One of the constant concerns of those who travel abroad a lot is that when they come home, they are faced with humongous roaming charges. But carriers are now being very helpful (and careful) about that, offering packages to their customers that will help alleviate that bill shock. AT&T recently announced their Passport packages, giving users a one-time charge that will include unlimited text messages and WiFi in selected hotspots among other offerings.
The Passport packages lessen your worries whether you are on a business trip or a personal vacation as it allows you to maintain contact with those who matter with these one-time charges. They are valid for 30 days and there is no need to cancel it once you’re back in the country as it automatically expires. Aside from giving unlimited text messages, good rates for voice calls, and a decent data allowance, it will also give you unlimited WiFi access at several hotspots in participating countries, including France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
If you regularly travel abroad and would like a more convenient way to have all this, AT&T is offering Global packages with a monthly recurring fee, same as the services, allotments and rates from the Passport packages. And in case some of your data-only devices like laptops and tablets also need roaming data connection, there are special data-only packages for both Data and Global offerings.The packages on offer include Passport at $30 which will give you $1 per minute of calls, 120MB worth of data and charges of $.25 per MB for data overage; Passport Plus which will charge you $60 for 300MB of data, $.20/MB for overage and $.50/min of calls; and Passport Pro, where at a one-time $120 fee you get charged $.35/min for calls, 800MB worth of free data and $.15/MB for data overage.
AT&T’s Passport packages aren’t guaranteeing you no expenses at all in your connections as you travel, but it will minimize bill shock, especially if you’re careful about using your allotments. Still, it is a bit pricey, especially considering you’re paying for this on top of your existing plan with them. But they do boast of coverage in over 150 countries, plus that unlimited WiFi offer, so maybe it is better value compared to their competitors’ slightly cheaper offers.
SOURCE: AT&T
