The Top Cell Phone Plans for Traveling Domestically or Internationally

Traveling is a fun hobby that many people participate in because there are so many beautiful places to see. Whether you prefer to travel across the United States and experience what each state has to offer, or you wish to travel the world and get familiar with new customs and cultures, traveling is a rewarding experience for everyone to do.

When traveling, it is important that you are always prepared and ready-to-go before you board your next flight, or before you go on a road trip, by packing the essentials. Not only do you need clothes, toiletries, and other important items, but a good cell phone plan is also crucial so you can continue to stay in contact with loved ones and post about your adventures.

Getting a cell phone plan for your travels should be of the utmost importance, so check out these top cell phone plans for travel today!

If you want to switch cell phone carriers, then consider looking into Really to help you with all of your phone services needs! At Really, you can compare phone plans to get more bang for your buck, and you can see what carriers and plans are in your area, sort by price, best value and more, and even click on the plan you wish to learn more about in an instant. 

Features Essential For a Travel Cell Phone Plan

Finding a cell phone that best fits you and your travels is important no matter where you’re going!

There are a few features when it comes to getting a cell phone plan that are important to mention whenever you’re traveling. No matter if you like traveling outside of the country, or domestically, there are many cell phone plans to choose from that can suit all of your needs no matter where your next adventure leads.

Let’s take a look at some of the basic features you’ll need in your cell phone plan for traveling!

Unlimited Talk and Text

A feature that you won’t be able to go without, and despite what cell phone plan you get, is unlimited talk and text. Making sure that you are able to communicate and chat with loved ones to update them about where you’re at, or even to check in and make sure everyone is okay, is something to consider.

Unlimited talk and text is almost exclusively offered on all cell phone plans because counting out your minutes is a thing of the past. There are some plans, specifically MVNOS, or mobile virtual network operators that offer some plans that have a set amount of minutes for calling and texting, but for traveling purposes, it may not fit what you need. 

Set Data Allotment or Unlimited Plan

For traveling, some people may want to enjoy a relaxing vacation and not use data, but for many others, traveling is a way of posting their experiences to inspire other people to visit the places that they have been to. If this is the case, either a set data allotment or unlimited data plan is crucial for your next trip. 

Deciding how much data that you will truly need for your cell phone plan can be difficult because it will be more than what you use throughout a normal day when you’re not traveling. The average amount of data that people use while traveling is anywhere from 3 to 5GB, but if you want to play it safe, 7GB is a good amount to get. If you feel like you may go over this amount and don’t want to get any overcharges, getting an unlimited plan is a great option. 

Mobile Hotspot Available

If you want to get a cell phone plan for traveling, it is important to be safe about the Wi-Fi that you connect to, especially if you are someone who works on-the-go. It is very easy for people to hack into public Wi-Fi and there is always a potential that you could be scammed and your personal information could be leaked, so a mobile hotspot is essential.

A mobile hotspot can be a lifesaver when it comes to protecting yourself and all of your devices. By connecting to a mobile hotspot, you will be able to use it as your own Wi-Fi where you can create a password to get into it. You can connect everything from cell phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices as well to it, but it will use up your data when you use it. 

A Great Price is Crucial 

One of the most important features when it comes to getting any kind of cell phone plan is to make sure that you can find one for a great price, especially for traveling. Using your cell phone plan internationally can potentially cost you a lot of money and one of the biggest scams to avoid are pay-as-you-go rates.

Pay-as-you-go cell phone plans can cost a ton of money depending how many minutes and how much data you use. Sometimes purchasing a prepaid cell phone plan, or adding international usage on your current cell phone plan can help you to save more money. 

The Best Cell Phone Plans for Domestic Travel

Many people prefer domestic traveling and there are a few cell phone plans to consider that work best in the states!

There are many cell phone plans to choose from if you enjoy traveling and seeing what is within your own country. If you live in the United States, it’s important to get to know what plans are out there for your domestic travel.

Visible

Many people love Verizon Wireless and the service and coverage that they offer on all of their cell phone plans. If you don’t want to pay full price for one of their plans, they have their own MVNO called Visible that is both affordable, and it also uses their exceptional high-speed 5G data speeds too.

There are a bunch of features to mention in a Visible plan that are great for traveling across the United States:

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• 4G LTE or 5G nationwide coverage
• Unlimited mobile hotspot
• Spam protection
• Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada
• 5G ultra wideband on their most expensive plan
• Unlimited roaming in Mexico and Canada on most expensive plan
• International calling and texting to 30+ countries
• International texting to 200+ countries
• 24/7 access to customer service
• Add a smartwatch for and extra $5 per month
• No hidden fees 

Visible is an easy to understand MVNO because they only offer two plans to make a faster decision when choosing what you need:

• Visible Plan - $30 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot, and 4G LTE and 5G nationwide coverage
• Visible+ Plan - $45 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot, 4G LTE and 5G nationwide coverage, 5G ultra wideband, and premium network experience

Mint Mobile

MVNOs have been taking over the United States because of their price, and also the fact that a lot of the same features, service, and coverage are all included on these plans. Mint Mobile has become one of the most popular among them all because they offer some of the best prices on T-Mobile’s network.

