Verizon Travel Pass welcome message

This plan is pure , unadulterated RIP OFF !! A Verizon monthly international add on plan is $40 / month , this is $300 / month . Read this article - https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2015/11/12/is-verizons-travelpass-worth-it/#2828103a146f

I should add that we absolutely have no plans to use this every day. We intend to keep our phones in airplane mode and rely on wifi, just as we did on our previous trip abroad. I've enabled Travel Pass in case of some dire need to contact each other or as an occasional convenience to make a reservation or some such.

Even with the minimal use you will have for the phone , the 40 / month plan would give you far more flexibility . Two or three calls or a reservation or two during your trip would equal the monthly fee rather than watching the meter at 10 / day

I recently used Travel Pass in Greece. . If you leave cellular turned off and use Wifi only, you will not receive a text from Verizon or activate the $10/day charge. As soon as you turn on cellular you receive the text and will be charged $10 for the next 24 hours. I used it for 3 days and had absolutely no problems.

We used the similar ATT plan recently. I only needed to use phone/cellular two days, so spent $20. Of course it would not be cost effective for a whole month. I only got the welcome message when I turned off airplane mode that first day of use.

Thanks for the clarifications! Exactly what I needed to know and what to expect.

This doesn't exactly answer your question but I have the $25/month Verizon international plan. You have to go deep into their website to find it.
I am keeping my phone on airplane mode all the time unless I have wifi. So I get the welcome text message when I am in a new country because I do have phone connectivity. I have it as an emergency back-up and for some data in case I am hopelessly lost and need to access maps!
It has worked for me before, and it may be unnecessary with the increasing prevalence of wifi, but it's worth it to not have a giant unwelcome surprise whe I get home.

I am able to turn on WiFi without turning off airplane mode, although no-one seems to believe me.

Whatcha talkin' about, Willis? I'm running wifi in airplane mode right now.

I also received multiple Verizon messages on my phone offering the $10/day while running wifi only. I didn't turn data on for the five weeks I was in Europe.

Stan and Nance: That's exactly how we plan to handle it most of the time. On our previous trip, we were in airplane mode, but using wifi the whole time. I'm just putting the Verizon option in as a backup.

So, Nance, you got the message from Verizon without turning on your cellular data at all, just wifi?

It is my understanding that you can receive text messages from anyone without the plan being activated. However, if you send a text, open your email, or access the internet you automatically activate the plan.

Stoutfella - yep! Msg arrived via wifi. I didn't use data for five weeks. I sent no texts but was able to open email on my tablet using wifi with no extra charges. I used fb messenger and what'sapp for communicating with friends over there and landlady as well as family back in the states. I did call Verizon before I left to let them know I would be traveling with my phone.

Sounds good. Thanks!

Now I am getting confused again! With the Travel Pass, is the most I could get charged $10 a day if I DID do something that caused me to receive the welcome text? We will be in Hungary, Austria and Germany and our total trip is 12 days including travel to and from the US. So I was budgeting a possible max of $100 for cell phone use for our two iPhones on the Verizon plan. Is that right? Thanks!

It's a lot of money only if you use it every day. The whole point is that it's for emergency use, or planned use, like a day when you need navigation for a long drive somewhere. This is the option we choose for my phone when we travel. Last trip I turned it on for one day. The rest of the time it's on airplane mode. It is the best option for some people.

stoutfella - Don't worry about getting Verizon's welcome message. If you've take the steps they sent you to change the settings on your phone, you'll be fine if you need it.

Thank you!

Quick update: We were in Italy 12 days. I turned on cellular on my phone for our last day when I wanted to have turn-by-turn navigation while on our own in Rome. Directions from Google Maps are the subject of another post, but the Verizon service was seamless and I turned off cellular before turning in for the night. I expect a total charge of $10. Otherwise, the three of us relied on free wifi at hotels and didn't much miss it elsewhere, since we were so busy seeing and doing. I used citymaps2go most every day and it worked just fine in airplane mode.

When I turned on cellular Sunday morning in Rome, I got a free "welcome to Italy" message from Verizon. I turned off cellular Sunday night. When I turned it back on Monday upon arrival in U.S., I received the "1-hour remaining" message that had been sent earlier.

Bottom line, the Verizon Travel Pass was a good option to have. Definitely wouldn't have been cost-effective for everyday usage, but great for an easy way to use my regular cellular service for a day or two here and there.

I have used the Verizon Travel Pass in Europe. I don't know if everyone realizes that the $10.00 charge is per device. We both had our phones with us, but told relatives to only call my phone. My husband had his with in case we needed it in an emergency.

We have often gotten conflicting information from Verizon when just calling their regular telephone number. And almost always incorrect info when dealing with in store personnel. They do have a Global Customer Service dept. that has always given us straight answers. Try 1-800-711-8300 and see if they can clarify things for you.