Traveling to Canada with the iPhone

So....my wife and I are going to spend two and a half days in Toronto. (We live in Chicago.) We both have the iPhone 4, both updated to the latest version of iOS.

We already know about leaving data roaming set to "OFF", but is there anything else we should do to make sure we don't have any bank-breaking surprises in our bill? We each plan to make probably one call back home when we touch down at the airport, as both of us have parents who want us to check in right away so they know our plane didn't crash. (Despite the fact that if our plane crashed, they'd probably know right away!)

We don't have an international calling plan, because we literally leave the country every eleven years (so far!)...

Don't know if you're with AT&T or Verizon but here is AT&T's page on international travel and here is Verizon's. Sorry I can't be much more help than that but those should at least get you started.

As long as the roaming is switched off, there is nothing to really worry about.

I go for the pre paid sim when going international once I'm at my destination, which takes care of everything.... just text people that you want to be in touch with your temporary number.

Thanks for the replies...I doubt I'd need to worry about a sim for just two and a half days...

I guess my biggest concern (AT&T FamilyTalk Nation 700, btw) is....what would happen if I make a brief call to Chicago and my wife makes a brief call to New Jersey (we both have Chicago phone numbers), maybe two minutes each, when we are in Toronto? We don't have international calling plans (it technically wouldn't be international calling anyway, would it?)...

Or should I just talk to someone at the Apple Store? (I WOULD go to AT&T, but of all the times I've talked to AT&T, if I had a dollar for every time they gave me correct information, I'd be in severe debt.)

The international calls unless specified in your plan as being included call allowances (call types) are always added to your monthly bill, and are excessive, but, if only a couple of minutes long each, you're only looking at a few dollars each.

Apple wouldn't really be the best to talk to about AT&T International Roaming, you really need to talk to AT&T.

But in short, any call from Canada would incur international roaming charges since you're using a Canadian cell network to make the call. Check out the page that Van listed above, it has all the details.

Any call you make from Canada to the US will cost you 79¢ per minute in roaming charges. Text messages are charged at 50¢ (MMS $1.30) for either outgoing or incoming.