Costly Cell Data Plans

Contracts that offer unlimited domestic data transfers may cap international data each month, after which hefty charges kick in.

If you've ever made calls or used data services on your cellular phone using overseas roaming, you've probably encountered sticker shock. Talk or e-mail too much, and your bill could skyrocket.

AT&T now offers international data rate plans. While it previously had such plans for laptops and BlackBerry devices, the plans now extend to hand-helds and smart phones.

For $45 a month (for a smart phone with a numeric keypad) or $70 a month (if your device has a QWERTY keyboard), AT&T will allow you unlimited domestic data (normally $20 or $45 a month for smart phones and full-keyboard devices, respectively) plus up to 20MB of data in some 30 other countries. Extra megabytes cost $5 each.

Yardena Arar