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• International business mobile plans
• AT&T International Day Pass for Business

AT&T INTERNATIONAL DAY PASS™ FOR BUSINESS

The ultimate business travel companion

Use your wireless plan while you are traveling abroad for business at $10/day per line. Taxes, fees & other monthly charges extra.

• Travel Tips

Use your current wireless plan while traveling abroad for only $10/day*

*Taxes, fees & other monthly charges apply.

Travel with confidence

Use maps and ride share apps to travel with ease

Experience worldwide connectivity

Stay connected in over 210 destinations worldwide

Connectivity you can count on

Share images and other important business information with the office

International Day Pass for Business benefits

What you get with at&t international day pass for business.

$10 daily fee per line

This fee includes coverage for 24 hours

Access to your domestic plan while abroad

Using your domestic plan's data allowances¹ reduces your need to find Wi-Fi hotspots while traveling.

Access to your domestic plan's talk and text allowances²

Domestic plans with unlimited talk & text, get unlimited texts to the world and unlimited calls to 210+ destinations 

¹Subject to your domestic plan terms (with same data and speed restrictions). If your domestic plan includes Video Management, it will also apply to International Day Pass for Business. If your domestic plan has capped data usage, overage charges or data speed reduction of up to 128 Kbps may apply in accordance with the terms of your domestic plan.

²If your domestic plan has capped minutes or messages, overage charges may apply in accordance with the terms of your domestic plan.

International travel tips

Get the most out of your data while abroad

AT&T INTERNATIONAL DAY PASS ® FOR BUSINESS:

ELIGIBILITY : Available to business and government customers with a qualified AT&T wireless service agreement ( Business Agreement ) and only for qualified Corporate Responsibility User ( CRU ) lines of service. Compatible device with eligible domestic postpaid wireless plan required.

ADDING TO YOUR LINE : You can add IDP for Business before your CRU travels or, for business customers with select devices only, AT&T will automatically add International Day Pass (“IDP”) for Business to the CRU line if (i) you have not added IDP for Business and do not have another international feature on the CRU line; (ii) the CRU uses an eligible smartphone, tablet, mobile hotspot device or laptop while traveling in an IDP Destination (see below) not included in your domestic rate plan, and (iii) the CRU incurs at least 5MB in international data roaming usage at pay-per-use rates (see att.com/intlppurates). If we automatically add IDP for Business to a CRU smartphone line, we will send you an email and also send an SMS to the CRU line. If we automatically add IDP for Business to a CRU tablet, mobile hotspot device or laptop line, we will send you an email. Once added, IDP for Business will stay on the CRU line until you remove it using online self-service ( att.com/myatt  or att.com/premier , as applicable), by calling 800-331-0500, or by contacting your AT&T account representative.

DAILY FEE : The first time you use data, make or receive a call, or send a text message in an IDP Destination, you’ll automatically be charged a $10 daily fee. Text messages received are rated as domestic and do not trigger a daily fee. The daily fee covers additional data, calls, and text messages for 24 hours from the initial use in any IDP Destination. You’ll be charged an additional daily fee for all subsequent 24-hour periods in which you use data, make or receive a call, or send a text message in an IDP Destination, unless you remove IDP for Business. Business and government customers with IDP for Business are not eligible for the reduced daily fee or the charge cap available to consumers with IDP.

DESTINATIONS : Includes usage in over 210 destinations listed at  att.com/globalcountries  and on select enabled international flights ( Enabled Flights ) (each an IDP Destination or collectively, IDP Destinations ). Coverage is not available in all areas. IDP Destinations and rates are subject to change without notice.  Mexico and Canada:  You will not be charged a daily fee in Mexico or Canada if you have a domestic plan that includes usage in Mexico or Canada.  Latin America : AT&T Business Unlimited Elite customers and other qualified customers with Roam Latin America SM  for Business will not be charged a daily fee in any of the Latin American countries that are included in their phone plan. See att.com/latamcountries for a list of included countries.  Cellular networks on select airlines: For a list of participating airlines and Enabled Flights, go to att.com/globalcountries . Participating airlines and Enabled Flights are subject to change without notice. Passengers of participating airlines are not guaranteed to be on an Enabled Flight. Device must be on, with Airplane Mode and Wi-Fi turned off and data roaming and cellular data turned on to use the cellular network on an Enabled Flight. Cellular service on an Enabled Flight is available only at greater than 200 nautical miles outside of the U.S. border and above 20,000 feet cruising altitude. In the event of satellite interruption or regulatory constraint, airline cellular services may be disrupted or disabled.

DATA : Data will be drawn from your domestic plan allowance with the same data and speed restrictions. If your domestic plan includes Video Management feature, it will apply to your IDP for Business feature. See  att.com/Videofeature  for Video Management details.  Data overage : If you go over the amount of data in your qualified domestic plan, overage charges or data speed reduction of up to 128Kbps will apply in accordance with the terms of your domestic plan. If your data speed is slowed, all your data use, including audio and video streaming, picture and video messaging, and other types of data use will be impacted and may not work.  Incidental data usage : Apps on your device use data even when you may not be aware. Such usage may trigger a daily fee. To avoid unintended use of IDP for Business, turn off cellular data roaming in your device settings.

UNLIMITED TALK : For phones only. Includes calls received in IDP Destinations and made from IDP Destinations to the U.S. and to other IDP Destinations. If your domestic plan does not include unlimited talk, the minutes of use will be drawn from your domestic plan’s voice allowance and domestic overage charges may apply.  Calls to non-IDP Destinations : Calls from IDP Destinations to non-IDP Destinations will get International Long Distance ( ILD ) charges. Pay-per-use rates apply unless your domestic plan includes these destinations or you add an ILD package to your device. Rates are subject to change without notice. For details, go to  att.com/internationalcalling .

UNLIMITED TEXT : For phones only. Applies only to AT&T Short Messaging Service ( SMS ) and Multimedia Messaging Service ( MMS ) and not to other messaging services or applications like iMessage. Messages received are rated as domestic and do not trigger a daily fee. If your domestic plan does not include unlimited text, the messages you send will be drawn from your domestic plan’s messaging allowance and domestic overage charges may apply.

AT&T PASSPORT ® /AT&T PASSPORT ® PRO : For devices with IDP for Business and an active AT&T Passport or AT&T Passport Pro package, IDP for Business charges will apply in IDP Destinations and usage in IDP Destinations will not reduce the Passport or Passport Pro data allowance, trigger Passport calling charges, or offset the Passport Pro voice allowance. If you want to use Passport or Passport Pro in an IDP Destination, you must remove IDP for Business.

PAY-PER-USE RATES : Apply when traveling in destinations not included in IDP for Business and/or when you have not added a package. For rates, see  att.com/intlppurates .

SERVICE RESTRICTIONS : International use aboard cruise ships is not included. Not available for wireless home phone services, connected vehicles, or connected devices. Pay-per-use international rates will apply.

GENERAL : Subject to your applicable Business Agreement. Availability, quality of coverage, and services while roaming are not guaranteed. Additional restrictions may apply.

