Taking a smart phone abroad - what do I need to turn off to avoid massive charges?

[VivaLeBeaver]

I really only want it to play on apps while I'm on the plane and for emergency phone calls while I'm away. I want to make sure I don't download anything by accident or incur big data charges. If I just turn off roaming network will that do it? What about wifi, can that stay on or should I turn it off?

Turn off data roaming.

I would also turn off 3g.

Leaving wifi should be ok as long as you're in a free wifi spot. There's an app to help you find free wifi (although not sure if it works abroad?)

If you're in Europe, you will get a call telling you when you've reached a certain limit/cost - I think it's about £50 but can't remember. But if you're not in Europe this isn't the case. I managed to run up a bill of £430 in a weekend when I went to Istanbul!

OMG, £430 is awful. I'm not going to Europe so want to avoid doing similar. Will turn 3G off as well. Thanks.

There's no point turning off 3G. It's the data roaming setting that determines if it will download anything when you're abroad. If you leave data roaming on and switch 3G off it will just use the 2G network.

Well having run up such a huge bill, nocake, I'm of the viewpoint that I'm turning everything off!!

You should be aware that there has been a problem with some iPhones (not sure if you have one of these or another android), whereby the data roaming kept turning itself on.

Perhaps a good idea to keep your phone switched off unless you are absolutely certain you're in a free wifi zone!

"You should be aware that there has been a problem with some iPhones (not sure if you have one of these or another android), whereby the data roaming kept turning itself on."

My father suffered from this over the summer, although O2 refunded the £30 involved. It appears to be specific to O2 (I was with him with a Vodafone iPhone and didn't have the same problem). Turning off Data Roaming doesn't appear to actually work, and you need to turn off Data entirely to prevent the phone from intermittently using the phone network.