Best International Cell Phone Plans

There are plenty of international phone plans out there, however keep in mind the fact that an MVNO phone carrier with an international day pass could be a more affordable option. I’ve put together my top picks for international phone plans below:

Visible, Mint, and Spectrum’s international day passes are worthwhile investments for those who are travelling for about a week at a time. You pay around $20–$70 for a week of global roaming in addition to your low monthly rate, whereas top carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon cost more than $70 every month of service.

I recommend getting T-Mobile and Verizon for those that travel internationally every month, or the premium you pay for international talk, text, and data in your plan essentially goes unused.

T-Mobile's $75 monthly Go5G plan is the best international phone plan. T-Mobile’s network isn’t quite as large as Verizon’s, but it’s enough for the vast majority of users and it has a larger 5G network. The plan continues T-Mobile’s tradition of bundling discounts when you sign up for 5G Home Internet plans, and it includes access to a range of streaming services. That, of course, is on top of the excellent international plan features.

T-Mobile Go5G includes unlimited international data with up to 5GB of high-speed data in 11 countries. You also get unlimited talk and text, and up to 10GB of high-speed data in Canada & Mexico, perfect for heavy data users. On top of the unlimited international data up to 256Kbps in 215+ countries, the plan also has unlimited international texting and unlimited in-flight texting.

There are lots of entertainment perks here too. Notably, you get Apple TV+ free for six months and four full-flight streaming sessions per year.

The T-Mobile Go5G plan doesn’t offer free calling. You pay $0.25 per minute to make calls while traveling unless you’re calling to or from Canada or Mexico. That can get expensive, so if you rely on phone calls, it may be worth going for an alternative or looking into VoIP calling services. 

Visible has grown in popularity as Verizon’s budget brand, but for many it’s a better way to go than Verizon. That’s because its plans are so cheap, but still offer all the perks of Verizon’s excellent network. Visible’s base plan is $25 per month, and includes unlimited talk, text, and data in the United States. When you add a Visible Global Pass, you get international talk, text, and data on that day in 140 countries around the globe.

Visible’s Global Pass allows for international talk, text, and data on that day in 140 countries around the globe. The Global Pass costs $5 per day in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, a great deal for those much-needed long weekend trips. Otherwise, the Global Pass costs $10 per day.

Of course, Visible has other advantages. Its plans are relatively cheap in the first place and work on Verizon’s network, which is the largest in the U.S.

As you might have picked up on, Visible’s Global Pass is most helpful for short trips–if you need international usage for more than a few days per month, the costs add up. Thankfully, if you only really travel within North America, you can get Global Pass for $5 per day.

Mint Mobile may be mostly famous because it’s partly owned by Ryan Reynolds, but this plucky, T-Mobile-connected MVNO actually has a lot going for it. Ideal for budget users, it offers up inexpensive plans, with multiple options based on data usage. All plans offer unlimited domestic talk and text, and you can purchase an international pass (or Minternational Pass, as Mint calls it) for traveling abroad. Prices start at $5 for a one-day pass, but you can also upgrade to a 10-day pass for $20. For longer trips, you need to buy additional passes.

We recommend getting the Mint Mobile 5GB 3-Month plan for $15 monthly for three months, and then adding a Minternational Pass for $5 to $20 outlined below. 

Mint Mobile is quite flexible when it comes to domestic use, and customers can change plans on a month-to-month basis, based on the amount of data they think they’ll use. This extends to international plans, too—you can buy “Minternational Passes” whenever you need, depending on how long you plan on traveling.

Although Mint’s international passes are decently priced, they’re not the most cost-effective option if you plan on traveling for a long period. If you’re trekking across Europe for a month, for example, you’ll need to buy three 10-day plans.

Spectrum Mobile's Unlimited plan with a Global Day Pass is the best short-term international phone plan. The Global Day Pass costs $5 per day in Canada and Mexico, or $10 per day in 200 countries.

Spectrum Mobile is only available to those who bundle their wireless with a Spectrum Internet plan. Once you do, you get one year of Spectrum mobile for free ($360 value).

Spectrum Mobile's Unlimited plan with Global Day Pass comes with 1GB of data to use, and unlimited talk and text. It's not a ton of data, but you can always purchase additional gigabytes of data if you need, rather than pay for data you aren't going to use. The mobile plan itself is free for the first 12 months of service, so this is a small price to pay while you're traveling. 

This isn't the best deal for those who are traveling for a few weeks, since there are no multi-day discounts for the Global Day Pass. If that's you, make sure to toggle off International roaming and find an alternative option like a local SIM card.

