3 Messages
Turn off Data in Account Settings to Avoid International Data Roaming?
I am planning to travel abroad and buy a local SIM for data. My goal is to avoid all roaming charges, but still have my ATT line active for Wi-Fi calling and so that I can still receive iMessages to my main number using the foreign data plan. I have spent a long time browsing similar posts on this and other forums, and the feedback from experienced community members seems to be that there is no surefire way to accomplish what I want - even with roaming turned off in my iPhone settings, the foreign SIM set as the data SIM, and extreme diligence, there is an inexplicable and unavoidable chance of tiny data leaks resulting in roaming charges. Short of disabling my ATT SIM or remaining in airplane mode, there appears to be no solution.
I called ATT customer service to ask if there was anything they could do on their end to block international roaming services for my account, and they said all I had to do was set my phone settings as I described above. Frankly, I don't know who to believe.
I see there is an option in my account settings to disable data access for my line (including domestically). Is anyone able to confirm that this would accomplish what I want? I would plan on doing this at the airport while connected to Wi-Fi, and I would need to redo it at the end of the billing period because it says ATT will automatically re-enable data at that time. This is an inconvenient nuclear option but I'm willing to deal with it.
I am extremely frustrated with ATT for making this so complicated.
Accepted Solution
Fl_retire
ACE - Professor
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3.1K Messages
3 months ago
This is what I do when traveling overseas.
1. Go into Settings>Cellular>Turn On This Line. Slide the bar to OFF for the AT&T line and turn off the phone or place the phone in airplane mode if using it while on the aircraft. This is procedure turns off this line.
2. Once the local SIM is installed you can toggle either line on and off. Turn on the At&T line and off the local SIM when on WiFi and using WiFi calling back to the US.
Recommend you setup WhatsApp for you and friends this way you can communicate with them using your local SIm’s data. FaceTime audio and iMessage can use the local SIM data to communicate with other iPhone friends.
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Accepted Solution
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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118.4K Messages
3 months ago
I can confirm that I have twice turned off data on a line because the user was outside of the United States with their phone. No data charges occurred or were possible. Wi-Fi texting was used at no charge.
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ATTHelp
Community Support
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232.9K Messages
3 months ago
Hello @jesse_ch,
We understand where you're coming from. Let's help you with your questions regarding International data/all roaming charges.
International charges apply when you talk, text, or use data outside the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But you can save if you have AT&T Passport®, AT&T International Day Pass® (IDP), or a similar plan for international travel.
Check usage online
Keep track of yur wireless usage with the myAT&T app. Text the word myATT to 556699 from any device for a link to download the app.
Use Wi-Fi
Enjoy Wi-Fi® when available. It doesn’t count toward your data allowance.
Turn off data roaming
Do this if you want to place calls and receive texts but not use cellular data. Turning off data roaming blocks:
And to answer your question, we can definitely help you with removing International features from your account. For that, please contact us. As the Community Forums are a public support option where other users, and AT&T, will try and assist with high level support needs. This means we won’t be able to look into account specific concerns.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for visiting the AT&T Community Forums.
CrystalS, AT&T Community Forums Specialist.
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jesse_ch
3 Messages
3 months ago
@Fl_retire - Appreciate your suggestion. This is exactly what I was originally planning to do, until I found out that disabling my ATT SIM would cause Apple to immediately stop allowing iMessages to be sent to my number. This means I wouldn’t be able to receive messages from my usual contacts when I’m away from WiFi, even if I have a local data connection. I tested this myself yesterday. I disabled my ATT SIM and sent myself a message from another iPhone. Sure enough, it wasn’t delivered despite my main line still having internet access via WiFi.
@formerlyknownas - Thank you for the confirmation!
@ATTHelp - Thanks for your response, I will reach out to customer support once more to see if they can disable international features. A word of advice: it would be helpful if ATT could state clearly in your online documentation whether or not it is possible to disable international features at the account level. All I have found is various forum and social media posts of users suggesting that people call and ask for this, but no reports of anyone successfully doing it.
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Fl_retire
ACE - Professor
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3.1K Messages
3 months ago
@jesse_ch I use my @icloud and backup email for sending and receiving iMessage. Link below for more info
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201422
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jesse_ch
3 Messages
3 months ago
@Fl_retire That’s a fair point, I do have iMessage set up with my email address as well. I would need to tell all my contacts to specifically message me that way rather than at my phone number. Possible, certainly, but another hurdle. Appreciate your suggestions.
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