iphones

Yes. Yes. No. The same way you do here only if you plug it into the wall you need an adaptor plug. (If you don't travel with a computer then you need to get a dual voltage charger.)

iPhones come with a white charger that can plug directly into a US wall socket, letting your plug the iPhone USB cable into that to charge without a computer.

In Britain, you can use that to charge. You just need a plug adapter to let it fit the UK wall socket. The white charger handles the 220V conversion for you. No need for an additional converter.

iPhones work petty much all over the world, including UK, provided you have Expanded International Roaming active on your account (it's free, check your plan features on your AT&T website page, or contact AT&T to make sure it's activated).

Regarding costs, you'll pay a little extra to call home from over there. You can receive calls to your phone just like you're at home, if Expanded International Roaming is active on your account.

Be careful about data usage over there. At home, data usage is free. You can check e-mail, browse the web all you want, and it doesn't affect your phone bill. But overseas there are HUGE charges to use these data services, unless you buy a "Data Global Add-On".

When I was in Italy recently for 3 weeks, I bought 50 MB of "Global Data" for $60 before left. I only used 35 MB of it and I was able to check my e-mail a couple of times daily, browse the web occasionally, and use the GPS Maps program a couple of times. Most people, for a shorter trip, could get by with 20 MB for $25.

But be careful. If you don't buy global data before you leave, and you use data (e-mail, web, GPS, etc.) over there, it can cost you hundreds of dollars.

Also, keep track of your usage even if you DO buy a global data plan, because if you go over your plan's MB limit, the high charges begin to accumulate.

A free iPhone app (called myWireless) lets you check your current plan usage while you travel, to make sure you don't go over your limit.

When you get home, be sure to turn off the global data plan, or they'll keep charging the $25, or whatever amount you by, monthly until you cancel it.

You can use WIFI for data all you want over there without AT&T charges, when you can find WIFI.

When you're not on WIFI and you try to get data (check e-mail, web browse, etc.), the iPhone will make a phone call to do it. THAT's when it can get expensive if you haven't purchased a global data plan.

To make sure you don't accidentally use data when you don't want to, you have a couple of options:

You can put the phone in airplane mode. But this also cuts off your phone.

A better way is to go to Settings/General/Network and set Data Roaming to Off while you're overseas. Your phone still works for making and receiving calls, but you don't risk using data megabytes when you don't mean to.

If you do want to check e-mail when you're not on WIFI, and you have data plan megabytes available, go back to Settings/General/Network and set Data Roaming to On, check your e-mail, browse the web, whatever, then go back and turn Data Roaming off until the next time you plan to use it.

It will probably always be this way. Apple and AT&T worked a deal to make data usage free in your own country, which makes the iPhone a wonderful, useful thing, but overseas the calls have to go over foreign carriers, and it's THEIR charges that are so high. Nothing AT&T can do about that.

I thought of one last matter: text messages.

Text messages count as phone use, not data plan use.

Don't assume text messages sent while out of the country will be charged the same as the texting plan you have at home, though. On my recent overseas trip, text messages cost me from 25 cents to 50 cents each. Not bad, though, considering how useful they were to keep in touch with others in our group, to find each other, plan where and when to meet for meals, etc.

What about purchasing a local pay-as-you-go (PAYG) SIM card once in Ireland?

Is 3G/Edge data available PAYG on the Ireland cell phone networks?

How does the cost of purchasing a PAYG SIM card in Ireland compare to adding international roaming to your AT&T account?

Thanks!

KC

I can't speak for Ireland, but it was cheaper to get a prepaid SIM in the UK for both calls and data than using a U.S. international plan.

But a quick check of www.vodafone.ie makes it look to me like the same is true for Ireland.

I know Vodafone has service in Ireland. There are other carriers, too, but I don't know them offhand.

Kevin,

You can certainly purchase a PAYG SIM card in Ireland, however if your phone (IPhone or other) is LOCKED, the new card won't work! I don't use an IPhone, but I've heard it's a bit difficult to get them unlocked. YES, the Euro networks have 3G/EDGE data capability - they had that before we did!

Debra,

Your IPhone will certainly work there. You may need to manually change the network when you land in the U.K. (I usually have to do that).

As the others have said, it's VERY important to limit the data use when roaming, as it can be horrendously expensive! I recall one person last year that had a $3000 bill waiting for him when he got home.

I use text messaging extensively when I'm travelling, as it's only 60¢ per message outgoing and free for incoming.

When roaming with your phone, it's IMPORTANT to tell your contacts that you'll be travelling, so that:

• they don't call you at 03:00 as they were too lazy or just didn't bother to check the time difference.

• they don't make frivoulous calls to you while you're travelling, which could cost you as much as $2 per minute!

• they don't send videos or photos to you when you're travelling, which will undoubtedly cost YOU a lot.

Cheers!

"Your IPhone will certainly work there. You may need to manually change the network when you land in the U.K."

When I landed in London in May, all I had to do was take it out of "airplane mode" and my iPhone worked fine. Detected the local network automatically, updated the time, and I was in the phone business.

I have arrived in places where it detected more than one carrier, but it always picks one automatically for me. I don't know if it picks based on signal strength or an agreement AT&T has with different carriers or what. I just go with what it picks for me and everything works fine.

Patrick,

Some phones will automatically search for a network, however I've found on numerous past trips that I have to "force" my phone to search for a network when I land in Europe. This usually only takes a minute or so, and I have to do the same thing when I return home.

DEFINITELY turn the data roaming off. A friend of ours didn't when he went to visit family in India for a month, and all of his work emails downloaded automatically. He came home to a $3000 bill.

Hi Debra,
I used my iPhone last year in London and it definitely works. To avoid major charges, turn off your data roaming. Also, if you recieve a phone call while your phone is turned on and a voicemail message is left, you'll incur international roaming charges on the voicemail. And yes, the entire length of the voicemail. No extra charges if your phone is turned off. I only turned my phone on when I needed to make a call. If you've got unlimited texting, I believe all incoming texts are free and the outgoing ones costs about fifty cents. This year, I plan to use a phone card to control my bill. I will be bringing my iPhone with me just in case though.

Hope this helps :-)

-Alina