Yesterday we went on a shopping spree. That’s right– I feel rich, but I hope they were good investments. We bought iPhones an initially thought about selling them, but it’d be an altogether loss when you look at the charges it costs to cancel the plans and pay the difference on the phone. So why did we by them anyway? The insistance by many that it’s the only phone that is anything (I’m not entirely convinced…. I am biased toward non-Apple products and of yet haven’t heard any complaints from the Android market), but I was also advised that for international travel, this phone will in the long-run be the most economical. I hope they’re right, because I’m already missing my unlimited Boost $50/month plan as I checked my minutes and found I’ve already used 20 out of our shared 700 minutes and I’ve only had the phone for less than a day. Weren’t plans with minutes outlawed or at least out-dated? Seems ridiculous, but when we’re looking at $2/minute to call from Brazil from any other phone/service, there’s no better choice Can we do this?
Read this excerpt that convinced me it can and should be done:
“We just got back to the States after a trip to Italy and have two additional tips. First, as Kelly said, connecting over wifi is completely free, if you can find a free hotspot. We turned off data roaming all together, and although we didn’t have 24x7 internet, we were able to find a hotspot and connect when we needed to. As for voice, the Skype iPhone app worked great over wifi, and it only costs 2.9 cents/min to call land lines in the States… buy $10 of Skype credit, and you’re all set. So depending on your needs, you can still have phone and internet services on your iPhone without adding a cent to your phone bill.”
Will it be as cheap as Boost? Maybe never. I will still encourage my economical friends to get Boost if you’re staying in the States and am secretly praying that MagicJack goes mobile and I never have to deal with the possibility of my minutes/data going over the roof without my knowledge. It seems primitive after Boost usage to even consider an iPhone with limits. But… international travel makes it a must… for now. I’m still looking for an out, but I do enjoy the flexibility of the phone. I won’t for long because (as you can see in the article) pretty much all I’ll be using in Brazil is anything I can use via wireless network.
Thoughts from fellow long-term international travelers? I have 6 days to reverse my decision.