Which Mobile Phone Carrier Has the Best International Plan?

Note: We receive a commission for purchases made through the links on this site. Our sponsors, however, do not influence our editorial content in any way.

Whether you’ve got a (very) long-distance relationship, friends and family in far places, or conduct business or simply love to travel internationally, you understand how quickly your long-distance charges can add up. The more competitive your international plan is, the more you’ll be able to focus on your conversation rather than how long your conversation is taking. So we gathered up the info on the best international calling plans from the major mobile phone carriers.

Here’s what we’ve learned about Verizon’s, AT&T’s, Sprint’s, and T-Mobile’s international calling plans.

AT&T

If your international calls and texts are primarily to Canada or Mexico, AT&T Wireless (review here) may be your best bet, as calls and texts to those countries are included in the carrier’s unlimited plan. You can purchase add-ons for international service beyond those countries ($40 for a month and $10 for a day pass.) All in all, this is reasonable unless you call outside of Canada and Mexico frequently.

Verizon

Verizon offers multiple options as well. You can purchase a 30-day Canada or Mexico Plan for $15 or $25, depending on how much data you need, or a $5 per day TravelPass. Beyond those two countries, plans cost $25 or $40 per month depending on data and a day pass costs $10. Check out our Verizon review.

Sprint and T-Mobile

With Sprint and T-Mobile One plans, global roaming is included automatically. When you travel outside the United States, a locked in rate for calls (20 cents per minute) kicks in automatically with Sprint. Verizon’s calls are free. With both Sprint and T-Mobile texts and data are free at low speeds but you can purchase high-speed data for a small upcharge ranging from $10 to $50 for Sprint and $25 with T-Mobile.

Conclusions

All in all, international text, phone, and data plans have become quite competitive. If you travel frequently, choosing one plan for your domestic and international needs is probably the best way to go. Of the two roaming-inclusive plans, T-Mobile’s is a bit more generous than Sprint’s. If you travel to or call Canada or Mexico frequently, AT&T Wireless’ Unlimited Plan has you covered seamlessly. For occasional and/or short trips to these countries and beyond AT&T Wireless’ and Verizon’s month and day plans allow you to buy only what you need, which is always an economical approach. If you’re still looking for the best mobile phone carrier for families, read our reviews.