Has anyone used Verizon in Europe without turning on Travel Pass? Their website says that you can do this and shows a per text charge (as well as talk and data). If the only thing we want to do is to send/receive a few texts for one or two days, wouldn't that be cheaper than paying $10 per day? Seems like we could turn on data roaming to send/receive texts and then turn off.
Am I missing something?
Thanks!
If you have Wifi at your location you and your friends can use Whatsapp for text, voice, video chat at no cost at all. It is also end to end encryted for privacy and security.
From this link regarding Pay As You Go service -- https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/international-travel/
Depending on where you heading you are looking at $1.79 to $2.99 per minute for talk; $0.50 for texts you send and $0.05 that you receive; and data $2.05 per MB. If you intend to go that route, I would make sure my data was turned off. And be careful that you do not get a surprise in you bill.
Personally I like having travel pass available when I am traveling. I've been fortunate with WiFi coverage and usage most places I have been, but the times its not been available I have been happy to pay the $10.
You can also setup Google Voice before you leave. Then you can use the Google Voice app to text US phone numbers for free (maybe receive international texts too, not sure about sending). I.e. if you need to text someone in the US on their phone, you can text them with your new Google Voice number. The person you are texting does not need to have Google Voice on their phone. You would be using a new phone number (free, from Google), not your Verizon number.
You'd need WiFi to use this however.
WhatsApp is a better choice for messaging folks in Europe, because it is pretty popular there. But as I understand it, the person you are messaging must also be signed up with WhatsApp. (Not true for Google Voice, but few Europeans will have that.)
Keep in mind that you’d only pay for the days you actually have the travel pass activated. Also, Facebook messenger will work on WiFi if the people you want to message are on it.
We used Viber (a free app for calls and texts) during our most recent trip to Europe and it worked well with no "surprise" charges showing up on our Verizon bill!
Has anyone used Verizon in Europe without turning on Travel Pass?
Yes, I am a Verizon customer, currently in Germany. I have been sending texts on wifi and placing wifi calls, both of which are free. Phone is always in airplane mode.
I have a 2nd phone with a European SIM (Vodafone UK) that I use when I don't have good wifi.
That is exactly what we did. We used wifi for everything else and loaded maps on wifi and used that while out for the day. We had to text a few tour operators and did send a couple home, total cost less than $5 for 3 weeks. The next trip we did have to make a few phone calls (broken water heater, cold showers are no fun.) cost less than $15 for 3 weeks. Still cheaper than turning on travel pass, $10/day/phone. There were 4 verizon phones on our plan all in Europe, when one phone turns on it would be $40 for the day. I asked verizon repeatedly and they confirmed it would not be for use the one phone but every phone that was in Europe even if it was turned off.
Travel pass is part of our account but neither of us has ever had to use it.
When you have Wi-Fi access, send & receive your texts.
Remember to turn your phone on airplane mode as well as turn cellular data off when the door closes as your transatlantic flight begins. I like doing both as it is a redundancy in case by accident I turn off one of them by mistake.
Whoa northwestern. Verizon charges the travel pass to each phone even if not turned on???? I have Tmobile but traveling companions will have Verizon. I'm used to using wifi as well (because I used to have att). Think I will go with suggestion to use wifi only and not add travel pass. We have about a half day window where we are both in Europe and not in the same location on the day we arrive. Coming from west coast and midwest separately. Was thinking I would tell them to just turn travel pass on and use for day one. What if second phone is turned completely off? That's crazy!
My husband and I both had travelpass on our phones for trips to Europe(the past 3 years). We were only charged the $10.00 for the phone that was used. I had it on my phone in case that I needed it, and as I always had it in airplane mode, I was never charged. I wonder if the poster talked to Verizon at the local branch, or called the international number. I feel that you get the most accurate info from calling the Verizon international number.
Verizon charges the travel pass to each phone even if not turned
on????....That's crazy
Of course it's "crazy". Why? Because it is absolutely not true. I wrote that in my post above. We've had it on our account for a few years and have yet to use it. Travel Pass only charges the customer once the customer USES DATA, not when the phone is turned off. Google is your friend. :-)
And FYI.....I had turned off my airplane mode by mistake on a trip and didn't do the double redundancy of having cellular data deactivated too. All of a sudden I saw I was getting cellular service and immediately saw that airplane mode was deactivated. I reactivated it. When I returned home, I contacted Verizon and told them of this mistake and they took off the $10 fee from my bill.
There were 4 verizon phones on our plan all in Europe, when one phone
turns on it would be $40 for the day. I asked verizon repeatedly and
they confirmed it would not be for use the one phone but every phone
that was in Europe even if it was turned off.
You were given the wrong information; perhaps the agent thought that you asked if you would still be charged the $10 fee per 24 hours even if you used data for a short while & had the phone mostly turned off in that 24 hour period. The FAQs are on the Verizon Wireless page.
https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/travelpass-faqs/
How does TravelPass work and when will I be charged for it?
You're only charged for the days that you use your device in a
TravelPass country. A 24-hour TravelPass session starts automatically
when you make or receive a phone call, send a text or use data.
Thanks everyone especially Diane and Continental for the clarification. Sounds like what we plan to do will work fine. (I have tMobile btw which is awesome for travel; couple with us have Verizon).