Roam Latin America for Business

Only AT&T keeps you connected in the U.S. and 20 Latin American countries with unlimited high-speed data, talk & text at no extra cost.*

*Req’s AT&T Business Unlimited Premium. Coverage and data speeds vary by country. International usage should not exceed domestic usage

International Day Pass FAQ

Which countries are covered by international day pass.

Afghanistan

Aland Islands

American Samoa

Antigua & Barbuda

Bosnia & Herzegovina

British Virgin Islands

Burkina Faso

Cayman Islands

Central African Republic

Christmas Island

Congo (Republic of the Congo)

Cote D'Ivoire

Czech Republic

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo)

Dominican Republic

Easter Island

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Faroe Islands

French Guiana

French Polynesia

French West Indies

Galapagos Islands

Great Britain

Guinea-Bissau

Isle of Man

Ivory Coast

Korea (South Korea)

Liechtenstein

Macao (Macau)

Netherlands Antilles

Netherlands

New Zealand

Northern Ireland

Northern Mariana Islands

Palestinian Authority

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Reunion Island

Republic of Rwanda

Sao Tome & Principe

Saudi Arabia

Sierra Leone

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

St. Barthelemy

St. Eustatius & Saba

St. Kitts & Nevis

St. Maarten (Dutch)

St. Martin (French)

St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Switzerland

Trinidad & Tobago

Turks & Caicos

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

Vatican City

Virgin Islands (British Virgin Islands)

Western Sahara

What speeds are available in each country?

See the international coverage map .

How will I know I’m covered in the country I am traveling to?

See the  international coverage map .

Available countries, services, and technologies are subject to change without notice. To view wireless coverage, go to www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage . 

Which airlines or enabled international flights are covered by International Day Pass

For a list of participating airlines and enabled international flights go to att.com/globalcountries. Airlines and Enabled Flights are subject to change without notice. Passengers of qualifying airlines are not guaranteed to be on an Enabled Flight.

Available countries, services and technologies are subject to change without notice. To view wireless coverage, go to www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage . 

Learn more about AT&T International Day Pass for Business

International Day Pass for Business.

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UponArriving

AT&T International Day Pass Guide (Full List of Countries) [2020]

When traveling abroad, one of the biggest questions asked is what type of plan you can use with your phone. Sometimes you can get hit with outrageous fees unexpectedly if you don’t properly understand your international data plan so it is vital that you know the terms of your plan before you depart as part of your international trip checklist.  

In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about the AT&T International Day Pass. I will also list off all of the AT&T International Day Pass countries.

Table of Contents

What is the AT&T International Day Pass?

The AT&T International Day Pass allows AT&T customers to pay $10 per 24 hours to receive the following benefits when they are traveling abroad:

• Access to your data plan
• Unlimited worldwide texts
• Unlimited phone calls to the US
• Unlimited calls to 100+ International Day Pass countries

It also allows you the convenience of using your own personal mobile device versus buying a device for your travels. It’s a pretty decent deal and you can find out about the details of each of these benefits below.

• Related: Chase Ink Business Preferred cell phone insurance.
• Related: Best Credit Cards with Cell Phone Insurance

How do I get the AT&T International Day Pass?

The pass is very simple to activate because the first time you use your data, make or receive a phone call, or send a text message in an IDP country, you’ll automatically be charged the AT&T International Day Pass $10 daily fee. This means that you do not have to manually opt-in.

Typically, soon after you touch down in an IDP country and take your phone off of airplane mode, you should receive a text confirming that you are eligible for the pass. If you do not receive a text confirming the pass and how it works, or if you just simply can’t get service, try turning your phone off and then back on. (This usually resolves within a few minutes after you arrive in a new country.)

One important thing to note is that many of your apps that run in the background of your phone need to access data. So in some cases your apps may trigger the pass without you even knowing it. If you want to avoid this, you should keep your phone on airplane mode. You can also turn off cellular data roaming.

There are some ways to use maps off line. One of my favorite apps is Maps.me but you can also use Google Maps off-line as well so if that is your primary concern you don’t have to necessarily use data.

After your initial 24 hour period is up, if you continue to use your data or make or receive phone calls or send text messages, you will reactivate a new 24 hour period that will trigger an additional $10 charge. (The daily fees are calculated and charged to your bill at the end of your billing cycle.) 

How do I cancel the AT&T International Day Pass?

You do not need to cancel the pass whenever you arrive back home. You can simply leave it on your device so that the next time you travel abroad it will be active. However, if you would like to cancel the plan you can do that by going online or by calling into the following AT&T phone number: 800.335.4685. Once removed, pay-per-use rates will apply, unless another international travel option is added to your device. 

What type of data can I use?

The type of data you will be allowed to use depends on your domestic plan. If your domestic plan includes Stream Saver, it will apply to your international package or feature.

If you go over your domestic plan data allowance then overage charges or a data speed reduction of up to 128Kbps will kick in. If you are hit with the lower speed data, you might not even be able to use some of your apps on your phone and browsing can be extremely slow. So when traveling, always try to use Wi-Fi for your downloads, streaming, etc. 

Unlimited texts

You can send unlimited texts to anywhere in the world as long as those texts are AT&T Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

Note that this unlimited amount of texts does not apply to other types of messaging services like WhatsApp or iMessages. (You would want to use those services when connected to Wi-Fi to avoid charges.)

Unlimited phone calls

The AT&T International Day Pass can provide you with unlimited phone calls for certain regions. As long as you are in an IDP country you can call the United States on an unlimited basis. You can also call to other IDP countries as well (again, the full list of these countries is below).

If you are not familiar with making international calls, remember that you will need to enter in the country code before you make the call. For example, the country code for the US is “1” so before you dial a US number you would need to input “+1.” You can find a full list of country codes here.

It’s worth noting that if your domestic plan does not allow unlimited phone calls, then overage fees will apply.

Calls from IDP countries to non-IDP countries will incur International Long Distance (ILD) charges. If you are not familiar with the long distance rates, you can find out more about those here.

You also need to be careful about Wi-Fi calling. In fact you should turn Wi-Fi Calling off in your device settings to avoid charges for calls dialed to International Day Pass countries.

It’s a little confusing but basically, with Wi-Fi Calling, you won’t be charged for your calls to the US but you will be charged for calls to all other countries including the country that you are in. In those instances your calls will be billed at the international long distance rate as if you were calling from within the US.

Mexico and Canada

Many domestic plans include usage in both Mexico and Canada. If you have one of these plans then you will not be charged a daily fee while traveling in Mexico or Canada.

Service restrictions

There are also some service restrictions that you should consider. This plan is not available for wireless home phone services, connected vehicles, or connected devices. In those instances, pay-per-use international rates will apply. Also, this plan is not to be used aboard cruise ships or airlines.

If you would like to use your phone on a cruise, then you should look into purchasing a cruise package. You can find out more about those here . Just keep in mind that if your cruise transports you to an IDP country, you will be able to use your International Day Pass while on land.

