Verizon plan on island

Travel discussion for St. John
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jaybfloyd
Posts: 150
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:48 pm
Location: Maryland

Verizon plan on island

Post by jaybfloyd »

Hello,
This topic has probably been discussed before but we're leaving on the 15th and wanted the latest update. What does everyone do as far as cell phone coverage go? I have a 1400 min/unlimited text/10GB of data plan per month. I don't plan to make any calls down there and will probably wait until I get to the villa to use any data but does the texting follow your domestic plan? Should I call and change anything? Thank you so much!
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RicksFormula
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Location: Colleyville, TX

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by RicksFormula »

here is a good recent topic on that from the Verizon site:
https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/925496

I'd still use the Verizon trip planner link in the lower post of that thread to be safe. Also remember that on many parts of the island, near the N. Shore especially, there is a chance that you will be picked up by the BVI towers and see the BVI fees on your bill. Also I have found that the Verizon signal on island is weak in many places.
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awardb
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Location: Columbus, Ohio

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by awardb »

We've been going to STJ for about 9 years. Longtime Verizon customers. Now, maybe something has changed, though I doubt it. There is essentially little to no Verizon service on STJ, and as the previous post pointed out, there is an excellent chance you'll be picking up the BVI's towers when making a call, and large charges result from that. We have always used an inexpensive AT&T GoPhone, stocked it up with minutes, and used that during our whole trip on STJ. AT&T is all over the island, with arguably the best coverage available. GoPhone can usually be had for maybe $40, sometimes you can get the unlimited calling plan for $2 per day.
AwardB
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop. - Lewis Carroll
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Barney&barbara
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Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:13 pm
Location: North of Boston MA

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by Barney&barbara »

Hello ...I used my Verizon cell just fine last Feb. I never used it while I was on the NS beaches but it worked fine in Cruz Bay and iffy in Coral Bay
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Suziekue
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Location: Michigan

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by Suziekue »

Hi, I used my Verizon service with my iPhone last November and I had no issues. Whenever a BVI tower was in play I received a text telling me so I turned my phone off. This happened when were we out at places near Miss Lucy's. For the most part my phone worked fine but this was the first vacation my Verizon service covered calls too. Before I left I had called Verizon & was told my plan covered the USVI's including calls, I gave them my travel dates to document just in case but everything went fine. I heard someone say they came back & had to call to get some charges removed but we didn't experience that.
Soarin' with the eagles all week long, and this is all that we've learned about living - VACATION!

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jaybfloyd
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Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:48 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by jaybfloyd »

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the feedback. The Verizon rep assured me that our domestic plan is viable on St John. If I receive that text alerting me of the roaming due to the BVI tower, I'll just switch to airplane mode. Obviously, I don't plan to use it all that much (whole point of this vacation) but we're going with a large group so being able to stay in touch via text is all I really need.
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JohnM
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Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:21 pm
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by JohnM »

We were on STJ two weeks ago, and we didn't have any problems with Verizon service. Didn't have to change to an International Plan. Had to change phone settings to allow roaming, but that's it. Surprisingly good voice quality.

The one caveat was not using our phones on the North Shore beyond Caneel, or in the Coral Bay area. Didn't want to risk locking onto a BVI tower, which we've experienced in the past.
jaybfloyd
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Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:48 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by jaybfloyd »

Thanks John. Good to hear.
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awardb
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Location: Columbus, Ohio

Re: Verizon plan on island

Post by awardb »

This is very good information to know. We'll bring our Verizon phones, and use them when we're on-island soon, subject to the warnings of the post above. We'll also bring our ATT go-phone, which we can use all over the island - North Shore, Coral Bay, Lameshur area, etc.

Thanks for the answers!
AwardB
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop. - Lewis Carroll
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