The Best International Phone Plans: Stay Connected Worldwide

Key takeaways

Find the best mobile plans for traveling abroad by first considering your destination, length of stay and data needs
Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T offer day passes for roaming phone plans or monthly plans with and without data caps
Prepaid travel phone plans that use an eSIM can also be a great option for short-term travelers

Best plans for frequent travelers

If you’re a frequent traveler, an unlimited mobile plan with hotspot data and international roaming, talk and text is your best option.

Best plan – Verizon Unlimited Ultimate

Verizon’s highest-tiered plan is our top pick for traveling since it offers unlimited data, high-speed international data, talk and text in 210+ countries and has one of the highest hotspot data allowances out of the major U.S. carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T).

$90/mo. for one line
5G Ultra Wideband
60 GB premium mobile hotspot data
10 GB international roaming data per month
High-speed international data, talk and text in 210+ countries
Promotional perks

Other Verizon travel options

TravelPass – A great choice for short-term trips. $12/day for unlimited talk, text and data in 210+ countries and destinations. You will only be charged on the days you make or receive a call, send texts or use cellular data on your device when you’re abroad
International Monthly Plan – Perfect for those who travel occasionally and only want to pay for the days they use international service since they can activate coverage when needed. $100/mo. per linefor unlimited data, 250 call minutes and unlimited text
Cruise Daily Pass – Best suited for cruise-goers with light data use. $30/day per line for data of 0.5 GB/day, 50 call minutes and unlimited text. You will only be charged on days you use your phone. Text CRUISE to 4004 before or at the start of your cruise to add a daily pass to your line
In-flight Daily Pass – Great for those who need data during long flights. $20/day per line for unlimited data ($1.99/minute for talk, $0.50 for sent texts and $0.05 for received texts)

Looking for cheap mobile service? Visible Wireless by Verizon is a budget carrier that uses Verizon’s network.

Runner-up best plan – T-Mobile Go5G Plus

T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus plan is another great option for frequent travelers since it provides unlimited premium data, 50 GB of mobile hotspot data, in-flight coverage and 5 GB of roaming data in 215+ countries. We like Verizon a bit better since it offers more roaming and hotspot data, but T-Mobile is still a solid choice.

$90/mo. for one line
In-flight texting and Wi-Fi
50 GB hotspot data
5 GB roaming data
High-speed international talk, text and data in 215+ countries
Promotional perks

Other T-Mobile travel options

One-day international pass – Perfect for light users on short trips or layovers. $5/day for unlimited calling, 512 MB of international data
10-day international pass – Great for vacationers. $35 for 10 days of unlimited calling and 5 GB of international data
30-day international pass – Best for long-term trips. $50 for one month of unlimited calling and 15 GB of international data

Mint Mobile offers cheap mobile plan alternatives using T-Mobile’s 5G network.

Best for specific destinations – AT&T Unlimited Premium

If you are traveling to a Latin American country, AT&T’s Unlimited Premium plan could be a great choice. It offers unlimited talk, text and high-speed data in 20 Latin American countries and 60 GB of hotspot data per month.

$85.99/mo. per line
60 GB/mo. hotspot data
Unlimited talk, text and data in 20 Latin American countries

Other AT&T travel options

International Day Pass – Best for traveling outside of Latin America. $12/day for unlimited talk, text and high-speed data in 210+ countries
AT&T Cruise Basic – Best for light-use cruisegoers. $60 for 30 days of 100 minutes of talk, unlimited text and 100 MB of data
AT&T Cruise Plus – Best for calls and light data use. It costs $100 for 30 days of unlimited talk and text, with 1 GB of data

Factors to consider

Before you sign up for a plan, consider your coverage and data needs, budget and other package perks to compare which travel phone plans will provide the most value.

Coverage

Knowing what areas international phone plans cover is paramount to choosing the right mobile plan. AT&T’s Unlimited Premium plan, for example, only offers international data in Latin America. If you’re traveling to Europe, this plan won’t serve you as well as Verizon or T-Mobile’s unlimited plans.

Data limits and roaming

If you’re going on a short trip, an unlimited mobile plan may be more than you need. Instead, daily travel passes from your carrier are often a better value than paying for a full month of unlimited international data.

On longer-term trips, upgrading to an unlimited plan (like Verizon Unlimited Ultimate) can save you money. Even if you already have an unlimited mobile plan, double-check your travel benefits and features beforehand to be aware of any extra international roaming charges.

Promotional perks

Signing up as a new customer for a travel plan puts you in a good position to secure the best benefits by shopping for the top promotional perks from each carrier. Global phone plans from Verizon and T-Mobile often offer entertainment-focused perks and bundling deals, which can help you save on other services like home internet.

Don’t want to change your mobile plan?

If you aren’t interested in switching your mobile plan to one of the unlimited plans with roaming data above, you can get a SIM or eSIM card for your device. eSIMs are gaining popularity since you can download them directly to your phone through an app. SIM cards allow you to connect to a local network in the area you’re traveling, which allows you to access the local calling and data rates.

You can choose a data plan for your SIM card, either prepaid or postpaid. Prepaid will give you more control over your data charges, while postpaid operates like your monthly phone plan, which charges you monthly. The type of plan you choose depends on your needs. Postpaid will generally offer more data, but prepaid can be suitable for those who have consistent data usage.

Get more of your mobile questions answered at the Allconnect FAQs hub.

Travel phone plan FAQs

What if I don’t want to change my plan?

You can choose a travel pass from a main carrier — like AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile — or opt for a SIM card.

Roaming vs. local SIM cards

SIM and eSIM cards are popular alternatives to plans with international roaming since they allow you to use the local network in the area you’re traveling, which can sometimes be cheaper if you don’t have a plan that includes international data.

Is it cheaper to get an international plan or a travel pass?

Day travel passes cost between $5.00–$12.00/day, while a monthly international plan is between $50.00–$100.00/mo., depending on your carrier. Therefore, your length of stay is usually the biggest factor in determining which one is most cost-effective for you.

How much roaming data do I need for a week?

Your data needs depend on your phone usage habits. Occasionally checking email or browsing? Expect data needs of 1–2 GB/week. Creating and uploading video content, remote video calls or mobile gaming quickly increases data use; plan for 10+ GB weekly.