Next month I plan to use TravelPass for the first time, in Europe. I'll be there 11 days, and I hope to use WiFi most of the time, and just use cellular as backup. (I'm shooting for a max of five 24-hour sessions.)
It looks like activating Airplane Mode and turning WiFi back on would be a safe option. But is there anything less drastic than that--something that would let me stay aware of incoming calls (without answering them) and that would let me receive text messages, neither of which is supposed to "trigger" a 24 hour TravelPass period.
For example, would turning Mobile Data OFF suppress unintended 24 hour periods, while still allowing me to receive texts and (unanswered) incoming calls? Would Mobile Data OFF prevent background data activity by APPS, etc, which (as I understand it?) would otherwise trigger a 24 hour period? I hope all this makes sense. Thanks much.
Answering a call and I think receiving a text message will trigger the Travel Pass charge.
With your trip length perhaps alternating days between airplane mode and allowing cellular connection on the opposite days, could keep the Travel Pass charge to the number days you wanted to pay for.
I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.
I was in the UK last month and got billed for all 12 days, although I didn't call, receive calls or use data on some of them. I'm wondering if the small amount of data that registers on you usage every day regardless of whether you use data or not (check your usage on MyVerizon) to.... link up with cell towers?.... what?.... triggers the charge. I have another post asking this question, but haven't received a reply yet. The safe way would be to use airplane mode, but as you say, that would prevent all incoming calls. Next would be to turn data off until you need it, but I don't know if this would prevent the trigger or not. We need an answer from Verizon.
Hi Chuck,
For the time being I can say the following WRT input from Verizon: I have had a series of Chats with Verizon support and while they do recommend Airplane Mode as a rock-solid way to assure no TravelPass charges, one customer support person was optimistic that turning off Mobile Data along with not answering incoming calls should prevent TravelPass charges, too.
So … I'm going to do some experimenting along that line while in France next month (early August). I'm willing to cough up $10 a couple of times just to see what works and what doesn't. I'll plan to report back on what happens.
It could be that after a few days I'll end up buying a SIM card with prepaid voice and data. The one from Orange Holiday Europe for ~$50 looks pretty attractive (30 countries, 10GB data, 120 min voice, 1000 texts). Or something similar. That'd be better for me than 11 days at $10 per day using TravelPass every day (which I hope NOT to do at this point--and so no SIM card yet).
Please do, THOSAN83. I will be going to Italy in November and don't want to suffer the everyday charges I got in the UK on the TravelPass plan. Your experiment with turning data off should tell us if the unexplained tiny daily data charges that always show up on your bill (without actually doing anything requiring data) trigger the charges. If they do, Verizon's got some 'splainin' to do!
THOSAN, see my new post 7-2-18 beginning "BEWARE". I learned, the hard way after receiving my bill, that I was charge every day even though I didn't use it some days. The reason from Verizon: "TravelPass sessions start automatically whenever a device connects to a cell tower. If a device is not in airplane mode, it will periodically exchange packets of data with the cell towers around it, which can trigger a TravelPass session." So, unless you are in airplane mode you will be charged, even if data is turned off! This is not made clear in the TravelPass description which is unfair and misleading by omission. So if you want to leave your phone on in case you receive a text or a call, you will be charged. Nice heads-up, Verizon!
We are having this trouble right now. The travel pass has been activated every day at the exact same minute even if we don’t use it so there is something that is triggering it. Finally put it on airplane mode and cellular off but it still initiated another day. Just got off phone with Verizon - they said they can’t adjust anything right now because I haven’t been billed but I am welcome to call back and dispute it when I get the bill because then they will check the actual dates and times of use. They weren’t sure how to make it stop initiating a new pass every day. Maybe just take the plan off the account completely. Not too helpful when we want to be able to use if needed!
SS20, being on top of your international service is vital, especially to avoid any financial surprises, we want to aid you in the best way possible. Where are you traveling and how are you using your phone? When and how are you getting the TravelPass notifications (what is the message content)? When did you set up the phone in Airplane Mode and turned off the cellular data?
GilbertoL_VZW
I recently traveled to Canada and had a similar random Travel Pass activation experience. Using my Pixel, I received/placed no calls or texts, and I had "Mobile Data" off the entire time. The Verizon tech says my phone somehow used 65Mb of data during 9 of the 11 days in Canada (9 travel pass activations). After 1.5 hours on the phone, the Verizon tech could offer no explanation how it is possible to use data while Mobile Data=off. His only suggestion was to use Airplane Mode, which does not allow any emergency phone calls to be received, so that is a bad option. I'd love to see a REAL solution proposed here by Verizon as there are many examples of people having the same negative experience.
Using Trav. Pass now in france. What are settings to MINIMIZE data or mb usage within a 24 hr session? Don’t want to exceed my allotment. (Iphone 6, prepaid with verizon). Merci! Verizon website useless for help, inc. chat service.
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