Verizon Service on St John

VirginBurger · Post by **VirginBurger** » Mon May 30, 2011 12:45 am

I have a CDMA (iPhone 4) with Verizon service. Live and breathe by it. Will it work without roaming on St John?

Thanks.

Eric on St John · Post by **Eric on St John** » Mon May 30, 2011 12:53 am

no. att & sprint are the local carriers, no verizon.

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Mon May 30, 2011 1:16 am

Definitely call Verizon and get on their international roaming plan (they will pro-rate the monthly charge for as many days as you need it). It's real easy to pick up a BVI tower and then you pay big time! It only cost me about $7.00 to have this service on my phone for 7 days.

By the way, coverage is very spotty. Texts work better than phone calls do.

ski2play · Post by **ski2play** » Mon May 30, 2011 9:40 am

Great info California Girl.....I will be calling Verizon tomorrow....not long now! tee hee!

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:20 am

California Girl wrote:Definitely call Verizon and get on their international roaming plan (they will pro-rate the monthly charge for as many days as you need it). It's real easy to pick up a BVI tower and then you pay big time! It only cost me about $7.00 to have this service on my phone for 7 days.

By the way, coverage is very spotty. Texts work better than phone calls do.

I just got off the phone from Verizon and they said that I can not get an international roaming plan. It will cost me 1.99 per minute.....and that's it.

What am I doing wrong???

deejayjay · Post by **deejayjay** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:29 am

We've had verizon on the island when visiting for the last 5 years. Coverage is spotty. In coral bay and east it will be off
BVI. 1.99 / min us roaming. But I believe only 1.69 / minute BVI roaming. We don't conduct any business or important calls while on island, but can find enough coverage to make the occassional necessary call.

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Mon May 30, 2011 12:27 pm

Connie, here's my contract with Verizon for the Internation Plan. You need to call back and talk to someone who knows what they're doing.

Welcome to Global & International Services
Whether you are calling someone internationally or traveling globally, Verizon Wireless offers a suite of services to meet your needs.
During your conversation with Verizon Wireless you asked us to email the following Global/International information to you.

My Verizon

Support

International Services

Global Rates
Country Standard Rate
per min $4.99 Global Value Rate
per min Rate per Message (Send) Rate per Message (Receive) Picture/Video Pay Per Use Rate (KB) Global Data Options
Virgin Islands - British
$1.29 N/A $0.50 $0.05 Y
$0.020/KB($20.48/MB) Features Available
Virgin Islands - US
$1.99 N/A Domestic Domestic Y
Domestic Features Available

• Please see VZW International Services – Outside the U.S. for our full suite of Global Services.
• Global per minute rates apply when checking Voicemail while traveling
• Please dial *228, select option 2 before leaving a Verizon Wireless digital service area. This will ensure you have the most up to date roaming coverage
• If you do not have a data plan or feature, you will be charged at the Pay Per Use Rate.
• We recommend using global data with caution. Usage can add up quickly. To avoid accidental data usage charges:
o Ensure your device is powered off when you are not using it or that you have ended your data session
o Disable widgets and apps that may continually communicate with the network
o For BlackBerry/Smartphones, Droids, etc., disable the data while roaming option in your phone settings if you do not plan on using data
• When sending messages, you will be charged per recipient, per message.
• Please check the list of countries and carriers where text and picture/video functionality is available.
• Some countries may be served by CDMA voice only, but have GSM Voice and Data. In some areas, you may need to manually select the GSM network to send/receive data. Prior to travel, check your user manual for instructions on how to do a manual network selection.
• Global Data Pricing options with bundle allowances may be available. (Select your destination country for information.)
• When you send or receive Picture/Video messages while roaming, additional data charges will apply.
• Text messages sent from Canada, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands are charged as if they were sent from the U.S.
Dialing Instructions - The dialing instructions for your countries can be found below.
Country Code Dial Network Dialing From Dialing To Instruction
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, British U.S. Dial 1 then Area Code then 7-digit U.S. number
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, British Local Dial Area Code (284) then 7-digit local number
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, British Other Countries Dial 011 then Country Code then International Number
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, British Customer Service Dial 1 then 908-559-4899
1 GSM Virgin Islands, British U.S. Dial 1 then Area Code then 7-digit U.S. number
1 GSM Virgin Islands, British Local Dial Plus Sign then Country Code then Local Number with Area Code (if applicable)
1 GSM Virgin Islands, British Other Countries Dial Plus Sign then Country Code then international number
1 GSM Virgin Islands, British Customer Service Dial 1 then 908-559-4899
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, U.S. U.S. Dial 1 then Area Code then 7-digit U.S. number
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, U.S. Local Dial Area Code (340) then 7-digit local number
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, U.S. Other Countries Dial 011 then Country Code then international number
1 CDMA Virgin Islands, U.S. Customer Service Dial 1 then 908-589-4899

• Your device may have an International Dial key that automatically inserts the exit code for outbound calls. Please refer to your Quick Reference Guide for specific instructions.
• To check your Voice Mail, use the "From the Country to the US" instructions and call your mobile number. Press # to interrupt the greeting and enter your password when prompted.
• Global Support Team is available 24/7.
• Please see VZW International Services – Outside the U.S. for additional countries.

