NEW YORK, May 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey
reveals one in three Americans is planning to travel outside of the
U.S. in the next year. Of those traveling internationally, a
whopping 80 percent plan to use their phone and data on their phone
with 65 percent checking in with loved ones at some point during
their trip, according to a new survey released today by
Verizon.
Here's some good news for world travelers: taking your phone
with you just got easier. TravelPass is now available in more than
100 countries, letting you use your existing voice and data plan
outside of the U.S. for as little as $2 per day, per line* to talk, text, surf the web
and more.
"When traveling abroad, Americans are all about staying
connected to those back home, looking up directions and posting
photos onto social media through the use of mobile
data," said Rob Miller, vice
president of consumer pricing for Verizon. "TravelPass has been
in the marketplace for less than six months and already we have
seen a sharp spike in usage, as it allows people to use their
device outside of the U.S. as they would back home."
Photo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160502/362670
A surge in international data usage
In March of 2015,
Verizon customers outside the U.S. averaged 18 MB per day. In March
of 2016, that number jumped to 67 MB per day for travelers with
TravelPass--a 272 percent increase in the average data usage per
day.
Photo
- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160502/362673
So where are TravelPass users jetting off to? Since its launch
in November 2015, the top 10 visited
countries by TravelPass users include: Mexico, Canada, United
Kingdom, Italy,
France, Spain, Germany, Jamaica, Australia and Israel.
Top-visited country Mexico has
seen a remarkable 880 percent increase in the average data usage
per day for travelers with TravelPass, from 5 MB per day in March
of 2015 to 49 MB per day in March of 2016.
Canada has seen similar data
usage year-over-year growth. In March of 2015, Verizon customers
averaged 8 MB per day. In March of 2016, that number jumped to 80
MB per day for travelers with TravelPass. That's a 900 percent
increase in the average data usage per day.
Photo
- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160502/362671
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- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160502/362672
To sign up for TravelPass, visit MyVerizon.com and select
"manage international services" or use the MyVerizon app on your
phone to activate TravelPass before embarking on a trip. Once at
your destination, you'll receive a text message welcoming you to
the country and reminding you of the service and the daily fee:
$2 per 24 hours in Mexico and Canada or $10
per 24 hours in 100+ other countries.
The daily fee is only charged on the days you use TravelPass in
one of the countries where it's available. TravelPass activates
when you make or receive a call, connect to a data service or send
a text. Another daily session will begin once you make or receive a
call, send a text or use data after the 24-hour period expires. You
can keep TravelPass on your account at no charge.
TravelPass countries (new countries shown in bold are
effective May 5, 2016):
- North America:
Canada, Mexico
- Caribbean, Central,
South America: Argentina, Anguilla, Antigua
& Barbuda, Bermuda, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman
Islands, Chile,
Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El
Salvador, French
Guiana, Galapagos Islands, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Eustatius
& Saba, Saint Kitts &
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint
Maartin/Saint Martin, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos,
Uruguay, Venezuela
- Europe, Middle East: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Mann, Israel, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira and Azores,
Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United
Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, Vatican City
- Asia Pacific:
Australia, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea (South),
Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Samoa,
Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu
Before traveling abroad, you should enable International
Services on your account to ensure your plan is configured to make
and receive calls while overseas. There is no additional charge to
add International Services to your account.
* Taxes and fees apply; qualifying MORE Everything or Verizon
plan and compatible 4G world phone required.
Survey methodology
This nationwide survey was
conducted online by KRC Research on behalf of Verizon. Interviews
were conducted between April 25-27,
2016, among 1,015 U.S. adults ages 18+. The data were
weighted by gender, geographic region, race, income and education
to accurately represent the population.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in
New York City, generated nearly
$132 billion in 2015 revenues.
Verizon operates America's most reliable wireless network, with
112.6 million retail connections nationwide. The company also
provides communications and entertainment services over America's
most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business
solutions to customers worldwide.
Verizon's Online News Center: News releases, feature stories,
executive biographies and media contacts are available at Verizon's
online News Center at www.verizon.com/news/. News releases are also
available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit
www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
Media contact:
Trevor
Thomas
248.914.3680
trevor.thomas@verizon.com
Twitter: @TrevorThomas45
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/65-of-americans-traveling-outside-the-us-will-use-mobile-data-to-check-in-with-loved-ones-back-home-300261413.html
SOURCE Verizon