I have used travel pass for about 10 years. In the beginning you could just shut off mobile data and travel pass would not activate if you didn't: * send a text * make a call * answer a call * use mobile data 6-7 years ago that changed, now there was a new thing called background data. Even though you turned off mobile data, tiny amounts of data would be used by apps you have no control over, and travel pass would activate. You could solve this by keeping the phone in airplane mode and only connect to wifi - not ideal but it worked. Then along came e-sims. Now you could use the foreign e-sim for data and Verizon for calls and texts and everything worked as expected and you had access to mobile data. This was perfect. Just came back from a trip to Spain. Did the same thing I have done for years, before departing the US. * turned off verizon mobile data * turned off call screening (Pixel phone app) * turned off take a message (Pixel phone app) * turned on foreign e-sim activated for mobile data * put the phone into airplane mode Upon landing in Spain and taking the phone out of airplane mode I got the initial Verizon welcome to Spain message. An hour later I got notified that a travel pass session had been activated at the time I turned on the phone. This happened to all 3 phones we had with us. We immediately turned off the Verizon sim to avoid future unwanted activation. Once we had an active wifi session we turned the Verizon sim on to check messages/calls. Guess what travel pass activated again on (at least) one of the phones. Of course Verizon cannot tell me what caused travel pass to activate and recommended putting the phone in airplane mode if you didn't want it to activate. Even though they verbally recommend this Verizon continues to advertise that only the aforementioned 4 things activate travel pass. So what happened to travel pass and why has Verizon decided to make it useless for anyone who doesn't want to pay $12 a day regardless of usage.

Travel Pass activates on its own

I have used travel pass for about 10 years. In the beginning you could just shut off mobile data and travel pass would not activate if you didn't:

send a text
make a call
answer a call
use mobile data

6-7 years ago that changed, now there was a new thing called background data. Even though you turned off mobile data, tiny amounts of data would be used by apps you have no control over, and travel pass would activate. You could solve this by keeping the phone in airplane mode and only connect to wifi - not ideal but it worked.

Then along came e-sims. Now you could use the foreign e-sim for data and Verizon for calls and texts and everything worked as expected and you had access to mobile data. This was perfect.

Just came back from a trip to Spain. Did the same thing I have done for years, before departing the US.

turned off verizon mobile data
turned off call screening (Pixel phone app)
turned off take a message (Pixel phone app)
turned on foreign e-sim activated for mobile data
put the phone into airplane mode

Upon landing in Spain and taking the phone out of airplane mode I got the initial Verizon welcome to Spain message. An hour later I got notified that a travel pass session had been activated at the time I turned on the phone. This happened to all 3 phones we had with us. We immediately turned off the Verizon sim to avoid future unwanted activation. Once we had an active wifi session we turned the Verizon sim on to check messages/calls. Guess what travel pass activated again on (at least) one of the phones.

Of course Verizon cannot tell me what caused travel pass to activate and recommended putting the phone in airplane mode if you didn't want it to activate. Even though they verbally recommend this Verizon continues to advertise that only the aforementioned 4 things activate travel pass.

So what happened to travel pass and why has Verizon decided to make it useless for anyone who doesn't want to pay $12 a day regardless of usage.

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SynthpopAddict

Using WiFi while abroad is data usage, and if it's going through your Verizon SIM/eSIM, will activate Travel Pass.

beemgee

Wifi is not mobile data usage and should not activate travel pass. It never has. Last year we even made calls over wifi and didn't activate travel pass.

SynthpopAddict

Were the WiFi calls you were making back to the US from overseas? Those I want to say are covered by at least some service plans. You're not the first person I've heard of being billed for Travel Pass when they turned on WiFi and used their Verizon line outside of the US. Either there have been changes made concerning overseas internet usage, or it's something to do with whatever provider your phones connected to while overseas.

If you are on Unlimited Ultimate, there's built-in Travel Pass service included in the plan, so Travel Pass won't "activate" at extra charges.

beemgee

I am still on a very old plan. A few years back I got charged for travel pass multiple days which was activated by background data. I had checked with verizon in advance and was guaranteed in writing by tech support that I would not be charged as long as I didn't send a text or answer/initiate a call and had mobile data turned off. I called verizon from overseas and was told not to worry and take care of it when I got back. I sent an email to the ceo complaining after a customer service supervisor threatened to cancel my service if i didn't pay it that month.

They found it was in fact background data that I had no control over and fully credited 10 days X 3 lines. Since then I have been very careful about travel pass. By using a foreign e-sim for data I have not had a problem for years until this recent trip, where travel pass seemed to activate for no valid reason.

beemgee

Sorry posted reply as a separate comment not a reply - not sure if you get notified.

SynthpopAddict

Hi, I do get notified in the forums (usually) - although there are some issues with the notifications at times due to the forum software being changed a bunch in recent months.

If you're on a legacy plan - your plan may not have any international coverage whatsoever, especially if it predates the last generation of "5G [something]" plans which were the previous set of plans before Verizon brought out their current postpaid plans. With Verizon bringing in new service plans every few years, something could've changed on their side with how they handle overseas coverage on old plans. I wouldn't be surprised if the CSRs you spoke with earlier were thinking only about the currently available plans. It's a tough job, and there must surely be a lot of people who don't stay that long in that role.

At least you didn't get full-on international rate charges for the WiFi usage, as $12/day beats that, but if Verizon is now charging for TravelPass just to turn your Verizon number on for any reason outside the country, then I'd keep your Verizon SIM/eSIM deactivated while abroad if you don't want to incur TravelPass charges.

beemgee

That's what i did eventually. I just thought someone might know what was going on. I guess I will start the process of getting through to knowledgeable tech support (not that easy) to see what Verizon policy is (not what all their documentation says).