Help! Unable to Make Free 800 Calls with Verizon Travel Pass

[harryw]

..on Vista with my iPhone. Do I need to adjust Settings?

[PhD-iva]

Where are you located…..if that makes a difference……

[harryw]

Docked in Antigua.

[Flatbush Flyer]

52 minutes ago, harryw said:

..on Vista with my iPhone. Do I need to adjust Settings?

In general, dialing “800” numbers won’t work from most countries outside of the US and Canada. As I understand it, the receiving end of these calls are billed for them and, most often, will block “foreign” calls coming in via an “800” number from other countries. 
Just use the regular telephone number plus relevant country code(s).

[Snaefell3]

"800 numbers" (and "877-", "866-", etc) only work if the call is made from "Country Code '1' " (US, Canada, and a few odds and ends).   Antigua lies in Country Code "268". 

 

You'll need the non-800 equivalent phone number to get through 😞 (and pay international rates).

 

Alternatively if you have a US or Canadian cellphone provider and set your cellphone to "WiFi Calling" via the ship's WiFi, that should make your call be coming from "Country Code '1' "  😉

 

[harryw]

4 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

"800 numbers" (and "877-", "866-", etc) only work if the call is made from "Country Code '1' " (US, Canada, and a few odds and ends).   Antigua lies in Country Code "268". 

 

You'll need the non-800 equivalent phone number to get through 😞 (and pay international rates).

 

Alternatively if you have a US or Canadian cellphone provider and set your cellphone to "WiFi Calling" via the ship's WiFi, that should make your call be coming from "Country Code '1' "  😉

 

Thank You. The irony is that I want to call Verizon to confirm a bill payment. They don’t make it easy as there are issues with my mobile account.

[Snaefell3]

BTW, when docked, the ship's cellphone tower must be turned off, so a cellphone normally connects to shoreside towers (and you "originate" from that port's Country Code).

 

WiFi calling sends your call direct to your cellphone provider via the internet rather than local cellphone voice links, so your call "originates" at your cellphone company's data center.

[harryw]

Thanks. Is using Wifi calling relatively secure? 

[Snaefell3]

7 minutes ago, harryw said:

Thank You. The irony is that I want to call Verizon to confirm a bill payment. They don’t make it easy as there are issues with my mobile account.

Would you do an experiment for me?

 

You can check a Verizon cellphone bill "airtime free" when stateside by calling "#255" [#BAL] on your cellphone.

 

Does that work there?

[Snaefell3]

2 minutes ago, harryw said:

Thanks. Is using Wifi calling relatively secure? 

It's encrypted end-to-end over the internet.  I suppose someone could execute a "man in the middle" attack, but ::14 pages of jargon deleted:: 😉 

 

The over-the-air portion at the far end is only protected in the US by laws (including "you can't sell a receiver that can receive those frequencies").

[harryw]

I tried  #255 but got a recording saying the number is not assigned. Also, my wife and I can’t call each others iPhone without the call going directly to voice smail. And Verizon just sent a text that they hope we are enjoying Travel Pass!?

[Snaefell3]

16 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Would you do an experiment for me?

 

You can check a Verizon cellphone bill "airtime free" when stateside by calling "#255" [#BAL] on your cellphone.

 

Does that work there?

Err...  "#225".

 

Dyslexics of the world?  UNTIE!

[Snaefell3]

1 minute ago, harryw said:

... Also, my wife and I can’t call each others iPhone without the call going directly to voice smail.

In the background, your phones keep "pinging" the nearest cellphone tower, and that tower tells the "Publicly Switched Telephone Network" to send incoming calls for your phone.

 

For whatever reason, one or both phones aren't "registering" with a tower, or aren't authorized "roaming" from that tower.  

 

...or maybe something else.  You're definitely in YMMV territory  😞 

[Snaefell3]

11 minutes ago, harryw said:

And Verizon just sent a text that they hope we are enjoying Travel Pass!?

Ye gads and little fishes.

 

Last I looked, Travel Pass did *not* include CellularAtSea, which is the carrier for most cruise ship cellphone towers.  😮

 

IIRC, O now provides internet for two devices, so you should both be able to set to WiFi Calling and have voice and text work just like at home.  Just be sure to keep checking you are both still set to WiFi rather than the ship's piratical-rate cellphone tower.

[harryw]

#225 gave the same message. We are sailing to sea. I’ll go to the tech center tomorrow.

If they can’t help, I will go to Lourdes.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Ye gads and little fishes.

 

Last I looked, Travel Pass did *not* include CellularAtSea, which is the carrier for most cruise ship cellphone towers.  😮

 

IIRC, O now provides internet for two devices, so you should both be able to set to WiFi Calling and have voice and text work just like at home.  Just be sure to keep checking you are both still set to WiFi rather than the ship's piratical-rate cellphone tower.

