It doesn’t have to mean a huge cell phone bill when you want to use your phone abroad! I remember in 2009 my friend, Amanda was on her phone a lot. I warned her that it would make her bill huge. It did! Over $1,000 in data roaming. That is not the case anymore!
Some carriers allow free access to texts and 2G Data (Sprint and T-Mobile) on most plans. You can add high-speed data for a fee. T-Mobile One plans allow you to use data on Gogo-enabled flights for free. Some AT&T plans have North America date, text and talk included. Verizon and AT&T have roaming packages you can purchase. I have used my Sprint plan in Mexico, Caribbean and many European countries with no issue. I will say that the free 2G data is painfully slow, so I just purchase the daily/weekly passes.
Make sure you check with your carrier before leaving to make sure your device is ready to use and that you understand what your plan includes.
More on Sprint’s offerings here. Highlights – free text and basic data in over 200 worldwide destinations. $25 cent per minute calls. Faster data $2 day / $10 week Mexico & Canada, Most other destinations $5 day / $25 week.
More in T-Mobiles offerings here. Highlights – free text and basic data in over 210 worldwide destinations. Unlimited talk and text + 5 GB LTE data in Mexico & Canada. $.25 cent per minute calls. Faster data passes can be purchases for $5 per 24 hours for 512 MB data and unlimited calls.
More on Verizon’s offerings here. Highlights – TravelPass $5 day Mexico & Canada. $10 day most other destinations. You are using the data/minutes within your plan with the travel pass.
More on AT&T’s offerings here. Highlights – Talk text and data included in Mexico & Canada on some plans. $10 day International Pass unlimited text and talk and using the data limits in your plan in more than 100 countries.
Thinking about your next trip abroad? Let us help! Check out Travel by Adam or contact us for help planning your next trip.