Vacationing abroad this summer? Keep iPhone charges in check

Planning a big international trip this summer and wondering how to make sure you don't get surprised with a shockingly high phone bill when you come home? Ask Maggie offers some advice.

Summer is here. And for lots of people that means it's time for a vacation abroad. So what should you do about your smartphone to ensure you don't get surprised with a massive phone bill upon your return?

If you're planning to leave the U.S., you might want to consider taking a few precautions before you leave to make sure you don't end up spending more on your phone bill than you spent on your plane ticket.

You could rent or borrow a phone for your trip with local service in the country or countries where you'll be traveling. Or you can pop in a local SIM card if you have an unlocked GSM phone for similar savings. This will save you money by allowing you to use local prepaid services while traveling. But it's not always the most convenient solution, especially if you're visiting multiple countries or you want the added convenience of using your own phone with your own phone number.

In this edition of Ask Maggie I offer some advice to iPhone subscribers who are planning international trips and want to avoid surprises on their monthly bills.

Want to save a buck on your travels? Disable data roaming and cellular data.

Dear Maggie, I am traveling to China later this month for two weeks with a tour group. I don't think that I will need my iPhone while I am traveling, but I don't want to leave it at home. I'd still like to listen to music on the flight and maybe even email friends while I am away. And in an emergency it would be nice to have a phone that I can use to call home if I absolutely need to do so. But for the most part I don't anticiapte needing it, since I'll be with a tour guide and tour group most of the time.

I know that you have to be careful with iPhones while traveling overseas. I've seen stories about people who come home to huge phone bills. What's the best way to make sure this doesn't happen to me?

Thanks, Margie

Dear Margie, You are absolutely right about people getting surprised by hefty iPhone bills after they return home from a trip abroad. Most smartphone customers are on a fixed monthly service plan for voice and data. You're given a certain amount of voice minutes and a certain amount of data to consume each month. If you exceed these limits you're charged overages.