Best way to not get charged for calls/updating etc from my ATT iPhone?

I face this issue often. My tips: - disable Data Roaming. Triple check it is disabled before closing the screen. That will avoid problems with data traffic. - un-check Push Notifications

How do I disable roaming?

Airplane mode and wifi is the way to go. I leave push notifications off regularly because of battery suckage. Skype App (and purchase some minutes before you go). $10 will give you 6 hours of wifi to land line calls back home, a great deal. When you are able to get a decent wifi connection you can check emails and make calls. Getting a good connection and being able to log in can be hit and miss.

Thanks Richard! I just wanted to make sure Airplane mode will prevent all (cellular) things from getting through...texts, calls, etc.

When I have traveled with m iPhone I make sure data roaming is turned off. That way I can still send a text message or make a phone call, but those are less expensive than data transfers and won't happen without my knowledge like an might. Putting it into airplane mode is a more extreme version, as the phone functionality won't work either. You could do that, though, and just take it out of airplane mode if you find you need to use the phone or text. I was in Switzerland for two weeks this summer, sent and received probably a total of 20 text messages and had a couple of shortish phone calls to the US. Phone bill was higher than usual but by less than $100 (maybe even less than $50, can't remember now). Definitely not a thousand.

Turn Airplane Mode on. Doing so will automatically disable WiFi, but you can turn WiFi on manually. As an extra precaution, go to Settings > General > Network, and make sure Data Roaming is turned off.

Jennifer, go to the AT&T web site and read all of the info that they publish on using your phone overseas. Also note that you can download aps that you can use that don't require you to use data; translator aps, subway route aps, etc. You can buy prepaid data also, but you must be very careful, or you may go "over" and face a huge bill. I needed my phone to receive calls from home, so I paid $5.99 (called World Traveler) and they reduced the rate from $1.99/minute to 99 cents a minute. I also paid a few $$$ for a reduced rate (called Global Messenger) for texts (each one averaged around 20 cents. ) Please note that all calls to your phone from friends, etc(even though you may not pick up your phone!) will be charged at the overseas rate unless you transfer your number to something like Google voice mail, etc. Go to the AT&T web site and do some reading. And read the info at this blog: http://www.lodgephoto.com/blog/set-up-iphone-for-europe-travel-save-money/277/

Disable "Cellular Data" and certainly disable "Data Roaming" - I never enable data roaming even at home anyway. We brought our iPhones to Europe over the past two weeks and they were nice to have when we found a restaurant that had free wifi (Pret in London has free wifi, just register online at "The Cloud" for a free login).