Your Guide to the Best Phone Plans for International Travel

Updated SEO Title: Best Phone Plans for International Travel (2024)

Ready to pack your bags and head out of the country? Before you leave, it’s important to make sure you’re on the right phone plan. If you go with the wrong option, you could end up paying much more than you expected to use your phone while you’re abroad. 

We’ve identified the best cell phone plans for international travel, which include:

• Verizon Unlimited Ultimate 
• T-Mobile Go5G Plus
• AT&T Unlimited Premium PL 

Read on as we detail these three plans, as well as outline the most important considerations to keep in mind before signing up. 

If you're curious about finding the best wireless phone plans on the market, you can use our free, unbiased Plan Finder below as a phone plan comparison tool to quickly search through hundreds of plan options from the top carriers to find you a cell phone plan that fits your needs, including travel needs.

Best Overall: Verizon Unlimited Ultimate

If you’re looking for a good overall cell phone plan for international travel, it’s hard to go wrong with Verizon’s Unlimited Ultimate. 

All of Verizon’s unlimited plans give you unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada; Unlimited Ultimate goes beyond this to include unlimited talk, text, and 10GB/month of high-speed data in 210+ countries. 

If that’s still not enough, or if you expect to exceed 10GB in a particular month of international travel, you can purchase an additional 3 TravelPass days for $10/month as part of the carrier’s myPlan offerings. Each TravelPass add-on day entitles you to 2GB of data. 

International perks aside, Unlimited Ultimate is a great cell phone plan option in general. It features a massive 60GB of mobile hotspot data per month, and comes backed by Verizon’s superior 5G coverage. Whether you’re traveling in North America or far beyond, Unlimited Ultimate could be what you’re looking for. 

Verizon Unlimited Ultimate International Perks

• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada
• Unlimited talk, text, and 10GB/month of high-speed data in 210+ countries
• 3 TravelPass days for an additional $10/month

Runner Up: T-Mobile Go5G Plus

T-Mobile has long been the go-to carrier for international perks, and its Go5G Plus plan continues this legacy. 

T-Mobile Go5G Plus allows for full internet and texting on flights “where available,” which is something no other carrier offers. Additionally, it includes unlimited talk, text, and 15GB/month of data to use in Canada and Mexico. 

Most importantly, Go5G Plus features unlimited texting and 5GB/month of data in 215 countries and destinations. If you want to save a few bucks when you’re traveling to those places, you’ll have access to T-Mobile TRAVEL, which can save you up to 40% on hotels and rental cars. 

The benefits of going with this plan don’t end there. Go5G Plus is backed by T-Mobile’s strong 4G LTE and 5G coverage, not to mention 50GB/month of mobile hotspot data, and free Netflix and Apple TV subscriptions. All of this makes T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus a great overall value. 

T-Mobile Go5G Plus International Perks

• Unlimited talk, text, and 15GB/month in Canada and Mexico
• WiFi and texting on flights where available
• Unlimited texting and 5GB/month of data in 215 countries 
• Access to T-Mobile TRAVEL

Honorable Mention: AT&T Unlimited Premium PL

If you’re looking to travel exclusively in Latin America, AT&T’s Unlimited Premium PL plan is the way to go. 

AT&T’s unlimited plans all include all-you-can-use talk, text, and data in Mexico Canada. AT&T’s Unlimited Premium PL, however, also allows you to do all of these things in 19 additional Latin American countries, from Guatemala to Chile. 

This doesn’t extend to other parts of the world, though, so if you plan on using your phone in Europe or elsewhere, you’ll have to buy an AT&T International Day Pass for $12/day. This allows you to use your phone as you would at home in 210 international destinations. 

AT&T’s Unlimited Premium PL International Perks

• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in 19 Latin American countries

Do You Need an International Phone Plan When Traveling?

The cell phone plans discussed above allow you to use your own phone number while you’re traveling. However, sticking with your domestic carrier for international roaming is only one option. 

You can also forgo your domestic plan temporarily during your international travels, and instead sign up for a prepaid plan with a carrier that’s based in the particular country you’re in. Simply visit a local cell phone shop, and swap your phone’s SIM card for a local SIM card (specifically, a prepaid SIM card), and you can start enjoying international data, calls, and texts. If you have a phone with eSIM functionality (like an iPhone), you won’t even need to swap the physical SIM card, as you’ll be able to do this electronically. 

While going with an international phone plan like this may not allow you to make calls back home without an extra charge, you can use WhatsApp for this purpose. 

The Bottom Line

Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T offer plans with international perks that could save you money when you’re abroad. Of these, we think Verizon’s Unlimited Ultimate gives you the most bang for the buck, since it also includes features (60GB mobile hotspot, access to the best coverage) that make it a great plan to enjoy when you’re at home. That said, T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus and AT&T’s Unlimited Premium PL are both worthy options as well. 

Ready to get started? Check out Navi’s Plan Finder to find and compare offerings from the top cell phone carriers.