Avoiding cell phone charges while abroad

Talk to Verizon, tell them you are going abroad for an extended period. They should then unlock your phone so you can use a SIM card you can buy in Europe. Verizon will probably try to talk you into one of their SIMs for international travel but the ones in Europe are much cheaper.

Alternately, you can buy an international phone with a SIM or just the SIM card if your phone is International frequency capable.

I kept my old Blackberry, unlocked it, and installed a SIM from Mobal based in the UK. No data, which is fine by me, but you can use the phone anywhere in the world.

Per call charges are a bit steep but it works everywhere no matter what and there is no monthly (or even yearly) cost. Just fire up the phone and call, put it back in your suitcase when you get home.They bill you at the end of whatever month you make a call with the phone for the call time charges only, and don't bill you any month you don't use the phone.

It's a great backup or emergency phone ... even in North America. It connects to the nearest tower regardless of provider. It willl work every time anywhere on the planet where any tower is within range.

If you want data, or expedt to make a lot of calls, you should look at the European SIM option though.

gordguide wrote:

Talk to Verizon, tell them you are going abroad for an extended period. They should then unlock your phone so you can use a SIM card you can buy in Europe. Verizon will probably try to talk you into one of their SIMs for international travel but the ones in Europe are much cheaper.

work every time anywhere on the planet where any tower is within range.

All Verizon iPhone 5s are sold unlocked. No further action is required.

Well, I would disagree that "no further action is required" or "no airplane mode is needed".

She should enable Airplane Mode when she boards the aircraft, and as for further action, she needs to find a SIM once in Europe, install it, and then use the phone.

She might even consider removing the Verizon SIM before she leaves home, so it won't be lost.

And to be clear, the OP never asked about how to use the phone to make calls or receive data, rather the quesiton specifically is how to use the phone without either, so to be fair, the first two replies ("turn on airplane mode" and "turn on WiFi") are the correct answers to the question as posed.

Neither my reply or the two I'm referring to solved the actual question, but they are worth knowing.

gordguide wrote:

Well, I would disagree that "no further action is required" or "no airplane mode is needed".

Ok, if you want to be picky, "No further action is required to unlock the phone".

Neither my reply or the two I'm referring to solved the actual question, but they are worth knowing.

I was not replying to the original poster. I was replying to you because you gave incorrect information.

Yes, well, if answering the OPs question is being picky, then I do want to be picky.

But thanks for clarifying that no further action *for Verizon customers* is required to unlock *an iPhone 5*.

As for my "incorrect information" it's the right procedure. If the phone is already unlocked the provider will tell you that, if it isn't you need to contact them and get it unlocked. And if you state that you are travelling abroad then every provider will unlock the phone; if you don't many won't. And it applies to every phone with a SIM, not just an iPhone 5.

If that's "incorrect" to you then fine, I guess we disagree. For some reason I just assumed you got your 27000 points by being specific.

gordguide wrote:

As for my "incorrect information" it's the right procedure. If the phone is already unlocked the provider will tell you that, if it isn't you need to contact them and get it unlocked. And if you state that you are travelling abroad then every provider will unlock the phone; if you don't many won't. And it applies to every phone with a SIM, not just an iPhone 5.

If you want to be specifi about answering a question, don't give general answers that don't apply. The OP stated they had a Verizon iPhone 5. The Verizon iPhone 5 is unlocked. It does not need to be unlocked. General information about getting phones unlocked is not pertinent.

And, no, every provider will NOT unlock a phone is you say you are traveling abroad. AT&T will only unlock a phone at the end of a contract. Verizon will only unlock locked phones if you are a customer in good standing for at least 60 days and will only do one unlock per mobile number per year.

Put it in Airplane mode, then turn wifi back on.

Settings > Airplane Mode > ON

You can then turn on WiFi if you want it.

The sim slot in your phone is officially unlocked right out of the gate. Just purchase a local sim when you get where you're going. That's all you have to do. No Airplane mode needed.

Good then. Soon to be 28000 I see. Glad to have you around.