Amen to your Cellular@Sea note!!! Hopefully, OP doesn’t think that the AT&T marine service (Cellular@Sea) is included in his Verizon Day Pass (or even in AT&T’s Daily Passport).

As for “wifi calling” with iPhone, perhaps it depends on what generation phone and iOS you’re using but, my understanding is that iPhone’s “wifi calling” (turned on) requires cellular service to be turned on and the phone then will automatically “hand off” the call to wifi if the cellular service is bad. If true, that would mean you’d need Airplane Mode “off” and cellular service ON (which we’ve already established is not the best thing to do ($$$) on a ship with Cellular@Sea!

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As for “wifi calling” with iPhone, perhaps it depends on what generation phone and iOS you’re using but, my understanding is that iPhone’s “wifi calling” (turned on) requires cellular service to be turned on and the phone then will automatically “hand off” the call to wifi if the cellular service is bad.

I do not claim to be Apple-literate enough to touch that worry.

 

On Android, I've always been able to WiFi call under Airplane Mode, and to set cellular or WiFi as the priority transport with Airplane Mode OFF.  (I still keep Airplane Mode firmly ON while afloat.)

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, harryw said:

#225 gave the same message. We are sailing to sea. I’ll go to the tech center tomorrow.

If they can’t help, I will go to Lourdes.

 

Sorry, cellular billing is beyond the ken of miracles.   ::rimshot::

 

Try https://www.verizon.com/support/contact-us/#mobile#billingandpayments#mobilebillingandpaymentbillingquestions

[1985rz1]

17 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

I do not claim to be Apple-literate enough to touch that worry.

 

On Android, I've always been able to WiFi call under Airplane Mode, and to set cellular or WiFi as the priority transport with Airplane Mode OFF.  (I still keep Airplane Mode firmly ON while afloat.)

Same here, with our Androids.  We can leave cellular on with WiFi enabled and let the phones choose which is best...a recipe for disaster on a ship.

[edgee]

5 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

BTW, when docked, the ship's cellphone tower must be turned off, so a cellphone normally connects to shoreside towers (and you "originate" from that port's Country Code).

 

WiFi calling sends your call direct to your cellphone provider via the internet rather than local cellphone voice links, so your call "originates" at your cellphone company's data center.

Ship's cell phone towers should be irrelevant to someone making use of Verizon travel pass, as they are not included in the travel pass program. Ten bucks a day for each country for unlimited calls and lots of data with some limits. Then while on ship keep phone on airplane mode and use wifi calling.

[Harry Lake]

5 hours ago, harryw said:

Thank You. The irony is that I want to call Verizon to confirm a bill payment. They don’t make it easy as there are issues with my mobile account.

How about emailing them?

[harryw]

9 hours ago, Harry Lake said:

How about emailing them?

For privacy purposes  Verizon won’t give bill info in an email, but it just occurred to me to try their live chat feature.

[harryw]

I resolved the issue. I used the Google Machine and found a Verizon Customer Service non 800 number for international travelers, 908-559-4899

They had my billing information

[Iamthesea]

21 hours ago, harryw said:

Thank You. The irony is that I want to call Verizon to confirm a bill payment. They don’t make it easy as there are issues with my mobile account.

 

15 hours ago, Harry Lake said:

How about emailing them?

 

5 hours ago, harryw said:

For privacy purposes  Verizon won’t give bill info in an email, but it just occurred to me to try their live chat feature.

 

Glad you resolved your problem.  I receive an email each month with my upcoming due bill information, and then about two weeks later, one that confirms my auto payment.

 

I have used WiFi Calling on a river cruise while on the river, but never tried it while out at sea on a cruise ship.  Additionally, it is my understanding that WiFi Calling is no longer supported by Verizon when out of the country.  Can anyone confirm or deny? 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Iamthesea

[edgee]

11 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

 

 

 

Glad you resolved your problem.  I receive an email each month with my upcoming due bill information, and then about two weeks later, one that confirms my auto payment.

 

I have used WiFi Calling on a river cruise while on the river, but never tried it while out at sea on a cruise ship.  Additionally, it is my understanding that WiFi Calling is no longer supported by Verizon when out of the country.  Can anyone confirm or deny? 

We have Verizon service and had no trouble making wifi calls while on Oceania Vista a few weeks ago and also in Israel and Europe in August. Calls seemed to work a little better when we used Whatsapp for calls between DW and me on the ship and our kids at home who have the Whatsapp app. But regular calls on wifi worked pretty well too.

Edited December 5, 2023 by edgee