Hey,

It’s summer.

People love traveling abroad.

Maybe you have an international trip coming up this year.

Perhaps you are going to see the Colosseum in Italy. Or explore the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Or witness the spectacular Taj Mahal in India. Or ride a bullet train in Japan.

Or simply enjoy great food and great company in another part of the world than you normally live.

Regardless of where you are traveling, a daunting question lies ahead of you:

How do you stay connected while traveling abroad, without being billed for the downpayment on a house?

I’m not kidding about the downpayment on a house metric.

Rene Remund recently received a bill for $143,442.74 for using 9.5GB while abroad:

Do you want to pay that?

No!

Thankfully, I have good news for you. I have done the research. I have the answers.

Here are the five best ways you can stay connected while you travel abroad:

1. Put your phone into Airplane Mode and rely on Wi-Fi for Internet access

Putting your phone into airplane mode and using Wi-Fi for Internet access is the best option if you don’t want to incur any accidental roaming charges.

Airplane mode turns off the cellular radios inside your phone, preventing your phone from connecting to the cellular networks.

You’ll still be able to turn Wi-Fi on and connect to the internet at your hotel, coffee shops, and other locations with public Wi-Fi and use your phone that way.

The only risk here is that if you accidentally turn airplane mode off, you could incur roaming charges.

You can prevent this by removing your physical SIM card entirely from your phone, or by turning off the line in your phone’s settings if you are using eSIM.

The main downside to this method is you will not be able to make calls or send texts, or, of course, use cellular data.

You’ll want to rely on Internet-based chat apps such as iMessage, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal, or others for staying connected with your friends and family while you’re abroad.

Pros:

• Won’t incur international roaming charges because you won’t be using data

Cons:

• Won’t be able to make calls, send or receive texts, or use cellular data

2. Keep your current plan and pay for an international roaming add-on

Most people have a plan from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon directly.

All three of those providers offer international roaming add-ons:

AT&T

• AT&T International Day Pass: $12 per day for unlimited minutes, texts, and high-speed data in 210+ supported destinations

T-Mobile

• T-Mobile International Day Pass: $5 per day for 0.5GB, unlimited minutes, and unlimited texts in 215+ supported destinations

• T-Mobile International 10-day Pass: $35 for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 5GB of data for 10 days in 215+ supported destinations

• T-Mobile International 30-day Pass: $50 for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 15GB of data for 30 days in 215+ supported destinations

Verizon

• Verizon International Day Pass: $10 per day for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 2GB of data in 210+ supported destinations

• Verizon 3 TravelPass Days Perk: $10 for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and 2GB of data per day (includes 3 days)

It is important to purchase the international roaming add-on BEFORE you go on your trip!

If you do not purchase an international roaming add-on, then the carriers may charge you for pay-per-use rates for talk, text, and data, and those can add up quickly.

It is also worth noting that some prepaid cell phone carriers, such as Mint Mobile, Visible, and US Mobile, also offer international roaming add-ons.

Pros:

• Convenient, add-ons work with the current plan you have

• Gives you talk, text, and data while abroad

Cons:

• Expensive!

• A 7-day trip ranges from $30 to $84 extra per line

3. Switch to a cell phone plan that includes international roaming already

Some cell phone plans include free international roaming.

The five best options for cell phone plans that include international roaming are:

• Verizon Unlimited Ultimate ($90/mo): Includes unlimited minutes, texts, and 10GB of roaming in 210+ supported destinations per month.

• T-Mobile Go5G Plus ($90/mo): Includes unlimited minutes and 5GB of free roaming in 210+ supported destinations. International calls are $0.25 per minute.

• T-Mobile Go5G Next ($100/mo): Includes unlimited minutes and 5GB of free roaming in 210+ supported destinations. International calls are $0.25 per minute.

• Google Fi Unlimited Plus ($65/mo): Includes unlimited texts and 50GB of data in 200+ supported destinations. Calls are billed at $0.20 per minute.

• US Mobile Unlimited Premium ($44/mo): Includes 500 minutes, 500 texts, and 5GB of international data per month in 180+ supported destinations.

Of these plans, I think the US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium plan is the best option.

