Which International Phone Plan is Best?
In an era where staying connected is synonymous with seamless travel experiences, finding the right international phone plan becomes paramount for every type of traveler. Whether you’re a full-time globetrotter, a business professional, or someone embarking on a leisurely escape, a reliable phone plan is the linchpin to staying in touch, navigating foreign terrains, and capturing memories without the looming worry of exorbitant roaming charges.
While you could pay the average $10/day for your carrier’s international data services, or get a local sim card, getting an international E-Sim is often cheaper and more convenient. We primarily focus on international data access over calls and text in this post as facetime audio and iMessage use data, and there are only a few use cases for needing traditional texts and calls abroad. This blog post delves into the essential quest for the perfect international phone plan for you, unraveling the intricacies of comparing various options to suit your unique needs.
We’ll navigate the landscape of coverage, costs, and convenience, ensuring that your communication remains uninterrupted across borders. Additionally, discover invaluable tips for optimizing data usage abroad, empowering you to make the most of your connectivity without breaking the bank. So, let’s embark on this journey to find the best international phone plan tailored just for you.
Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, we earn a commission if you make a purchase.
Our International Phone Plan Recommendations
- Holafly for those wanting unlimited data in multiple or individual countries
- Airalo for those wanting just a few gigabytes in multiple or individual countries
- Google Fi is the best budget plan for frequent, but not full-time international travelers
- T-Mobile for frequent, but not full-time international travelers who will take advantage of their various travel benefits
- AT&T is best for travelers only visiting Latin American Countries
- Local Sim Card or E-Sim for travelers staying longer in one country or region, don’t mind temporarily using a different number and not having data until you buy the sim card
- Paying the $10/day for those using data less than 7 days while abroad
Holafly
Holafly gives you access to unlimited data which can be great for frequent travelers who rely on data for their travel needs. While it is more expensive than other E-Sims, you absolutely get what you are paying for. Holafly has the best flexibility with data usage, no matter how long the duration of your trip is and how much data you plan on using. They also boast excellent customer support, 24/7, and supports various languages. You can purchase regional E-Sims and keep your data access when you cross the border into nearby countries. This is definitely the best international phone plan for full-time travelers wanting access to unlimited data.
Airalo
Airalo is the best international phone plan for travelers who only need access to a few gigabytes of data while traveling internationally. Similar to Holafly, Airalo offers regional E-Sims, and for multi-country trips in the same region, they may cover more countries than Holafly. Airalo has a Global E-Sim, which gives you a maximum of 20 gigabytes that you can use in 130 countries over a 365-day period. This is great as it can be used on multiple trips, even if they are almost a year apart. The downside to Airalo is they don’t have any unlimited data plans, but they make up for this with their flexible and cheap data plans.
Google Fi
Google Fi is best for frequent, but not full-time travelers who are based in North America. One amazing thing about the Google Fi plan is it has an E-Sim option so you can keep and use all the data stored on your physical sim card AND your current phone number. The Unlimited Plus Plan is a great option, especially for families who frequently travel and want 50 GB of data in 200 countries. You can get as low as $40/line if you have 4+ family members on the plan.
Google claims the Unlimited Plus Plan provides unlimited data, but after you hit the 50 GB threshold, your data slows down to where it is essentially unusable.
Google Fi has various other benefits they include in their Unlimited Plus Plan such as Google One, a VPN, Dark Web Scans, Google Photos premium benefits, and Google Play credits. Unfortunately if you are out of the North America for 90+ days, Google will shut off your access to data.
If you are only planning on traveling in North America, the Flexible and Simply Unlimited are only worth it if you plan on permanently switching to Google Fi and don’t need unlimited data.
T-Mobile Go5G
T-Mobile’s Go5G plans don’t have any international data plan charges, so while they aren’t exclusively international plans, you can use them as such. However, similar to Google Fi, your data will get shut off if you use your plan internationally for 90+ days. If you won’t be traveling for more than 90+ days, then don’t worry about this! T-Mobile’s Go5G plans are unfortunately more expensive than Google Fi, but they do have T-Mobile Travel perks, which can lead to great savings on hotels and rental cars. They also provide other benefits, such as one free year of AAA membership, Scam Shield Protection, free and reduced priced Netflix accounts, free WiFi on select US airlines, and $0.25/minute flat-rate international calls.
