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Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor
Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.
Expertise 5G | Mobile networks | Wireless carriers | Phones | Tablets | Streaming devices | Streaming platforms | Mobile | Console gaming
Traveling with your phone has gotten better in recent years, but it can still get costly. Although roaming in Canada and Mexico is included by all three major US carriers, going beyond North America can be expensive, particularly if you want faster than 3G or 2G speeds, which aren't helpful for much more than light messaging, navigation and email checks.
The rise of the eSIM has also made the need to hunt down a physical SIM card a thing of the past, as most modern phones can get you a local SIM card in seconds through an app. With the increased length of installment plans, you may save money by just paying the roaming fees and keeping your trade-in credits for more valuable things than paying to unlock your phone.
Sounds confusing? Let's clear things up as the holiday travel season is getting underway.
Using your phone internationally is no longer as simple as just popping in a different SIM card.
Jason Cipriani/CNETWhat are the best phone plans with international roaming included?
We're going to focus this section on US carriers, but many of the other tips could be applied to those traveling in from other countries.
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In the US, my pick for the best plan for frequent globe-trotters is Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate. The carrier's latest, most premium unlimited plan takes a page from T-Mobile's playbook and includes international texting and data in over 210 countries (neither includes voice, though you can get around that by using WhatsApp, FaceTime or other messaging apps' voice-calling features).
Verizon, unlike T-Mobile, lets you "mix and match" plans for different lines on your account, which could be helpful for those on family plans. This means that you can have one line on Ultimate for the month when you'll be traveling while keeping the other lines on more affordable Unlimited Plus or Welcome options. You can also lower the line on an Ultimate plan down to a more affordable one when you aren't traveling. If you also get an upgrade during this time, moving away from the Ultimate plan could affect any new phone deals you may have taken advantage of (Verizon's best upgrade offers are generally now tied to its priciest unlimited plans).
In addition to international talk, text and data, Unlimited Ultimate also includes 60GB of mobile hotspot use in the US and Verizon's highest discounts on new devices. There's also unlimited talk and text from the US to Canada, Mexico and "one additional country of your choice." There are no streaming services included, although you can add several options, including the Disney bundle and Apple One for $10 per month, per "perk." The carrier will also let you upgrade on its best device deals (usually reserved for new customers) once every three years.
Verizon, unlike T-Mobile, lets you "mix and match" which plans are for which lines on your account. So you can have one line on Ultimate for the month when you'll be traveling while keeping the other lines on more affordable Unlimited Plus or Welcome options. You can also lower the Ultimate line down to a more affordable plan when you aren't traveling, but if you upgraded on Ultimate, lowering the plan may force you to lose your upgrade deal.
In addition to international data, T-Mobile's plans also include plenty of high-speed hotspot data in the US (40GB on Magenta Max, 50GB on Go5G Plus), in-flight texting and Wi-Fi, as well as subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV Plus. T-Mobile's plans also include taxes and fees in their prices.
Some additional notes: T-Mobile requires all plans on an account to be on the same plan. If only one line needs international data, you should consider Magenta (if you only have one or two lines) or Go5G (if you need three or more lines), with the MaxUp or PlusUp $15 per line add-on. This will let your other lines get a cheaper rate while allowing you to bolster your international data to tap into the Go5G Plus or Magenta Max offerings for the lines that need it.
And as mentioned, T-Mobile's plans for one or two lines are cheaper under the Magenta option while promotions have made the Go5G plans better for those looking for three or more lines. It is worth noting that you will need to call or chat with T-Mobile to get the Magenta options.
AT&T's top unlimited plan also includes 50GB of high-speed hotspot data. Like Verizon, the carrier also lets you put each line of your account on different unlimited plans. So if only one line out of your four is traveling to a Latin American country, you can put them on Premium PL and the rest on more affordable options like Unlimited Starter SL.
As we covered in our other wireless guides, to get the best deal, you need to make sure you have the coverage that you need abroad but also at home. This makes it hard to give a blanket recommendation of any one carrier. T-Mobile's service in New York may be excellent, but if you're in rural Iowa, Verizon is more reliable.
Your mileage may vary, but the good news is that these networks are growing and improving all the time, particularly as the three major players race to blanket the US with 5G. It's quite possible that you left a network complaining about its sparse service a decade ago, but it's since beefed itself up because of that race to acquire customers.
If you know any friends or family in your area that already use the carrier you're considering, ask about their experience. You could also go to a carrier's store and see if they offer any free ways to try out the service before switching over, such as T-Mobile's Network Pass. Verizon offers a similar 30-day "Test Drive" program, while AT&T has recently introduced its own 30-day eSIM free trial option for sampling its network.
Picking a wireless plan and carrier is a very individualized process. What works for you and your family's needs may be vastly different from your friends or neighbors. Even geographically, some areas have better AT&T coverage while others work best on Verizon or T-Mobile (and vice versa). The picks we make are based on over a decade of covering and evaluating wireless carriers, their offerings and overall performance.