Mint Mobile offers some of the best features that are out there in an MVNO that consist of:

• Unlimited talk and text
• Unlimited 35GB of 4G LTE or 5G data with reduced data speeds after
• Uses T-Mobile’s 5G nationwide coverage
• Three-month, six-month, or year-long plans
• 3-in-1 SIM Card Kit or eSIM for eligible cell phones
• Keep your current cell phone and number when switching to Mint Mobile
• Free international calling and texting to Mexico and Canada
• 5GB of a mobile hotspot available
• Wi-Fi calling and texting available
• New customer discounts
• Add two lines starting at $15 per line
• Flexibility to change your plan if you’re not liking it
• Manage your account with the Mint Mobile app

There are a few different plans to choose from and you can choose to have any of them for three months, six months, or for one year:

• $15 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB of data
• $20 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 10GB of data
• $25 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data
• $30 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data

Cricket Wireless

AT&T is another big carrier that also offers their own MVNO that works well for people who enjoy domestic traveling. Cricket Wireless is owned and operated by AT&T and you can enjoy their fast 5G service and coverage, and some great rates on all unlimited cell phone plans. 

Cricket Wireless has a ton of incredible features that are offered on all of their plan:

• Fast nationwide 5G coverage
• High-speed data access
• Unlimited talk, text, and picture messaging
• HD voice and Wi-Fi calling
• Cricket Call Defense to protect you from spam calls
• Affordable Connectivity Program if you’re eligible
• Mobile hotspot on most plans
• HBO Max included in plan price
• Cloud storage available
• International calling to Canada and Mexico
• International text to 37 countries
• Save more money by adding more lines

There are a ton of plans that are offered through Cricket Wireless where you can get unlimited talk, text, data, and more:

• $30 per month for one-line, unlimited talk and text, and 5GB of high-speed data
• $40 per month for one-line, unlimited talk and text, and 10GB of high-speed data
• $55 per month for one-line, unlimited talk, text, and data
• $60 per month for one-line, unlimited talk, text, and data, and 15GB of a mobile hotspot

International Cell Phone Plans For Travel That Are a Must

Trying to find a cell phone plan is important, especially for international travel!

If you are someone who has traveled all across the United States and want to experience the rest of the world, international travel is a fantastic idea. An international cell phone plan is crucial to get, especially one that allows you to talk and text outside of your home country.

It can be a difficult process to find the best international plan, but here are some of the best ones to sign up for!

Google Fi

One of the top international cell phone plans that you can get is through Google Fi because they offer a ton of international features, and have some of the best rates for full unlimited plans. Depending on where you live in the United States, your Google Fi cell phone and plan can connect to either Verizon Wireless, AT&T, or T-Mobile’s network as well, unlike many other plans out there.

The features on a Google Fi plan are some of the best that there is to offer such as:

• Unlimited talk and text
• Unlimited high-speed 5G data
• T-Mobile’s 5G nationwide service and coverage
• No contracts or activation fees
• Built-in VPN and spam blocking
• Data budgets available
• Contact controls available
• 24/7 customer support
• Easily switch plans whenever you want to
• Use Fi app to manage your account anytime
• Mobile hotspot available on some plans
• Entertainment perks available
• 100GB of cloud storage available on some plans
• Free unlimited international talk and text to Canada and Mexico
• Free talk and text to over 200+ countries on some plans

There are three main plans to choose through Google Fi—they are easy to understand and only one of them isn’t an unlimited plan:

• Flexible - $17 per line per month plus for unlimited talk, text, and $10 per GB of data used 
• Simply Unlimited  - $20 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, and data
• Unlimited Plus - $40 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data, and mobile hotspot

T-Mobile Magenta

T-Mobile is known for having one of the best cell phone plans when it comes to international use, especially their Magenta plans. Gaining access to 5G nationwide coverage even outside of the country is crucial, and with this plan you can get a ton of international perks you can’t get anywhere else.

The Magenta plans through T-Mobile offer a ton of benefits for someone who is planning on traveling internationally including:

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• Truly unlimited 5G data on all plans
• International calling to Canada and Mexico
• Up to 40GB of a mobile hotspot
• Nationwide 4G LTE and/or 5G high-speed data
• Taxes and fees included in monthly price
• Exceptional customer service
• Bring your own cell phone and number
• Entertainment perks
• Scam shield to protect you against scammers
• T-Mobile Tuesdays for exclusive perks
• Travel benefits

T-Mobile offers a few different Magenta plans that range in how much of a mobile hotspot you can get with your international plan:

• Essentials Plan - $60 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data and mobile hotspot
• Magenta Plan  - $70 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data, mobile hotspot and 100GB of premium data
• Magenta MAX Plan - $85 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data, 40GB of premium high-speed mobile hotspot, 100GB of premium data, and Netflix

AT&T International Plans

If you love AT&T’s incredible 5G service and coverage, their international plans are exactly what you’re looking for. With built in ActiveArmor, you will get the security that you need in order to protect you and your personal information while you’re enjoying your time making new memories.

AT&T’s international plans have some of the best features:

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• 50GB of premium 5G high-speed data and then slower unlimited data afterwards
• AT&T’s incredible 5G nationwide service and coverage
• AT&T ActiveArmor which protects you while using public Wi-Fi, Identity Monitoring, and more
• 15GB of a mobile hotspot available per line 
• Unlimited international talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico
• Unlimited texting from the United States to 200+ countries
• Standard definition streaming included

There are a few different options when it comes to choosing an AT&T international plan that include:

• AT&T Unlimited Starter Plan - $65 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data, and 3GB of a mobile hotspot
• AT&T Unlimited Extra Plan - $75 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data, and 15G of a mobile hotspot
• AT&T Unlimited Premium Plan - $85 per line per month for unlimited talk, text, data, and 50G of a mobile hotspot

Finding the best cell phone plan to use while you travel can be difficult since there are so many to choose from. It is important to find one that has all of the features that you need and at a great price as well.

Consider checking out the best cell phone plans for travel so you can make new memories while out exploring the country or the rest of the world!