Verizon offers the best international phone plan. The $90 monthly Unlimited Ultimate wireless plan boasts high-speed international data, talk, and text.

Another huge perk is you can also get Verizon's top-notch Fios fiber internet for as low as $35 when you bundle your wireless and internet plan together. Verizon's internet plan ranks as one of Reviews.org's top fiber internet providers, so it's definitely worth bundling up to save on your internet. 

When it comes to international usage, Verizon Unlimited Ultimate has a lot going for it. Customers get unlimited talk and text in 210+ countries, plus 10GB per month of high-speed data on this plan. You can’t really do much better in terms of international support, so those who travel often can get dependable service without having to juggle plans. Usage in Mexico and Canada is better too—you get up to 2GB of high-speed data per day, and after that, you get unlimited data on 3G speeds. You can also choose one of 140 countries to call for 300 minutes per month.

Verizon Unlimited Ultimate throttles international data usage after 10GB, but you don’t lose data access—it's just slowed down to unlimited 2G speeds. 

Verizon Unlimited Ultimate is also expensive: $90 per month (with AutoPay) for one line. That’s more than the majority of plans on this list, though the trade-off is that you don’t have to worry too much about buying international passes or running out of minutes.

You need an international phone plan if you travel regularly and need to make calls and access internet data over a reliable cellular network. It’s an especially worthy investment for business trips and other high-stakes undertakings where making VoIP calls over a cafe’s shaky Wi-Fi simply won’t suffice. 

“A top-notch international cell phone plan has broad coverage, reasonable prices, and clear pricing. It should be possible to stay connected in many places without having to pay crazy roaming fees,” advises Rajesh Namase, co-founder of tech publication TechRT. “Check to see if the plan includes cheap texting and calling other countries. Pay attention to what other customers say about the quality of the service and the help they get.”

Keep in mind that you may not need an international cell phone plan at all, even if you’re planning a long trip overseas. That’s because it’s very easy to communicate with a simple internet connection, and it’s not too hard to find decent Wi-Fi wherever you travel.

Most tourists and backpackers can stick to apps like WhatsApp, Viber, and even iMessage, especially for short trips or jaunts across multiple countries. These services are web-based and allow you to message and call your friends and family. Of course, your friends and family need to use the same apps and services for you to connect with them.

Although it’s pretty easy to find Wi-Fi in most major cities, you still might not want to rely on being able to find those services. A bucket-list vacation can easily turn into a drag if you spend half your day running around looking for a cafe with Wi-Fi just to respond to a text or search on Google Maps.

A relatively inexpensive data-only plan from a phone carrier specific to the region you're traveling to might be perfectly fine. Getting a low-cost SIM or eSIM is extremely easy in most countries, and you can get connected in a matter of minutes if you have a phone with eSIM capability.

I regularly use Airalo to buy inexpensive data-only eSIMs for when I travel, which allow me to use web services even without Wi-Fi. Simply using an eSIM like this or buying a cheap SIM when you get to your destination may be the easiest way to travel. 

You don’t necessarily need an international phone plan to make international calls. That’s thanks to the existence of Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, services. These services essentially use data to make calls instead of cell service.

There are plenty of great VoIP services out there, but many of them charge money for international calls. Perhaps the most famous VoIP service is Google Voice, which charges a different rate per minute depending on the country you’re calling. Other top VoIP services include the likes of RingCentral, which costs $20 per month with an annual subscription.

Of course, if you’re just calling friends and family, you don’t necessarily need to pay for a VoIP service, if your friends and family use the same apps and services as you. WhatsApp, for example, offers calling features for free—as do services like Viber and Facebook Messenger.

At Reviews.org, we’re constantly testing phone plans and cell services. We understand that a great cell service can be hugely important – and that’s even more true for international users who may rely on their service to stay connected with friends and family in a new location.

I personally have used a number of the services on this list, and as someone who was born in Australia, lived in Europe for five years, and has attended a lot of tech events, I travel a ton. Often, I rely on an international phone plan to stay connected while I travel, and while most recently I’ve been buying a low-cost eSIM data plan from Airalo when I travel, I know what makes an excellent international phone plan.

In putting together this guide, I conducted extensive research on phone plans, both from the major carriers, and from smaller companies alike. I looked at the particular features that make a phone plan great for international and made sure each plan was a solid option for when you’re home too. I also scoured the web, and even got insight from some travel bloggers and influencers to ensure that the plans included were worth paying your hard-earned cash for.