Did you know Verizon Wireless offers voice service in over 220 countries and data service in more than 200 countries, over 125 with 3G speed worldwide?

Verizon Wireless would like to take this opportunity to wish you a safe trip and thank you for your continued Global business.

Need assistance while roaming internationally? Call our support line 24/7. 1.908.559.4899

<b>P.S.</b> I just looked at my bill and my roaming charges were only $32.36. I think that's reasonable.

VirginBurger · Post by **VirginBurger** » Mon May 30, 2011 1:38 pm

Yeah its astounding what kind of bad information you can get from one phone rep that ends up being completely different than what another phone rep says. If you ever get the vibe that you're not getting accurate info, just do what I do. Hang up and hit redial. You'd be surprised how often that works.

The reason I would want my phone on St John would be moreso for data purposes (I use the google maps feature for directions and GPS and searching the web like crazy when I go on trips). My friend will have an AT&T iphone with us so she will be 100% local and normal rates, right? We could just use her phone for all that?

-VB-

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Mon May 30, 2011 1:52 pm

The only thing I know about iPhones is that it seems that everyone who lives on STJ uses an iPhone with AT&T and always has great service. As to cost, I have no info.

LindaLa · Post by **LindaLa** » Mon May 30, 2011 5:38 pm

I have an iPhone 4 with Verizon. When I purchased the phone I was told that there would be no international service anywhere as there is no SIM card in the Verizon iPhone 4. They consider St. John international. I was there in this past May. I used my iPhone for my iPod. Be sure to turn off the international data roaming, otherwise, it will continue to roam and can pick up a signal from BVI and you can run up an astromical bill. I know someone who did not turn off the data roaming feature on his iPhone and when he went to Canada he incurred over $9,000 worth of charges. AT&T worked with him, but he still had to shell out over $1200. Last year, with my regular cell phone, we had very sketchy service. You have to contact Verizon to have the international feature on. This year, the verizon users in our group, had a bit more luck. I brought my laptop and told everyone that if they needed to reach us, they should do so through e-mail. Our villa had a phone, so we were able to make local phones from the villa.

VirginBurger · Post by **VirginBurger** » Mon May 30, 2011 5:49 pm

Thanks everyone - such a helpful forum

We will use my friends AT&T iphone while we're there.

I went to Brazil last year and ended up with a $3,000 data bill too. And that was with careful monitoring. Don't put it past certain countries to just send your phone company whatever they feel like sending. I asked AT&T at the time and they told me they dont bother checking the accuracy of the information sent to them from other countries. Scary.

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Mon May 30, 2011 8:56 pm

I'll call tomorrow or else I'll go to a local Verizon store and the guy there is very helpful.

Also, husband is a ex employee, so he doesn't give up until he gets what he wants.

cjroyer · Post by **cjroyer** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:03 pm

I also have an Iphone 4 with Verizon and was on island May 8-15th. I was told there is no charges for roaming when using data (text, internet, etc.) but any calls would be charged the international rate of 1.99/min. I used my phone for Facebook multiple times and also sent texts. I had no charges on my latest bill except for the calls that were made to the rental company while on island.

Heather-in-MA · Post by **Heather-in-MA** » Tue May 31, 2011 5:51 am

must get on DH to check this...with how much he loved using his iPhone when we were hiking yesterday-data roaming charges could get very scary!

nothintolose · Post by **nothintolose** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:03 am

Margo and I did the same thing with our phones as we were down there together. I did use my phone in Coral Bay (where we stayed) for several conversations and texting. I tapped into the villa for wireless if I wasn't borrowing Margo or Bev's laptops.

My bill was about $50 more than normal, but I am okay with that. I switched from AT&T to Verizon in the last year due to too many dropped calls. My ONLY hesitation was that they don't consider the VIs part of their coverage area. The representative (when I bought the phone) suggested I get a go phone while down there, but I didn't go that route.

A couple of times, my phone said some letters then "boat phone". When it said that, I just turned it off.

Hope that helps.

usvi-on-line

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Verizon Service on St John

Verizon Service on St John