Additional fees and surcharges

When you use your day pass, you might get hit with additional fees and sub-charges depending on your location. For example, there are reports out there of people getting charged an additional $20 on top of their $70 bills when they used their day pass for seven days.

So instead of $10 a day, more likely you might be getting charged something like $12-$17 per day . So just be aware that some of those fees can add up to make your bill a little bit more expensive than you might initially think it would be.

What countries qualify for the AT&T International Day Pass?

Below is a full list of AT&T International Day Pass countries that qualify:

• Aland Islands
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Christmas Island
• Czech Republic
• Dominican Republic
• Easter Island
• El Salvador
• French Guiana
• French West Indies
• Galapagos Islands
• Great Britain
• Isle of Man
• Korea (South Korea)
• Liechtenstein
• Macao (Macau)
• Netherlands Antilles
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Northern Ireland
• Palestinian Authority
• South Korea
• St. Barthelemy
• St. Eustatisus & Saba
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Maarten (Dutch)
• St. Martin (French)
• St. Vincent & the Grenadines
• Switzerland
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turks & Caicos
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City
• Virgin Islands (British Virgin Islands)

The AT&T International Day Pass is very simple to use. You simply start using your data or texting or calling when you arrive in a new country and you will be able to have access to all of your plan subject to a $10 fee that hits every 24 hours. You need to be mindful about your limitations so that you don’t get hit with extra fees or slow down data but overall this is a pretty simple plan to follow.

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo . He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio .

One comment

When using the IDP will my phone get local number if that country? Calling someone in this country, do I call him using the international code or just his local number? And last one, when they call me from the same country that I am visiting, will the need to call my USA number?

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Privacy Overview

Cruising or traveling abroad this summer? Why these cellphone packages can be your best travel companion

Whether you're taking a Caribbean cruise , sightseeing in European cities or trekking through South America , staying connected on your mobile phone can be a game changer.

Some travelers value the ability to use their mobile phone overseas because it allows them to stay in touch with family 24/7.

Others find it crucial to have access to a GPS when lost in a medieval town's bewildering alleyways.

Then, there's the ease of checking in for a flight via an airline app, scheduling an early-morning ride to the airport on an app or simply asking your phone's virtual assistant, "What's a great restaurant or museum nearby?" The amount of information we need at our fingertips when traveling abroad is hard to overstate.

Roaming overseas used to be an expensive proposition. However, in recent years, major U.S. wireless carriers have made it easier than ever for customers to keep data streaming on personal devices without incurring exorbitant pay-per-use fees.

Among them, AT&T offers some of the best options for travelers on both land and sea with AT&T International Day Pass and AT&T Cruise packages .

Here are the details on each and how they can help you stay connected on your summer travels.

AT&T International Day Pass

For many travelers, the most seamless option for using your mobile phone while abroad is to connect your device to a local cellular network and use that connection to make calls, send texts, surf the internet and use apps, just as you would at home. AT&T International Day Pass lets you do just that.

Adding AT&T International Day Pass to your eligible wireless plan is simple. You can sign up before your leave, or it'll get added for you as soon as you arrive at your destination. It's also cost-effective and reliable, with no complicated setup or SIM swaps necessary.

While the feature is on your account, you can talk, send a text, or use data in any of the included countries; you will be charged $10 per day on the first line used and $5 for each additional line on the same account used the same calendar day.

The other aspect that makes this feature appealing versus the competition? It caps the number of days charged to your account at 10 per line, per monthly billing cycle. This means you'll only pay for, at most, 10 days per line per bill, regardless of how long your trip is. It doesn't matter which borders you cross — as long as you're in one of the carrier's 210-plus destinations.

The plan includes spots like England, Spain, Aruba, Cambodia and Botswana. While most popular destinations are included, a few far-flung locations, such as the Maldives and Antarctica, are not covered.

This gets even better for customers on eligible unlimited plans , which offer coverage (at no additional cost) when traveling to select destinations in North and South America. Be sure to check your plan details to see whether international coverage in these countries is included and to learn more.

When you get home, you don't need to worry about removing it — you won't be charged anything until you connect to the local network on your next international trip.

AT&T Cruise Plus and AT&T Cruise Basic packages

As veteran cruisers know, using your mobile phone on a cruise is not as easy as it is at home without racking up expensive roaming charges. Once you've sailed away from the nearest land-based cell tower, your phone will usually go into roaming mode and accrue those hyper-expensive satellite roaming charges.

It is possible to switch your phone into "airplane mode" and stay connected at sea via your ship's Wi-Fi. The big-name cruise lines are making strides to improve their onboard Wi-Fi offerings, but connectivity can still be finicky and slow depending on the ship and where it sails.

Adding international, cruise-specific coverage enables connectivity at sea and can help travelers avoid unnecessary charges, including sometimes-expensive shipboard Wi-Fi plans. AT&T Cruise packages work in tandem with AT&T International Day Pass to offer a streamlined way for travelers to stay connected, even if they are toggling between journeys on land and sea.

Customers traveling internationally on cruise ships can choose between two packages: AT&T Cruise Plus ($100) and AT&T Cruise Basic ($60). For each package, the charge allows up to 30 days of usage. Choosing a package depends on your personal travel habits — how many phone calls you expect to make and how much data you generally burn through while traveling abroad (requires a compatible device with domestic wireless service).

The Basic package, for smartphones only, includes 100 minutes of talk (with an overage of $1 per minute), unlimited texts and 100MB of data (with an overage of $10 per 100MB beyond that). The more extensive Plus package, for smartphones and tablets, allows unlimited talk and text as well as 1GB of data (with an overage charge of $10 per 100MB beyond that).

Before signing up for a cruise package, always make sure that your ship is one of the more than 175 cruise ships that the package covers. The big names like Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line are all on the list.

It's also important to note that cruise packages only work at sea, kicking in 9 to 11 nautical miles from shore. If part of your trip involves land travel either before or after your cruise, you'll need to add the AT&T International Day Pass for those days.

Things to keep in mind when choosing an international phone plan

Below are a few more tips for choosing an international phone plan and making the most of it while you travel abroad this summer and beyond.

Sign up in advance

On land, relying on Wi-Fi is possible if you don't intend to leave your hotel much. However, at some point, the likelihood is that you will incur costly pay-per-use roaming fees if you haven't signed up for a plan with your carrier in advance. Be sure to check out your options before crossing any borders.

Turn off updates

Since so much data roaming goes on in the background — many apps continue to gobble data even when you're not actively using them — you'll often incur fees that far exceed what a day plan would cost, even just using your phone sparingly for emergencies. Turn off any unnecessary updates ahead of travel.

Consider prepaid packages

Cruisers are not beholden to typical international roaming charges (which are excessive enough). Rather, they can get hit with extremely expensive satellite roaming charges. Surfing the internet, using social media, reading emails or even just checking the weather will all use data charged at a premium rate — this can make a prepaid package very appealing.

Don't expect flawless connection on cruises

Bandwidth and connection speed are problematic at sea. Depending on where your ship is and whether anything (like a mountain range) is blocking the connection to the satellite, you may still experience lag time on calls or slow connection speeds.