It’s the most affordable, and it also includes free calls and texts while abroad.

Other plans, such as T-Mobile and Google Fi’s plans, charge $0.25 and $0.20 per minute for international calls, which could add extra costs to your bill.

Pros:

• You don’t need to worry about being billed for international usage because your plan includes it

• Use your personal phone number to make and receive calls and texts while abroad

Cons:

• These plans are expensive. For example, instead of paying $90 for Verizon Unlimited Ultimate, you could get Visible+ for $45 and enjoy unlimited high-speed data on the Verizon network. You’re effectively paying a $45 per month premium to have the option to use your plan while abroad

• International calling cost extra on some plans

4. Get a data-only international eSIM plan

Most modern phones include an eSIM, or embedded SIM.

An eSIM is simply a SIM card built into the phone that you can activate by scanning a QR code or downloading an eSIM profile.

Many companies are taking advantage of phones with eSIMs by offering international data-only eSIM plans. These are special cell phone plans that include data, but no calls or texts, that you can activate on your phone’s available eSIM and use while traveling abroad.

Examples include:

• GigSky

• Airalo

• eSIM4Travel

• GoMoWorld

• Jetpac

• RedteaGo

• MicroEsim

• EscapeSIM

• GLOBAL YO

• EZsim

• Nomad

• MobiMatter

And there are many more!

And these plans are crazy affordable:

• $3.50 for 5GB for 30 days in France

• $7.90 for 10GB for 30 days in Spain

• $8.59 for 10GB for 30 days in Germany

I’m hoping to build out an international eSIM comparison tool on my website soon so that you can find the best eSIM plan for any upcoming trip.

Until then, esimdb.com is easily the best option for comparing eSIM plans!

For the ultimate savings, consider pairing a low-cost prepaid cell phone plan here in the United States with an affordable eSIM plan to get data while you travel abroad.

Pros:

• Affordable prices

• Plenty of options, including unlimited data options

• Some eSIM plans will even work across multiple countries

Cons:

• Typically data-only, so you won’t be able to make calls or send texts

• If the plan does include calls or texts, then it will be from a new international number

• Sometimes the data connection can have high latency due to how the traffic is routed

• Won’t work with carrier-locked phones

5. Sign up for a carrier local to the country you are visiting

If you are going to be in one country for a long period of time, then there is no better option than to sign up for a cell phone plan local to the country you are visiting.

And I have good news!

It turns out that the United States is notorious for having expensive phone plans.

So, when you travel abroad, the international plans are often cheaper than what you will pay in the U.S.!

(The exception to this is Canada. I am so sorry to all the Canadians out there. Cell phone plans in Canada are outrageously expensive.)

The only requirement for signing up for a cell phone plan local to the country you are visiting is that your phone is unlocked.

This may be a problem if you are financing your phone from AT&T or T-Mobile, as typically those devices are locked and you won’t be able to use the phone with another carrier.

Signing up for a local carrier may also take a little bit of time and research, and potentially going to a physical store to get set up. This could eat into your valuable vacation time.

Still, if you’re staying someplace for a month or more, I would definitely look into what local options are available.

Pros:

• Typically affordable rates

• Best network connection available

• Able to make calls and send texts

Cons:

• Make take more time and research before you sign up

• You’ll be using a new international number for calls and texts

What’s the best option for you?

For most people, I think the best option will be getting an affordable international eSIM plan.

Paying just $10 or $20 to get the data you need for a 10-day vacation is crazy affordable, especially when compared to the international data add-ons that the carriers offer.

This is typically what I do, and it has worked great for me so far.

That said, if you need access to your personal cell phone number while traveling abroad, perhaps for an important work-related phone call or for receiving two factor authentication texts, then you may want to consider purchasing an international add-on from your current carrier.

This method is more expensive, but it is convenient.

And if you are a frequent international traveler, then you may want to consider a plan that includes international talk, text, and data roaming free of charge.

My top pick for an international plan is US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium plan.

As a bonus, US Mobile makes it super easy to change plans each billing cycle, so while you are in the United States you could potentially switch to one of their more affordable plans to save some money.

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I hope you found this information helpful!

Happy Monday,

Stetson