In particular, we take into account the following:
1. Coverage
2. Price
3. Value
4. Perks
Coverage
Since all three major providers blanket most of the country with good 4G LTE or 5G, this is largely a toss-up on a macro level and why we recommend a variety of eSIM options for figuring out what works best for you in your particular location so you can best decide what is right for you. Looking at coverage maps on each provider's website will likely show whether you can get good coverage even if your experience isn't full bars or the fastest speeds.
This is also why with prepaid plans, we specify which network each prepaid provider uses as they sometimes make that a bit difficult to figure out.
Price/Value
Value is factoring in the total experience you might get, such as how much high-speed data you get and what's included in the sticker price.
Perks
Perks are add-ons beyond the core components of wireless service (talk, text and data). This could range from bundling in or discounting streaming services to extra hotspot data or the ability to use your phone internationally.
What if I don't want to change my plan?
T-Mobile has long included even slow international data in its plans, but AT&T and Verizon largely haven't. For most plans, adding this functionality will cost extra. The good news is that both have gotten a lot better on roaming rates and depending on your trip, it could make sense to do this rather than going through the process of unlocking, finding a local SIM card and playing that game (we'll get more into this in a moment).
In the past, roaming was charged on a per-megabyte or -gigabyte-used system, which could quickly lead to bills of hundreds of dollars (or more). Today, both Verizon and AT&T allow you to roam with unlimited talk, text and high-speed data for $10 per day on many of their respective unlimited plans.
If you're traveling with a family plan, AT&T will only charge that $10 to one of the lines with other members being billed at $5 per day -- and it'll only bill you for 10 days, per line per billing cycle. So if you have one line with AT&T and are traveling for two weeks, you could only end up paying $100 instead of $140 for international roaming (though if your AT&T bill resets during that window, you'd be on the hook for those days since the clock starts each billing cycle).
Verizon doesn't cap the number of days it will charge you, but it does offer a couple of different options. One is its TravelPass perk, something that is offered as part of its latest unlimited plans. With this, you can get three days of international roaming for $10 per month. If you don't use those days, you could roll them over (and bank up to 36 of them). You can similarly add it for the month you're traveling, save a little there and then get rid of the perk for all the other months you wouldn't be using it.
Verizon also offers a $100 monthly plan option that lets you get unlimited texts and data as well as 250 minutes for traditional calling (as opposed to using a messaging app like WhatsApp or FaceTime). Of the data, 20GB will be at "high speed" and the rest at "3G speeds." Note that with this plan you will need to remove it manually or else risk it being a recurring charge on your bill every month.
T-Mobile similarly offers the option to buy high-speed data "international passes." It has a few options here, including a 15GB of high-speed data option (to be used "up to 30 days") running $50 for the month.
Roaming vs. local SIM cards
The big reason we're focusing on roaming is because one of the most common ways US consumers still buy their phones is through wireless carriers and installment plans. To keep people from taking advantage of subsidized phones and then leaving for other providers, the carriers "lock" their phones to their networks until you finish the 24- or 36-month installment plans.
Each carrier has different policies on when they unlock. Verizon's is the best and it will automatically unlock your phone after 60 days. T-Mobile will automatically unlock phones after their installment plans are paid off, which normally is two years at the carrier. AT&T is the worst: Like Verizon, its installment plans are 36 months, and even after that period, you will still need to actually reach out to the carrier to have it unlock your device. We covered all of this here.
You could pay off the balance owed on your device to get your carrier to unlock it sooner, but doing so would forfeit the bill credits and the deal you likely got when you upgraded or switched. For example, if you purchased an iPhone 14 at AT&T last year and took advantage of its trade-in deal, paying off that phone early to unlock it would require you to shell out hundreds of dollars now and give up the deal you were given. And then you would still need to go out and get international service on top of that while still keeping your local service for when you return home.
Depending on your situation, this could make sense. For instance, if you're traveling abroad for a couple of months and only have a month or two left on your installment plan, it may make sense to pay the $50 or so to your carrier to unlock your phone early so you can get a cheaper phone plan while away. You'll want to check what you owe by heading into your account on your carrier's website and doing the math before rushing to pay everything down and unlocking.
The FCC may change this in the future and make unlocking automatic even for devices purchased on AT&T or T-Mobile, but for now, this is where things stand.
What if I have an unlocked phone? Can I get an eSIM?
If you have an unlocked device, looking at a local SIM card could be much cheaper. eSIM options, which allow you to add a SIM card to your phone virtually, meaning you could load up a local provider's SIM card into your phone through apps like Airalo or Ubigi before you even leave home. As eSIMs become more popular we're seeing more of these options become available, even from international carriers themselves like Vodafone and Orange (two of the larger providers in Europe).
While Apple has made eSIM more commonplace after ditching the physical SIM card slot in US iPhones with the iPhone 14 line, it has actually included the technology in iPhones dating back to 2018's iPhone XS and XR devices. Several Samsung, Google and other Android phones have also long supported eSIMs as well so its very possible the phone you have now already supports eSIMs.
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