Bottom line

Whether it's a Galapagos cruise or a road trip through Europe, if you plan to travel this summer with your mobile phone — and don't want to pay excessive roaming charges — an international cellphone plan can save you time and stress.

With AT&T's international features, you can use your phone just like you do at home without worrying about connecting to public Wi-Fi or obsessing about whether your phone is switched to airplane mode.

If you have the AT&T app, each package is super easy to add and remove from your existing cellphone plan and provides peace of mind and reliability. The 10-day bill cap for the AT&T International Day Pass means no matter how long you travel, it's extremely cost-effective compared to pay-per-use rates.

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AT&T International Phone Plans – Countries, Coverage, Rates, and More

Andrew Kunesh

Former Content Contributor

69 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 28 U.S. States Visited: 22

Editor & Content Contributor

151 Published Articles 740 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 35 U.S. States Visited: 25

Free International Roaming in Canada And Mexico

Which at&t data package is right for you, how to sign up for an international data package, at&t’s supported countries, pros of at&t’s international data plans:, cons of at&t’s international data plans:, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

At Upgraded Points, we’re a team of travelers . Some of us travel abroad multiple times per year, and some of us travel full-time. However, all of us have 1 thing in common: we need an international data plan to stay connected to our work when we’re globetrotting.

With this in mind, we’ve spent a lot of time looking at the best U.S. mobile data plans for international roaming . The right plan will let us stay connected to our work when traveling, breaking us free from the hold of constantly searching for free Wi-Fi.

In past articles, we’ve looked at T-Mobile and Google Fi’s assortment of international data plans. And while these were some of our favorites, it’s time for us to turn our focus to mobile giant AT&T’s international roaming options. And at first glance, you may be in for a bit of a disappointment.

AT&T doesn’t offer free international roaming outside of North America, and it’s international roaming options can get pricey quickly. So in this article, we’ll dive deep and take a look at all of AT&T’s different roaming options. We’ll start by looking at what options are available to you, and then end with a list of pros and cons.

Use the information presented in this article to see if AT&T is the right cell phone provider for you as an international traveler. And if you’re already an AT&T subscriber, you can use this information to avoid any billing surprises on your next trip abroad.

Let’s get started!

Breaking Down AT&T’s International Data Plans

As discussed in the intro, there’s no free international roaming outside of North America included with any of AT&T’s post-paid cell phone plans.

Thankfully, though, there are 3 different ways you can use your AT&T mobile plan when you’re traveling abroad. One is paying per megabyte for data, and the other 2 options are roaming plans. We’ve outlined each and their respective pricing in the paragraphs below:

Pay Per Use International Data

The first option available to you is also the riskiest: paying per megabyte for international mobile data.

AT&T will let you use international mobile data at a rate of $2.05 per megabyte in most countries. Your exact usage is actually billed per kilobyte, so if you use 100.2 MB of data during your trip, you won’t be rounded up to 101 MB for billing purposes.

This is a very risky (and expensive) way to use international mobile data. For example, sending a 3 MB photo on WhatsApp would cost a whopping $6.15! Further, modern smartphones use a lot of data in the background — think automatic updates and fetching new email — so you could end up paying hundreds of dollars in extra charges just for keeping your cell phone turned on!

We highly recommend staying away from this option. It’s too risky to be deemed practical — especially when you consider how data-intensive even the most basic smartphone tasks are.

AT&T International Day Pass

Plan on using a lot of data during your trip? You may want to consider the International Day Plan .

This plan lets you continue using your AT&T plan abroad. If you have an unlimited plan at home, you can continue using this plan and your data allocation when traveling in 200+ countries. Plus, you also get unlimited texting, calling to the U.S., and calling to 100+ Day Pass countries.

This plan is charged at a rate of $10 per day on top of your existing AT&T plan. If you’d like to add multiple devices to this plan, you’ll be charged $5 each for additional devices. Thankfully, AT&T will only charge you for days you actually use, and there’s no minimum number of days you need to purchase. Plus, the maximum you’ll be charged is $100 per billing cycle. After the first 10 days charged at $10 each, you’ll be able to access the international plan free of charge for the remainder of the billing cycle.

These daily plans are charged per 24-hour period and don’t start until you’ve used data, sent or received a text, or made a call. So if your flight lands at 3:30 p.m. in London and you make a call at 4:00 p.m., your 24-hour period will expire at 4:00 pm the next day. This plan works in any of AT&T’s International Day Pass-supported countries, and you can use your plan in multiple countries without having to buy an additional pass.

Once you add International Day Pass to your AT&T account, you will be automatically charged you for a full day whenever you use your phone in a supported country. This means that you don’t need to enroll in the plan more than once — just set it and forget it.

One quick thing to note: most AT&T post-paid plans include complimentary roaming in Canada and Mexico.

When roaming to these countries, you’ll simply use your voice, text, and data plan from home. According to AT&T’s website, your phone will work at full-speed when roaming in these countries (or until 22 GB on unlimited plans, then throttled speeds), so there’s no need to worry about being throttled just for traveling. You can even use mobile hotspot — something super helpful for those that want to work remotely when traveling within North America.

The following plans include North American roaming:

• Unlimited &More
• Unlimited &More premium
• Unlimited Choice
• Unlimited Choice Enhanced
• Unlimited Plus
• Unlimited Plus Enhanced

Further, a handful of plans include roaming in Mexico but not Canada:

• Mobile Share Advantage (10 GB or higher)
• Mobile Share Flex (10 GB or higher)
• Mobile Share Plus
• Mobile Share Value (15 GB or higher)

Other AT&T plans can add a special Roam North America plan to their account. The price of this plan is not published publicly, so you’ll have to call AT&T to receive a quote and have it added to your AT&T account.

Now that you know what international plans AT&T offers, let’s help you pick which is best for you. Here’s a look at why you might pick 1 plan over another:

Stick with pay-per-megabyte roaming if you…

• Plan on keeping your phone in airplane mode or buying a local SIM card — it’s not worth risking a huge bill when you get home!

Sign up for the International Day Pass if you…

• Are on a short trip — $10 per day can add up quickly.
• Only plan on using data on certain days of your trip.
• Have a large U.S. data plan; remember, the data you use will be pulled from your standard data allowance.
• Need a plan to hold you over until you purchase a local SIM card.

Signing up for an AT&T international data plan is easy. You’ll be automatically enrolled in pay per megabyte — so the minute you land, you’ll start being charged for roaming.

On the other hand, an International Day Pass can be added from the myAT&T portal. Just head over to AT&T’s website , sign in, and head to this link.  You can remove an international plan from this page as well.

Hot Tip: You can call AT&T to have them disable the international data plan feature if you’d like. We actually recommend doing this so that you don’t end up with a massive bill for accidentally taking your phone out of airplane mode.

AT&T has a wide range of supported countries for its International Day Pass, but unfortunately, it’s not quite as extensive as T-Mobile or even Google Fi.