AT&T in Latin American Countries
If you have the AT&T Unlimited Premium plan, and are traveling to Latin America, simply keep your data on. You’ll enjoy the same benefits as you do in North America in every Latin American country other than French Guyana. You do need AT&T to have been your primary phone plan in North America for more than 60 days, so you can’t get this plan just because you’re traveling. This is extremely convenient for people who have AT&T, so if you have a longer trip to Latin America planned 60+ days away, it’s worth considering this plan!
Local Sim Card/E-Sim
Getting a local sim card or local E-Sim can be a great way to secure data when traveling internationally. Holafly and Airalo do price competitively, but every now and then you’ll find cheaper sim cards and sometimes even E-Sims. The drawbacks to this are the local shops selling these plans may upcharge you, you won’t have access to data once you land, and you won’t have access to your phone number. Many local sim cards and local E-Sims will have regional plans, so you only have to do this once per region you visit.
Paying the $10/day For Your Current Plan
Paying the average of $10/day for your current phone plan’s data roaming services is not always a bad option. First, if you don’t mind budgeting for this and data is super important for you, by all means, go for it! Secondly, certain phone plans like AT&T and Verizon cap the $10/day fee after the 10th day, so the maximum you’ll pay for the month is $100. This is more expensive than other E-Sims, but if you value convenience over money, this is a great option. Just keep in mind that your data speed might slow down after you hit a certain gigabyte threshold.
Summary
From the Albanian Alps to the Tara River Canyon, we have relied extensively on our international phone plans to get us much-needed data. If your plans involve using multiple E-Sims, you can do this, but using multiple active E-Sims requires an iPhone model of 13 or later. All in all, our international phone plan provides us peace of mind knowing that if we get lost, we can use our international phone plans to help us navigate these foreign lands. We also often plan activities on the go, so we rely on our international phone plans to grant us this flexibility and take the stress out of travel planning. We hope this article helped you find the best international phone plan for you, and feel free to ask us any questions in the comments!
Tips for Saving Data
- Use Wi-Fi whenever possible (and safe)
- Use Whatsapp, so you can communicate between any type of smartphone. Non-iPhones are much more popular internationally
- Only use Wi-Fi for App Downloads and Updates
- Monitor apps that use the most data, and adjust usage accordingly
- Turn off data for unnecessary apps (You can do this on iPhones via Settings→Cellular→Cellular Data for Google Fi)
- Turn off location services for apps that use them
- Using a VPN (compresses data thus using less of it)
- Don’t leave devices running and connected to your hotspot
- Take advantage of offline apps usage
- Download google maps for the cities that you’re visiting on your travels
- Download any hiking trails you plan to do with the AllTrails App
- Download any songs/podcasts you plan to listen to
- Download any tickets and other reservation info to your phone before the trip
- Close apps you aren’t using so they don’t run in the background
Our Favorites Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
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FAQs
Which international phone plan should I use?
It depends on what type of traveler you are, but Holafly, Airalo, Google Fi, T-Mobile Go5G, using a local sim card, and paying $10/day for data are the most popular options.
What is an eSIM?
An eSIM is the same as a physical SIM card, but instead of inserting the SIM card, you simply download the eSIM onto your phone.
What international phone plan is the cheapest?
Getting a local sim card and potentially negotiating the price (for example if you buy two sim cards) is one of the cheapest way to get data internationally. Keep in mind that this is far from the most convenient.
Hey Cullen, Good synopsis of the various options! What do you recommend for us for our upcoming two weeks in Europe with both needing access whenever? Bob
Thanks Bob! I would first see how much data you use over two weeks to get an idea of which plan to use. You can do this on your iPhone by going to Settings–>Cellular–>Scrolling all the way down and clicking “Reset Statistics” and then checking two weeks later to see how much data you’ve used. If you think you can do two weeks under 7 GB (for both you and Jan) I would get the Flexible Plan, because that would be $35 base + (7 GB * $10) = $105, whereas the Unlimited Plus plan would be $110. These calculations also ignore the $20 off and the small fees for any international calls. If you browse the web while on WiFi, download maps of any cities you’re going to, and close apps that you’re not using, I think it is possible to do the Flexible Plan, but if you want to play it safe, I would do the Unlimited Plus Plan!