But why then did I accumulate $800 in charges on my phone, which I left on but put in my suitcase, on my last trip?
It all depends on where you are going.
Thank you Verizon for making it easy...only joking.
When I was on a ship in Costa Rico, I forgot to turn my phone off. I tucked it away in my suitcase, never to be seen until I reached the US of A.
What a surprise that I had accumulated charges of $800. No, don't worry, I didn't have to pay.
So this time, now that I am off somewhere else, I called to ask: how can I use my phone as my camera and not get charges on my bill?
Easy, said the rep. Where I am now going, if I don't put a Global Plan on the phone, I can't use it anyway, so go ahead and make it your camera!
Why then did I have an issue with the last trip? The rep said: where I travelled to last time didn't need a Global Plan. How was I to know that? I was out of the country, so one would assume you would need a different plan.
My advice: call your carrier before taking a trip to get the correct information. Maybe then you can use your phone as your camera...and nothing else.