using iphone wait time apps in parks

[popsynic]

I have access to a few iPhone wait time apps, including 'Lines' from the unofficial guide people.

Works great here in the UK using either 3G or wifi, but as I am UK Orange pay monthly customer, and will have my data plan switched off when in USA, what is best way to use my iphone to make use of these apps when over later this year?

Can I buy and put a single US pay monthly iphone sim and put into my iphone, or will that not work?

Or do I need to use an unlocked UK iphone to do this?

What are my options, as i really want to use these apps when I am in the parks - but don't want to be charged for my UK based data plan (at £8 a Mb currently from Orange).

Finally - and sorry for such a techy question - but if I was using the 'wait time app' most of the day in parks, and letting it automatically update the wait times across all parks - how much data would I be using?

Anyone experience of this?

 

[BigHugsForEeyore]

I have a Samsung android on Orange Pay-As-You Go.

When I get to USA, I connect it to the AT&T network (my phone is unlocked). Then I just activate roaming when I want to check line times (Touring Plans). It costs as little as 6p to check and update the app each time. Once I've looked, I turn roaming back off.

But now they have the free wi-fi at the resorts, I will set the app to the park page I want to use (instead of starting from the Home page), before I leave the room, so when I use it in the parks, I can update it with one page load instead of two (or that's the plan anyway!).

I hope that's the information you are asking about - sorry if I misunderstood!

 

[Elise79]

To use a US sim you would need an unlocked iPhone.

I have no idea how much data you would use just looking at the wait time apps but I used just under 500mb over 2 weeks using wait time apps, Facebook, Twitter & exchange mail.

 

[orangetiggs]

You dont need to unlock it to use it oit then just turn roaming on to check it and then turn off

 

[luke]

You dont need to unlock it to use it oit then just turn roaming on to check it and then turn off

True, but you'd need to unlock it if you were using a US sim card rather than simply roaming on your own sim

 

[popsynic]

You dont need to unlock it to use it oit then just turn roaming on to check it and then turn off

Hi - but can you help me with this. Even if i Just turn roaming on and off to check, some people suggest you use an average of 500 mb of date over 2 weeks.

Orange pay monthly on iphone charge me at £8 a Mb currently when accessing data via roaming in the US

So wouldn't this still be really expensive?

If I have an unlocked iphone (my son does) where could I buy a US iPhone sim with about 500mb of data to use for the two weeks? and would it work in my UK unlocked iphone?

 

[Vixster]

I am really wanting to use my iPhone on US my thought is taking a pay as you go sim with me and top up a certain amount that way you no you won't have a huge bill as a friend I knew went to Tunisia and her bill was just over 2 grand so am nervous using an iPhone abroad

 

[Elise79]

Hi - but can you help me with this. Even if i Just turn roaming on and off to check, some people suggest you use an average of 500 mb of date over 2 weeks.

Orange pay monthly on iphone charge me at £8 a Mb currently when accessing data via roaming in the US

So wouldn't this still be really expensive?

If I have an unlocked iphone (my son does) where could I buy a US iPhone sim with about 500mb of data to use for the two weeks? and would it work in my UK unlocked iphone?

We used our unlocked iPhones with AT&T Go Phone SIMs. We have had the SIMs for a couple of years (as we go a couple of times a year I keep them topped up to keep the numbers) and bought them from Ebay. They are the standard size SIM but as we needed a micro SIM for our 4's we just cut them down using a SIM card cutter.

You can register before you go (using the ZIP code of where you are staying) but you will need a laptop to access your account once there to add your data package. Can not add before as the first time you log in it sends you a text message which you can not receive until in the US.

Finally, the iPhone will not automatically log on to the data you will need to manually configure it to go on the GoPhone settings. Not as complicated as it sounds however you will need WiFi to do it.

 

[disneymumuk]

I don't think that switching on the roaming temporarily just for checking wait times is a good idea, because there could be other apps running in the background which requires internet to update stuff(for example mail?) and they just start working and downloading data which we don't see when we switch on data roaming...(correct me anybody if you think this will not happen)....
So,IMHO the best idea is to use wifi whenever you can...and probably to use offline maps to navigate within the parks...
I downloaded the undercover tourist app(even though I would not use it during the day if I do not have wifi) and
also the WDW allez! app because it has offline maps of all the parks..

 

[leemanning]

You can turn off the settings on other apps (mail etc) so that they don't retrieve data from the internet.

By doing this, you can just turn the roaming on to check the wait times and then turn if back off again. Also, if you set your mail to manually retrieve rather than automatically push to your phone it won't auto update until you go into the mail app.

If you're particularly worried about it, maybe clean down your iphone to the minimum amount of apps, turn off all other network settings and then do the roaming as above. This will be the cheapest way.

To test it, why not reset you data balance then open up the wait time app to refresh. Close it and then check your data balance again.