Android. Unfortunately, it won't work with the Verizon SIM card though.
It's disappointing especially since HTC has a WinMo phone (Touch Pro 2) that can be hacked to run Android. Unfortunately, it won't work with the Verizon SIM card though.
(if u cannot find it let me know; i can probably get 1 for you BUT you will need to know if you can add unlocked phones onto your carrier)
Good Luck

EDIT: specs for Telus TP2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZLrLcbMU6A
EDIT2: a better site with all the specs including bands; http://www.htc.com/ca/products/touch...lus#tech-specs
Last edited by aly; Jul 13, 2010 at 12:33 pm