Some notable examples of countries not supported by International Day Pass include:

• French Polynesia
• Philippines
• United Arab Emirates
• A handful of others

You can view the entire list of supported countries for both plans on AT&T’s website . We recommend studying this list before you make a choice on what plan is right for you. After all, there’s nothing worse than landing in a new country and not having phone service to call an Uber!

Pros and Cons of AT&T’s International Data Plans

Obviously, there are ups and downs to picking an AT&T international data plan over a competitor — unfortunately, though, we believe there are more downsides. To prove it, here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of AT&T’s international data plans.

Don’t worry: we’ll bring these together in the Final Thoughts section, giving you a well-rounded look as to whether AT&T’s international data plans are right for you.

• 2 different options for international roaming, giving you flexibility in how you choose to roam
• Complimentary roaming in North America for most AT&T plans
• International Day Pass provides flexibility and peace of mind as it automatically re-enrolls when you use your phone abroad
• No complimentary international data like T-Mobile or Google Fi
• Limited roaming countries, especially on the International Day Pass plan
• Expensive pay-per-megabyte roaming
• International Day Pass can add up on long trips
• Not all plans include North American roaming

All in all, AT&T’s international data plans are not the best option for most travelers. For example, Google Fi’s Unlimited plan costs just $70 per month per line and includes unlimited high-speed international data. With AT&T, you’d pay a similar price for U.S. data and still have to buy an additional international plan.

Further, AT&T doesn’t have the global coverage that other carriers offer. And while AT&T does cover most of Asia and Europe, those traveling off the beaten path will eventually stumble upon a country where an AT&T plan won’t connect.

If you live in an area where AT&T is your only option for getting solid coverage, we recommend picking up one of AT&T’s two different international data plans when you do travel abroad. These will keep your international data bill manageable and ensure that you can stay connected no matter where you are in the world.

Long story short: we recommend strongly considering the competition before you settle on AT&T. You’ll likely find a better deal with more international coverage options.

Safe travels!

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my phone work when traveling abroad.

Thankfully, most modern smartphones are properly configured to work internationally. If you’re unsure, refer to your phone’s owner’s manual or call AT&T to check if your cell phone works outside of the U.S.

Can I call international numbers when in the U.S.?

Yes, you can call international numbers from the U.S. with your AT&T phone service. You can see international calling rates on AT&T’s website .

What is the best credit card for paying my AT&T bill?

There are a number of credit cards that offer bonus points and other benefits for paying your phone bill. To see these options, check out our full guide to the best credit cards for paying your cell phone bill.

What countries does AT&T support?

AT&T’s international data plans work in over 100 countries — but remember, certain countries are not supported. Check the full list of supported countries on AT&T’s website .

Can I bring my current smartphone if I switch to AT&T?

Yes, your phone may be eligible. Use this tool on AT&T’s website to see if your existing smartphone is AT&T-compatible.

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About Andrew Kunesh

Andrew was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and now splits his time between Chicago and New York City.

He’s a lifelong traveler and took his first solo trip to San Francisco at the age of 16. Fast forward a few years, and Andrew now travels just over 100,000 miles a year, with over 25 countries, 10 business class products, and 2 airline statuses (United and Alaska) under his belt. Andrew formerly worked for The Points Guy and is now Senior Money Editor at CNN Underscored.

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AT&T International Day Pass, Is it Worth it?

If you have read some of the other articles on the site, you know that we are one of the few sites on the web that actually talk about international day passes as a viable option to use your phone abroad. Having said this, we usually only recommend it in very specific situations. In this particular article, we want to cover all of the basics behind the Pass. Things like who can actually access the Pass. What the actual cost is going to be and how to get it activated amongst other things. As far as the overall costs go It is pretty simple to figure those out. You add 10 dollars for each day. That is the max fee that you should have to pay. If you don’t activate the Pass correctly though, you can be in big trouble.

If you don’t activate the Pass correctly, you could be hit with international roaming fees that are usually going to be more costly than the 10 dollar a day fee. The AT&T International day pass is not one of a kind. There are other companies out there that offer a similar option to their users. Yet, there are usually a couple of critical differences as far as pricing and coverage go. Basically, this is an article that is designed to help you read through the lines of that contract that you may be about to sign. So that you can know exactly what to expect from this plan. That way, you won’t end up being disappointed when you travel abroad. The topics that we are going to cover in this article include:

How to activate the AT&T International Day Pass

What the at&t international day pass actually includes, the pass versus buying a sim card, scenarios were activating the at&t international day pass is a good idea, using both the day pass and a foreign sim card, where at&t stacks up against the competition as far as travel plans go, does this work for you.

To activate your AT&T International Day Pass, the first thing that you need is to have an unlimited plan or most postpaid plans with compatible devices. You can’t get this benefit on a prepaid plan since they can’t charge you those days in advance. Other than that, you just need to go into your account or app to activate the option. Make sure that you are doing this for every device that you want to activate. From there, the device will detect your location and trigger the daily fee any time that you use data, get a call, or send a text with your phone while abroad.

Essentially the coverage is going to kick in automatically if you have activated the plan properly on your app. If you have any doubts, be sure to go ahead and call before your trip. That way, you are not wasting minutes and data that may not be covered by the plan while you are abroad. Since the charge is only going to kick in once, your device detects some form of data usage abroad; you are not going to have to worry about activating this feature on your phone while you are using it domestically.

All of this also basically means that you can pick and chose when you activate this particular fee. If you don’t have your mobile data active while you are abroad for a full day, you won’t be charged for the day. Also, as we mentioned before, you have to activate it on every line or maybe just on the line that you want to use. Not enabling it though, can be a two-edged sword. As if you reset your phone or turn it on and off and you get incoming data without the plan you could be in line to pay some hefty fees. Even the official AT&T page tells people to turn off their background data if they don’t want the payment to kick in on a particular day. It is pretty easy to activate this plan. Still, it is a good idea to “proceed with caution.” Especially if you want to be sure you only use this option in an emergency.

What the AT&T International Day Pass actually includes is pretty simple. You are going to be getting data coverage. If you have an unlimited plan, this means that you are going to be able to use as much data as you want for the next 24 hours. This can be a big relief if you are traveling by car, and you need to have a GPS map application open constantly. You are also going to be able to text without any restrictions. Essentially this means that you are going to be able to text just as if you were at home. You won’t have to worry about having your number changed thanks to a local SIM card.

This plan is also going to allow you to call freely to over 100 countries. This is one of the reasons why it may be a good idea to go with this day pass if you are traveling for business. You are going to get to keep your phone number. Which, is undoubtedly a big deal, so that anyone can essentially reach you as they usually would when you are at home. It also means that for 24 hours, you basically have a free pass to do with your phone as you please. If you need to make multiple calls, you are going to be able to do so with ease. It is really an empowering feeling for most of the people who try it out.

Would there be anything that this plan does not include? The biggest drawback that we can find with the AT&T International Day Pass is that you are not guaranteed great coverage or speed abroad. For most of Europe, if you are lucky, you are going to have access to a 3G network. In many places, that is going to come down to 2G speed. Of course, in many remote locations, there is not going to be any coverage at all. Therefore, it is a good idea to check what type of coverage you can expect before you make the decision to go ahead and OK that 10 dollar a day charge.

