There have been several ways to use your phone internationally over the years. In the past, crossing a border and connecting to a local cellular network often meant your carrier would charge per megabyte for calls and data — costs that could add up quickly. That’s why one of the first things many travelers did in a new country was buy a prepaid phone or a physical SIM card to swap into their device.
Now, you have three options that require far less scrambling to find a store selling SIM cards: use a wireless plan that already includes international calling, texting and data; add a travel package to your existing mobile plan; or sign up for an eSIM service that provides either a fixed amount of data or unlimited access in the region you’re visiting.
The first option, international roaming, is what this guide is focused on. Most plans let you call, text and use data in Canada and Mexico. As you pay more for a plan, you get more options. The AT&T Elite 2.0 plan, for example, lets you go just about anywhere and use your phone as you do everyday in the US.
The second option can make sense when you’re on short to medium-length trips. AT&T’s International Day Pass costs $12 a day to use voice, text and data. If multiple people on your account are traveling together, one person pays $12 a day and the others pay $6 a day, with a maximum of 10 days being charged, even if your vacation lasts longer. (Cruise ship trips have different prices.)
Verizon offers a TravelPass for $12 a day, or a bundle of three days for $10 as an add-on for a line. If you don’t use those days during a month, they roll over to the next, for a maximum of 36 TravelPass days (but the days expire after 12 months). There’s also an International Monthly Plan for $100 a month per line.
T-Mobile’s international data passes can be added when you travel. The 1 Day Pass costs $10 for 2GB of high-speed data and free calls for 24 hours; the 10 Day Pass costs $35 for 5GB of high-speed data; and a 30 Day Pass costs $50 for 15GB of high-speed data.
For the eSIM option, companies including Ubigi, Airalo, Instabridge and Maya Mobile offer prepaid data in destinations worldwide. Most likely, your phone supports an eSIM, which exists as a secondary line, but the device must be unlocked to take advantage of the feature.
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