What will using your phone abroad cost?
Pick your carrier and trip and we’ll price the day pass, tell you whether your plan already covers the destination for nothing, and compare it against a travel eSIM quote.
How this tool works
Three things decide what your phone costs abroad, and only one of them is the daily rate.
- Whether you already have it. T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus and Magenta MAX include up to 5GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries at no extra charge, and every major US carrier includes Mexico and Canada on its unlimited plans. If that is your situation the correct answer is “nothing”, and no amount of day-pass arithmetic will tell you so.
- Days of use, not days away. AT&T and Verizon charge per 24-hour period, and only on days you actually use the device. A fourteen-night trip where you use the phone on nine days is nine charges, not fourteen.
- Lines. AT&T charges $6 for each additional line used on the same calendar day, so a family of four is not four times the single-line price.
Rates here are read from each carrier’s own pages: AT&T’s International Day Pass at $12/day (plus $6 per additional line, and $20/day at sea), and Verizon’s TravelPass at $12/day or $6/day in Mexico and Canada, with 5GB at high speed before throttling.
We publish no eSIM prices. They vary far too much by provider, region and bundle for any figure here to be honest — get a quote and enter it, and the comparison is done against your real number rather than an invented one.
Confirm before you fly. Carrier pricing changes and depends on your plan tier. This is a planning estimate, not a quote.
US carrier international pricing
| Carrier / plan | Cost | What you get | How it is billed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | $12/day | Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data from your existing plan allowance, in 210+ destinations. | Charged per 24-hour period, only on days you actually use the phone. Additional lines used on the same calendar day are $6 each. |
| Verizon | $12/day ($6 Mexico/Canada) | Unlimited talk, text and data in 210+ destinations, with 5GB at high speed then unlimited at 3G speeds for the rest of the session. | A 24-hour session starts automatically the first time you use the device in a TravelPass country, and you pay only for days of use. |
| T-Mobile (Go5G Plus / Magenta MAX) | Included in the plan | Up to 5GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries, then unlimited at reduced speed (up to 256kbps). | Included in the plan — nothing to add and nothing per-day to pay for data. |
| T-Mobile (Go5G / Magenta base) | Included in the plan | Up to 5GB of high-speed data in 11 European countries, plus unlimited BASIC-speed data in 215+ countries and destinations. | Included, but the high-speed allowance is limited to 11 European countries on this tier — elsewhere the included data is basic speed only. |
FAQ
How much does AT&T International Day Pass cost?
$12 a day for each 24-hour period in which you use the phone, in 210+ destinations, using your existing plan's talk, text and high-speed data. Additional lines used on the same calendar day are $6 each. Cruises are separate at $20 a day.
How much is Verizon TravelPass?
$12 a day in most TravelPass countries and $6 a day in Mexico and Canada. You get 5GB at high speed and then unlimited data at 3G speeds for the rest of the session. A 24-hour session starts automatically the first time you use the device abroad.
Is international data included with T-Mobile?
On Go5G Plus and Magenta MAX, yes — up to 5GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries, then unlimited at reduced speed. On the base Go5G and Magenta plans the 5GB of high-speed data applies in 11 European countries, with unlimited basic-speed data elsewhere.
Do I pay for every day of my trip?
No. AT&T and Verizon charge only for days on which you actually use the device abroad. If you are on wifi for half the trip and never touch the cellular network, those days are not billed.
Is a travel eSIM cheaper than a day pass?
Very often, for data-only use — a regional eSIM can cost less for a whole trip than two or three days of roaming. The trade-off is that your usual number will not receive calls or SMS on the eSIM's data line, which matters if you rely on SMS verification codes. Enter your eSIM quote above and this compares the two.
Are Mexico and Canada included?
Usually. Verizon includes calling, texting and data in Mexico and Canada on its unlimited plans, and T-Mobile includes both with no setup and no roaming charge. Verizon's TravelPass rate for those two countries is $6 a day rather than $12 if your plan does not already include them.