This comparison is one that we have made on this site on numerous occasions. Yet, for the most part, the International daily pass is usually ridden off for being too expensive. Therefore, not really giving it a fair shake at times. On this particular occasion, we have already laid out some of the main benefits that the pass option offers. This could change the perspective for a lot of folks, no doubt about it. Let’s get going with some of the biggest differences.

New Phone Number With A SIM Card Same Number and Mode of Operation With The Daily Pass

When you buy an international SIM card , you are going to get a new phone that you are going to need to use to call, text, and register on many different apps. If you go with the pass route, you literally won’t have to do any of that. You are going to be able to use your phone pretty much in the same manner that you would at home. Therefore in this category, we would give the AT&T International Day Pass the win.

Overall Coverage Abroad

We recently talked about how the biggest drawback of bringing your regular plan abroad was the fact that you could not expect fast internet speeds. Usually, you are going to be able to reach 3G speeds with your data if you are lucky. This may be something that gets better over the years. At this point, you can buy a SIM card that gives you more reliable coverage and faster speeds. Therefore, we have a clear winner in this category. The SIM card takes the round.

Which One Is Pricer?

As we have also mentioned, a lot of times, the daily pass option gets ridden off for being too pricy. Is it pricer than buying a SIM card? That is going to depend on the type of SIM card that you buy. The length of your stay abroad is also going to play a role in determining the winner here. With the daily fee, you can be clear from day one on how much you are going to spend. Companies that offer these SIM cards can be a little sneaky with their prices. This one is actually hard to call. Yet, the SIM card option seems to get the edge in the end.

One of the things that we mentioned is that the price of the Day Pass is going to obviously be determined by the number of days that you are going to be spending abroad. If you are going to be abroad for just a couple of days then it could be a good idea to just stick with the rates that you could get from the pass. These are usually very short trips that you could be taking. In which, you may be spending only around 30 or up to 50 dollars from buying the AT&T International pass. If the price difference is around 20 or 30 dollars for a lot of people that price is worth the lack of trouble that you could potentially go through. Not because of the fact that you would be taking a major risk in buying a foreign SIM card. Just the steps that you would probably need to get there can be too much for some people.

Is there a scenario where it would make sense to use the advantages of the pass when you are spending more than 5 days abroad? If we were to just look at the numbers it probably does not make sense. Yet, there can still be people out there that don’t want to give up that daily interaction that they have with people calling their regular number. It is simple if you get calls from 20 or 30 different people every day on your phone it may not be easy to make sure that everyone can keep track of your new number. These scenarios are usually business in nature. In that, you have to stay by the phone in case a certain client calls or whatever it may be. If not being by the phone or not having a specific phone number active at a certain point in time is going to cost you money then you may want to keep your regular phone number up and running.

Again, this is one of those things that if you look at it on paper it is not going to make any sense at all. If you are already spending 10 dollars a day on coverage why would you add an extra cost? Especially when the number of days starts piling up. Would you be willing to pay north of 300 dollars for the use of your phone abroad? In some cases, people feel that they actually have to do this. Basically, the idea is that if you buy a SIM card and you are using the pass you are going to have coverage wherever it is that you go, in a given country. The idea is in essence correct. You could potentially be using the SIM just to have your back in case, your regular coverage essentially fails.

There is really no reason to put limits on yourself when you are using the day pass with an unlimited plan. If coverage is really that important to you, going with both options may not be a bad idea. Maybe you just need to use your regular number for a limited number of days. There are a lot of scenarios that are essentially unique. There is just no way that we could go over all of them.

There are a couple of interesting points to consider here. Most of the other main mobile phone companies are going to have similar rates. There is one thing that we have to mention here though. These rates are applicable to most of the world besides North America. In Mexico and Canada, you are going to have the chance to buy a 5 dollar international day pass. There are also add ons that you could purchase to your plans in order to get normal coverage within these countries. These are rates that we are going to cover in other articles on the site . Having said this, if we were to compare the services that are being offered by some of the main providers, we can say that T-Mobile and Verizon have the exact same rates. With Verizon’s pass being way more limited as far as speed goes. You are going to be getting 2G speeds with Verizon for most of the day while abroad.

On the other hand, Sprint’s plan is the one that stands out the most. At the time of writing this article the rate was 10 dollars a day. Yet, in a 7 day week, they are only going to charge you for 5 days. Which, actually makes their travel pass a bit more attractive than the ones that are offered by AT&T and other providers. With Sprint you could stand to pay 50 dollars a week. That may offset when you factor in coverage though. As T-Mobile and AT&T are the two American service providers that offer the best-looking rates.

Throughout the article, we have basically answered the question that is presented in the title many times. At the end of the day wether keeping this plan or not may be worth it for some people and not for others. Some people may even have to turn to this option as it is the only way to essentially keep their regular phone up and running as it normally would domestically. Just based on the fact that you may be getting a lot of calls that you need to take and things like that.

If there is one downside to all of the international day passes is the fact that you can’t expect the same internet speeds that you would get domestically. Even if you have to keep calls and texts coming in you may not want to rely fully on your phone’s internet service. Especially if you are headed out to very remote locations. In most cases, these would be, very specific parts of Africa and specific parts of South America, Asia, and Europe as well.

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Best international phone plans in 2024 — what travelers need to know

Heading overseas? Find out what your cellphone provider charges if you use your phone

• T-Mobile phone plans
• Verizon phone plans
• AT&T phone plans
• Google Fi plans
• Other options
• Device compatibility and eSims
• 5G coverage when traveling

Before your summer travels overseas, you should look into whether you've got one of the best international phone plans for staying connected during your upcoming adventures. In the U.S., all the major wireless carriers offer some kind of travel benefit with their best cell phone plans , but they also have supplementary packages for travelers to augment the data plan you already have in place. The trick is to make sure those options keep you covered around the globe.

1. T-Mobile : Best choice for travelers 2. Verizon : TravelPass options 3. AT&T : Best for travel in Latin and Central America 4. Google Fi : An underrated traveling companion 5. Other options : Other international phone plans to consider

The best international phone plans will let you make calls and browse the web when you're in another country (though there might be a fee on top of your normal monthly rate, depending on which carrier you use). Different plans might cover different countries, and how long you plan on traveling could also impact your choice of plans. Your method of travel — be it by plane or cruise ship — also affects which plan is best for you.

All of these are things for globetrotters to consider when shopping for wireless coverage. You're going to want one of the best unlimited data plans since they tend to offer the most travel-related perks. If you haven't travelled internationally in a while, it's smart to double-check what options are out there since the best phone carriers have overhauled their plans and packages available to travelers.

Here’s a look at the travel policies and perks for the three top U.S carriers along with information on Google Fi, which offers a plan that definitely appeals to frequent travelers.

T-Mobile international phone plans

T-Mobile offers an expanded array of plans, though most of its unlimited data plan options have some benefits for overseas travel. Subscribe to Magenta, Magenta Max, Go5G, Go5G Plus or Go5G Next, and you enjoy unlimited data and texting in more than 215 countries around the world. If you want to place or receive calls, you’ll be subject to the local rate depending on where you want to go. You don’t need to notify T-Mobile of your travel for your overseas benefits to kick in.

