brott, thanks your reply was very helpful.

the main reason i posted was to hear the experiences of tmo customers who have actually used the service. i will still sign up for the $20 add-on when i go abroad but i don't understand how they even distinguish email from other types of data service. also, per what irdiaz said, is there a difference between BES and BIS international data plans?

i do know that cingular's unlimited international data plan includes all data such as web browsing.

i chat and read rss feeds on my blackberry a lot and i have a feeling the $15/mb is going to kill me! haha