How to Use Your Phone When You Travel Abroad

Your phone works abroad, but not the way it works at home

When you land in another country, your phone will not automatically stop working — but it will start charging you differently. Your home carrier still owns the connection, and they charge you a premium to use their network through a foreign partner. That premium can be $2 to $10 per day just to turn your phone on, plus $1 to $3 per text and $0.50 to $5 per minute of calls. Data costs the most: $5 to $15 per megabyte in some countries, which means a single email with a photo can cost $20.

You have four ways to avoid these charges: turn off roaming entirely and use only WiFi, buy a local SIM card, rent a phone, or pay your home carrier for an international plan. Which one makes sense depends on how long you are staying, whether you need to receive calls, and how much data you actually use.

Key Takeaways

• Roaming charges from your home carrier can reach $10 per day plus per-minute and per-text fees, so turning off roaming and using WiFi only is the cheapest option if you can manage it.
• A local SIM card costs $10 to $40 upfront and gives you a temporary local number, but requires an unlocked phone and means people calling your home number will not reach you.
• International plans from your home carrier typically cost $10 to $15 per day and include calling, texting, and data, but only work in specific countries and still charge overages.
• WiFi calling through apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, or Skype lets you reach people on your home number without any plan, as long as you have internet access.
• Before you leave, contact your carrier to confirm roaming is off, check whether your phone is unlocked, and ask which countries your plan covers.

Turning off roaming and using WiFi only

This is the cheapest route if you do not need to make calls or send texts to people who do not have internet. Go into your phone settings, find Cellular or Mobile Data, and turn off Data Roaming and International Roaming. Your phone will still connect to WiFi networks, and you can use any app that works over the internet: WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype, email, maps, translation tools.

The catch is that people cannot call or text your regular phone number and reach you. They have to message you through an app or email. If you need to receive calls from people who only have your regular number — your bank, your doctor, your family — this does not work. Also, you will not have maps, translation, or ride-sharing apps unless you download them before you leave and they work offline, or you find a WiFi network.

This method works best for trips shorter than a week, when you are staying in one place with reliable WiFi, and when the people you need to reach can use messaging apps.

Buying a local SIM card

A SIM card is the small chip inside your phone that connects you to a carrier's network. When you arrive in a new country, you can buy a local SIM card from a convenience store, airport kiosk, or mobile carrier shop for $10 to $40. You pop out your home SIM, insert the local one, and your phone now has a local number on a local network. Calls, texts, and data all cost what locals pay, not what tourists pay.

Before you leave home, check whether your phone is unlocked. Most phones sold by carriers in the United States are locked to that carrier and will not accept a different SIM. Call your carrier and ask them to unlock it — this is free and takes a few minutes. If your phone is locked, you cannot use a local SIM.

The downside is that your home number disappears while the local SIM is in your phone. People calling your regular number will not reach you. You have to give people your temporary local number, or use an app like WhatsApp to stay reachable on your home number. Also, you lose access to any services that text you a code to your home number — your bank, your email, your work systems. Plan for this before you leave.

A local SIM makes sense for trips longer than a week, when you need to make many calls or use a lot of data, and when you can give people a temporary number or use messaging apps to stay in touch.

Paying your carrier for an international plan

Most major carriers offer daily or monthly international plans that let you use your phone mostly the way you do at home. These typically cost $10 to $15 per day, or $60 to $100 per month, and include calling, texting, and data at rates close to what you pay at home. You keep your home number, and people can reach you the normal way.

Read the fine print carefully. The plan only works in specific countries — your carrier publishes a list. If you travel to a country not on the list, roaming charges kick in at the premium rate. Also, most plans have a data limit per day or per month, and overages cost extra. Some plans charge you for every day you are in a covered country, even if you do not use your phone.

To add an international plan, contact your carrier before you leave. They can tell you which countries are covered, what the daily or monthly cost is, what the data limit is, and whether overages apply. Some carriers let you turn the plan on and off by the day, so you only pay for days you actually travel.

An international plan makes sense if you need to stay reachable on your home number, you are traveling to multiple countries, or you use a lot of data and want to avoid the shock of a bill when you get home.

Using WiFi calling and messaging apps

If you turn off roaming but stay connected to WiFi, you can use apps to call and text for free. WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype, Viber, and Google Duo all let you call or video call anyone else on the app, and they work over WiFi. Some of these apps also let you send texts to regular phone numbers for a small fee, or free if both people are using the app.

The advantage is that you do not need a plan or a local SIM. The disadvantage is that the person you are calling has to have the app installed, and they have to be online. If you need to call a taxi company or a restaurant that does not use apps, this does not work. Also, video calling uses a lot of data, so it only works on strong WiFi.

Many travelers combine this with a local SIM: they buy the SIM for calls and texts to local numbers, and use apps for calls and texts to people back home. This keeps costs low while staying reachable both ways.

What to do before you leave

Contact your carrier at least a week before your trip. Tell them where you are going and ask: Is my phone unlocked? Which countries does my plan cover? What are the roaming charges if I go outside my plan? Can I add an international plan, and what does it cost? Can I turn roaming off remotely if I change my mind?

Write down your carrier's customer service number for your destination country — you may not be able to call your home country's number from abroad. Take a photo of your SIM card before you leave, so you have the number and the carrier name if you need to switch back.

If you are buying a local SIM, research which carriers are available in your destination. Some countries have one or two major carriers; others have many. Download the carrier's app before you arrive, if possible, so you can buy credit or a plan as soon as you land.

Test your WiFi calling setup before you leave. Make sure the apps you plan to use are installed, that you know how to use them, and that your contacts have them too. If you are relying on WiFi only, download offline maps for your destination.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my phone work at all if I do not buy a plan?

Yes. Your phone will connect to any WiFi network and work normally over WiFi. You can use messaging apps, email, maps, and video calls. You will not be able to make regular calls or texts unless you buy a local SIM or add an international plan, but you can stay in touch through apps.

What happens if I accidentally use roaming and do not have a plan?

You will be charged roaming rates by your carrier. These can be very high — $2 to $10 per day, plus per-minute and per-text charges. Check your bill when you get home. If the charges are unusually high, contact your carrier and ask about a credit or a dispute. Some carriers have roaming caps that stop charges after a certain amount, but do not count on this.

Can I use my phone number with a local SIM?

Not for calls and texts. Your home number is tied to your home SIM. When you insert a local SIM, you get a local number instead. People can still reach you on your home number through messaging apps like WhatsApp if you set up the app before you leave, but regular calls and texts to your home number will not go through.

Is it cheaper to rent a phone than to buy a plan?

Usually not. Phone rental companies charge $5 to $10 per day plus roaming charges, which adds up quickly. A local SIM or a carrier plan is almost always cheaper. Renting makes sense only if your phone is broken and you need a replacement immediately, or if you are traveling to many countries and do not want to buy multiple SIM cards.

Do I need to tell my bank or email provider I am traveling?

Many banks and email providers send verification codes by text to confirm it is really you when you log in from a new location. If you are using a local SIM, these texts will go to your local number, not your home number, and you will not receive them. Contact your bank and email provider before you leave and ask how to verify your identity from abroad. Some let you use an app instead of a text code.