T-Mobile Go5G Plus Plan | Unlimited Data | $90/month T-Mobile's Go5G Plus plan has the edge over Magenta Max for world travelers, even if the latter plan is $5 cheaper for a single line. That's because Go5G Plus customers get more data when traveling in Mexico and Canada (15GB vs. 10GB for Magenta Max) and 10GB more hotspot data. Otherwise, the two plans are identical: You can use your data in 215-plus countries at no extra cost. The first 5GB of data you use use will be high-speed data (with 5G speeds supported where available). The cheaper Go5G and Magenta plans ($75/month and $70/month, respectively) also feature travel benefits, including high-speed data in 11 European countries. Otherwise, data speeds are capped at 256 kbps.

Travel perks in current plans: As part of T-Mobile's Beyond Connected program, data speeds now reach 256 kbps when you're overseas. If you subscribe to either the standard Magenta or Go5G plans and you're in one of 11 European countries, you can enjoy 5GB of high-speed data every month, thanks to a partnership with T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telecom.

The perk gets better when you upgrade to either Magenta Max or Go5G Plus, both of which cost $15 more a month than their respective base plans. In that case, you can benefit from 5GB of high-speed data in 215 countries.

Go5G Next, T-Mobile's most expensive plan at $100/month for a single line, has the same travel benefits as Go5G Plus, but adds the ability to upgrade your phone every year. If that's not important to you, stick with Go5G Plus and pay $10 less each month on your wireless bill.

T-Mobile customers can take advantage of free Wi-Fi on American, Delta, Alaska Airlines and United flights. Magenta Max and Go5G Plus subscribers get full texting and Wi-Fi with streaming during flights, where wireless is available. If you go with the standard Magenta or Go5G option, you're covered on four flights per year with full streaming, plus unlimited texting; after those four flights, you can stream one hour of video. Delta SkyMiles members also get free Wi-Fi on domestic U.S. flights courtesy of T-Mobile — even if they get their wireless service from another carrier.

In Mexico and Canada, T-Mobile allows you to use up to 5GB of data whether you've got Magenta or Magenta Max; speeds are slowed to 2G after that. Go5G customers get 10GB of data in those two countries, while Go5G Plus members enjoy 15GB.

T-Mobile includes travel benefits in two of its remaining senior plans, with identical travel perks between the $100 Go5G Plus 55 option and the $120 Go5G Next 55 plan. (Note that those monthly prices cover two lines of data; one line of either Plus or Next cost $70 and $80, respectively.) Travel perks include high-speed data and text when you travel abroad, plus unlimited in-flight connectivity. When you travel to Canada or Mexico, you get 15GB of high-speed data. Both plans also include a year's membership to AAA for road travel in the U.S.

If you opt for T-Mobile's lower cost Essentials unlimited plan, you'll get 2G roaming in Canada and Mexico, but have to pay for data elsewhere.

Trip-specific passes: T-Mobile offers International Pass options for travelers who want high-speed data during lengthier stays overseas. A 5GB International Pass gives you that much high-speed data along with unlimited calling for 10 days. It costs $35. T-Mobile's $50 International Pass increases high-speed data to 15GB and extends the length of the pass to 30 days. The carrier also offers a $5 daily pass that gives you 512MB of high-speed data, and unlimited calling between the 215 or so Simple Global destinations. 

Cruise rates: Pricing on cruises will vary according to which cruise you’re taking. You can check T-Mobile’s site to see what your pricing will be.

Verizon international phone plans

Verizon phones generally work all over the world, especially if you've got a phone built in the last few years. But where you travel significantly influences how much you’ll have to pay. As for which is the best Verizon phone plan for travelers, that all depends on how frequently you go overseas. There's a clear choice for regular globetrotters, but Verizon's less expensive offerings allow you to tack on travel benefits, too.

Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | Unlimited Data | $90/month Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate plan offers the most benefits for world travelers. Verizon promises "full international connectivity," meaning you'll be able to use talk and text for free when overseas; you also get 10GB of high-speed data every month that you can use in other countries. Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon's most expensive plan, so unless you take frequent trips, you may be better served by Unlimited Plus ($80/month for one line) or Unlimited Welcome ($65/month). Those two plans can add on a $10/month Travel Pass options that provides three days of talk, text and data when you're overseas. You can drop the Travel Pass add-on from your plan in months were you don't need it. Verizon lets family plans mix and match lines so one person can get Unlimited Ultimate, while the others subscribe to the cheaper options.

Travel perks in current plans: Of Verizon's three unlimited plans, the best for frequent travelers is the Unlimited Ultimate option, which lets you use talk and text in other countries just like you would in the U.S. You also get 10GB of high-speed data to use overseas every month.

Unfortunately, Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon's most expensive plan, costing $90 a month for one line. (And that's after a discount for enrolling autopay.) There are cheaper options — Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus — that include travel perks. Both plans let you text internationally to 200-plus countries. You can also use LTE data when traveling in Mexico and Canada. You're limited to 0.5GB of data consumption per day in those two countries before your speeds are slowed to 2G, and you can't use more than half of your talk, text and data in those countries over a 60-day period.

In addition to the base Welcome Unlimited and Unlimited Plus packages, you can opt for $10 monthly add-ons for your Verizon plan — some covering streaming services, another providing hotspot data and so on. The relevant package is Verizon's $10/month 3 TravelPass Days add-on, which saves you $20 a month on travel benefits as you pick up three passes during monthly billing cycles. You can accrue up to 36 passes for using talk, text and data when traveling overseas.

Unlimited Welcome starts at $65/month for one line, while Unlimited Plus is $80. If you have a family plan, you can mix and match so that different lines of data subscribe to different plans — helpful if there's one person in the family who travels a lot and would benefit from the Unlimited Ultimate perks.

Trip-specific passes: Let's talk a little bit more about the TravelPass . It's Verizon's daily option for international coverage, and it’ll cost you $5 per day per device for each day you’re out of the country if you travel to Mexico or Canada and don't have an unlimited plan. In 185 other countries — including China, France and Germany — Verizon charges $10 per device per day. TravelPass gets you 2GB of 5G data, and unlimited data at 3G speeds after that; the passes also come with unlimited talk and text.

If you know you’ll be traveling for a bit more time, consider Verizon’s monthly option, which the carrier recommends for trips lasting at least 10 days. International Monthly Plans at Verizon cost $100/month, but in exchange, you get 250 minutes of talk, unlimited texts and 20GB of high-speed data. (Use that, and you get unlimited data at 3G speeds.)

Verizon also offers pay-as-you-go pricing for international travel. You’ll pay 99 cents per minute in Canada and Mexico, Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. Rates go up to $1.79 in 130-plus countries and $2.99 in 80 other places. Each text message you send will cost you 50 cents, and each received text will set you back 5 cents. Your data will be charged at a rate of $2.05 per megabyte no matter where you are.

