Texting and phone calls while traveling internationally

[kdlatsha]

Hello.

I am being told that it is possible to use my iPhone 12 Pro for texting and phone calls while traveling internationally if my phone is on airplane mode at no cost to me.  Is this possible?  I tried this at home and could not text a family member while my phone was on airplane mode.  I currently have the Verizon travel pass on my phone but wonder if the travel pass is truly necessary if I can use WiFi.  

Thank you for any help.

[jav6 · Accepted solution]

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@kdlatsha wrote:

Hello.

I am being told that it is possible to use my iPhone 12 Pro for texting and phone calls while traveling internationally if my phone is on airplane mode at no cost to me.  Is this possible?  I tried this at home and could not text a family member while my phone was on airplane mode.  I currently have the Verizon travel pass on my phone but wonder if the travel pass is truly necessary if I can use WiFi.  

Thank you for any help.

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If your phone is in Airplane Mode, then you can't do anything unless you turn WiFi ON.  There was another thread, related to iPhone internationally where an agent said over WiFi when in Airplane mode you'd have to use iMessage or another third party messaging app.

See: Community Forums - Travel in Europe - Verizon Community

[RussellKittinger]

Contact your mobile carrier before you travel to inquire about international plans or roaming packages. Many carriers offer temporary international plans that provide discounted rates for calls, texts, and data usage while abroad. This can save you a lot of money compared to standard international rates.