3G data use connecting to Travelnet

I am a iPhone owner considering buying AT&Ts International Data Roaming plan for use in Paris next week. The bottom tier plan offers 20MB data for a mere $25. I've reset my phone data use and tried several emails the data use is minimal. I've reset data usage to 0 again and browsed around the map application, again with minimal data usage. I reset the phone to 0 and opened Travelnet, put in a city pair, changed the date. Got the loads then opened to Standby list. After this basic operation I rechecked my data uasge and found the single lookup on Travel net used 2MB of data OUCH!
I repeated this test several times and always it costs approx 2MB to check Travelnet. This seems way to expensive for a normal non-rev usage while out of the country. I know AT&T in their infinite generosity has various other plans like 50MB/$60 and on up. Its too rich for my blood. Its no secret where I work.
Has any one had experience using AT&T International Data Roaming?
Any iPhone users have a tip or two?
MM

I just hunt down WiFi. Even if you have to pay for it, it will most likely be cheaper than what AT&T offers. Or you could jailbreak your phone...

WIFI is plentiful in Paris and we have it in our apartment. Its
Easy to get hooked on unlimited data. Just trying to be more
Connected.
What would I gain in connectivity if I jailbreak?
MM

The reply above just cost me 1MB of 3G data. That would be a buck and a quarter with the AT&T bottom tier plan. Yup hunting down free WIFI is the way to go.
Thanks for your thoughts jbear.
MM

Does your iphone use a SIM card ( dunno if US iphones do as most US phones are rubbish and use a pay card rather than having a SIM card ) .. if so you could see about seeing if you could buy a pre-paid data SIM card in France. Note that the rules about charging for data in the EU are far more regulated/fairer than in the US. A 20MB european booster for my UK 3G phone is only about USD 8.

No problem. I found out the hard way on this one, after paying $25 for almost nothing a few years ago.

Unlocking won't allow more connectivity, but it should allow you to use a French SIM card. I know you can do it for voice, but I'm not sure about data.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BRITSKI99

Does your iphone use a SIM card ( dunno if US iphones do as most US phones are rubbish and use a pay card rather than having a SIM card ).

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All AT&T phones made in the past 5 years (including the iPhone) use a SIM card and the GSM network. Verizon, the largest US carrier, still uses the CDMA network and phones w/o SIM cards.

I have an old Nokia 3120 I've used in Nicaragua. I'll get a French sim card. Always dreaded the day I would carry two cell phones but my iPhone has good offline maps. Jailbreaking sounds like the next step. Thanks for the help.
MM