Cruise rates: Pay-as-you go rates on cruise ships cost $1.99 for each minute of talk and 50 cents for every sent text message. You’ll pay 5 cents per message received. Verizon has a data plan for cruise passengers, too, with $30/day giving you 500MB of data plus unlimited texting and 50 minutes of talk time. For in-flight connectivity, you can opt for the same pay-as-you-go rates for cruise trips or you can pay $20 per day for unlimited data.

AT&T international phone plans

AT&T also comes with varied international pricing depending on where you want to go. Canada and Mexico travel is covered in many top AT&T plans, and if you pay up for the Unlimited Premium option, you can use your plan in many Central and South American countries. Traveling elsewhere? Then you had best look into AT&T's travel passes.

AT&T Unlimited Premium| Unlimited Data | $85.99/month It's AT&T's most expensive unlimited plan, but Unlimited Premium has the best perk for travelers — you can use your talk, text and data at no extra cost in 20 Latin American countries.  As with other AT&T unlimited options, you also enjoy talk, text and data coverage when traveling in Canada and Mexico.

Travel perks in current plans: If you’re heading to Mexico or Canada, AT&T already covers all of your voice, data and text with its four different unlimited plans — Starter, Extra, Premium and the entry-level Value Plus option. AT&T offers a lone tiered data plan with 4GB of data that you can use in Canada and Mexico (though roaming may be at 2G speeds). Both unlimited and tiered data plans feature unlimited texting to 120-plus countries.

The Unlimited Premium plan is the best option for travelers headed to the Americas, as you'll be able to enjoy unlimited text, talk and data at no additional cost in 20 Central and South American countries. 

If you do a lot of international calling from home, AT&T offers unlimited calling to 85-plus countries from the U.S. for $15 per month for each line. Calls to another 140-plus countries get discounted rates under this plan.

Trip-specific passes: For anyone off to Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America or the Asia Pacific region on a short jaunt, AT&T recommends its $10-a-day International Day Pass, which comes with unlimited talk and text and data governed by your plan. (Note that each device you take overseas will need its own Day Pass.) That service is available in 210-plus countries, and you can add extra phones for just $5 a day.

You'll never have to pay for more than 10 days of day passes on any one bill, even if your trip lasts longer. International Day Passes also kick in automatically when you use your phone abroad — you get a text message letting you know you're covered.

Cruise rates: On cruises , AT&T offers a $60/month Cruise Basic plan that covers 100 minutes of talk and unlimited texting while also offering 100MB of data. Need more of everything? Then try the Cruise Plus plan ($100/month), which includes 1GB of data on top of unlimited talk and text. 

Google Fi international phone plans

If you do a lot of international traveling, don't ignore Google Fi Wireless , the wireless service set up by Google that uses cellular towers of T-Mobile and US Cellular to provide coverage. International travel is built into two of Google Fi's plans — the Unlimited Plus and Flexible options.

Google Unlimited Plus| Unlimited Data | $65/month The Unlimited Plus plan is the way to go with Google Fi, as you can use your data at no extra cost when traveling overseas. Google Fi customers who pay by the gigabyte of data used are also eligible for this perk.

Travel perks in current plans: You've got two options with Google Fi — tiered data through the company's Flexible plan or a pair of unlimited data options. Flexible coverage costs $20 a month for talk and text plus $10 for each GB of data you use. (Data usage is rounded off to the nearest megabyte so you only pay for the data you consume.) Google stops charging you after you use 6GB a month, meaning you'll never pay more than $80. 

If you find unlimited data plans more appealing, Google has you covered there, too — it also offers a $65 Unlimited Plus option that rolls in unlimited talk, text and data. Unlimited Plus subscribers now get a year of YouTube Premium as a perk. 

The real benefit to either Unlimited Plus or Flexible is that those plans cover you when you're traveling in 200-plus countries. When you're overseas, Google Fi charges the same rate for data usage, whether you're on an unlimited data plan or paying by the gigabyte. Voice calls cost 20 cents (though calls placed over Wi-Fi are free) and you get unlimited SMS messaging. 

Alas, Google's $50/month Simply Unlimited plan is not eligible for the free data perk when traveling. That said, all three of Google Fi's plans let you use talk, text and data in Mexico and Canada.

Google Fi is even more appealing now that Google has opened up service to all phones, including iPhones. Note that phones optimized for Google Fi — Google's Pixel phones (currently the Pixel 8 , Pixel 8 Pro , Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a )  along with a selection of Samsung phones and Motorola budget devices — can switch seamlessly between cellular networks and Google's Wi-Fi hotspots, while other phones cannot.

Trip-specific passes: Unlike the other carriers here, Google Fi doesn't offer travel passes for extended trips. Your only option is to get coverage through the Flexible and Unlimited Plus plans.

Cruise rates: Google Fi is not available when you're at sea — only when you're on land in one of the 200-plus countries covered by the carrier.

Other international phone plan options

Discount carriers typically don't provide much in the way of benefits for travelers, but there are some exceptions. The most noteworthy alternative is Visible , which has expanded the travel perks for subscribers to its $45/month Visible Plus plan .

Visible is owned by Verizon and uses its parent company's network for coverage. The Visible Plus plan features unlimited data, including access to Verizon's high-speed 5G network. Travelers will be particularly interested in the unlimited talk, text and 2GB of daily data available through Visible Plus when traveling in Canada and Mexico. Visible Plus customers are also eligible for one free Global Pass day per month, in which they can use talk, text and data at no charge in 140 countries. Globla Passes normally cost $10.

Best international phone plan: Device compatibility and eSims

Traveling overseas used to mean checking to see if your phone would be compatible once you set foot in another country. But those days are drawing to a close now that 3G networks are shutting down, eliminating much of the distinction between phones that work on either GSM and CDMA. If you've got a recent smartphone that connects to LTE, chances are strong it's going to work just fine in other countries. (You still might want to confirm that your phone works on the LTE bands available in the country you're heading to prior to your trip, just to avoid any unpleasant surprises.)

Many phones now support electronic SIM cards or eSIM technology, where you no longer need to swap in a local SIM card to make your smartphone work with an overseas network. (Since the iPhone 14 , Apple devices sold in the U.S. only feature eSIM support — that includes the newer iPhone 15 models.) One of our editors took an international trip using an eSIM for her phone and found it easy to setup and use with a local network — in fact, she plans to use the eSIM approach on all future travel. 

That said, not every country supports eSIM. And depending on your phone carrier in the U.S., you might already have options that cover your phone use in other countries.

International phone plans: What about 5G?

As noted above, many of the plans that offer international travel either have you connect at whatever speed is available locally or at a reduced speed in cases where you're drawing from your own data plan. But what if you've got a 5G phone that can connect to faster networks overseas?

For the most part, we'd expect your phone to operate as before, either at whatever speed the local network offers or a capped speed if that's part of your carrier's travel plans. However, in a few instances, U.S. phone carriers have started making deals with overseas wireless providers that allow their customers to access 5G speeds when roaming. You should check with your carrier for information about the country you're going to travel in.

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Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

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