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International Travel Mobile Device Tips

What to do when you are going to travel internationally

  1. Know what countries you are traveling to and the dates you will be in each country, including layovers where you will use your mobile device. Plans must be added during business hours 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday.
    Note: International service is not available in all countries. Please view your carrier below for countries that are covered. Service plans must be added before leaving the United States. We advise adding international service plans at least one to two weeks before departure.
  2. Know what devices you plan to take on your international travel (i.e., cellphone, tablet, data card, MiFi) and the phone number associated with each.  Not all devices can be used when traveling out of the U.S. 
  3. Determine what service plans you want to add for each device.
  4. Submit a Help ticket with all the information from above or call the Mobile Device Service Desk. If you need help, please contact one of the numbers below. ​
    • Stanford University:  5-Help (650-725-4357), option 3
    • Stanford Healthcare:  4-Help (650-724-4357), option 4
    • Stanford Children's Health:  5-Help (650-725-4357), option 3
  5. Please refer to your email confirmation to see if you need to call in and remove plans after travel. Mobile Device Services is not responsible for any monthly charges incurred if the plan has not been removed. Please Submit a Help Ticket or call the Mobile Device Service Desk to remove the international service plans if needed.
Be sure to turn your mobile Device on AIRPLANE MODE while on airplanes or cruise ships to avoid high overage charges. Turn on Wi-Fi via settings. International air and cruise charges are not covered by any international plans.

Technical difficulties

If you have technical difficulties using your mobile device while traveling outside the U.S., try this simple step first: Turn off your phone for one minute, then restart it.

If the issue continues, contact your carrier directly.

  • AT&T: 1-314-925-6925. To access the plus sign (+) on most devices, press and hold the 0 key.
  • T-Mobile: 1-505-998-3793
  • Verizon: Dial the exit code for the country you're in, then dial 1-908-559-4899

Reminder: Not having an international plan could result in loss of service and high charges (i.e., overages). Changing plans during non-business hours could result in additional added fees.

More travel tips and resources

For Stanford University:

For Stanford Healthcare:

  • Please contact Stanford Healthcare Service Desk at 650-723-3333, opt 2.

For Stanford Children's Hospital:

  • Please contact Stanford Children's Service Desk at 650-498-7500

Calling from the U.S. to other countries requires an international calling plan. This plan reduces the per-minute cost of calls to the countries being called. (Cost varies by country.) Please call 5-Help (650-725-4357), option 3, or submit a Help request for support. Facetime Audio on Wi-Fi is free. The cost for Facetime not used on Wi-Fi is based on your data plan. To avoid high overages you must initiate the call using Facetime and not by establishing a standard voice call and then switching to Facetime. (Check the Apple website for more information.)

Last modified April 23, 2024