I went to china last January, I just used some apps so I wouldnt have to pay anything to verizon. I kept the phone in airplane mode the entire time and only enabled wifi. Used google voice for texting, then I used Fring to make calls over wifi (without video) to any number. I added $10 to my fring account and I think it was like 2cents a minute and it lasted me almost a full month. Im sure there are other apps that you could use other than fring. This only works over wifi, so it may or may not be a viable option for you.