I have Verizon and turn off my cellular data, but do not put it in airplane mode because I want my kids to be able to reach me if they need me. It does not trigger the $10 pass automatically (although years ago, they did this in Europe and I complained because I did not answer yes to their texts - they credited the amount off and it has never happened again). We were in SXM for 2 weeks in Jan/Feb and my bill was about $6 total for the texts I sent and received. Last year, I was only charged the $1.79 per minute when I spoke with my daughter, which is still much less than the travel pass. I am not charged at all for calls that go to voicemail.