The days of settling for expensive international calling rates are long gone. Carriers big and small now offer competitive international rates and packages, providing affordable ways for you to connect with friends and family around the globe with low-cost international calls and expansive data.
If you're not interested in investing in a plan with great international calling perks, you can also use apps on Wi-Fi to call, text, and even video chat with folks internationally.
Compare international calling plans and perks
| Plan | Price | International calling perks | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | $85/month | Global Choice perk: up to 300 minutes per month to one country of your choice from 140 options | View Plan |
| Mint Mobile Unlimited Plan | $25/month | Free calling and texting to Mexico and Canada; affordable calls and texts to over 160 countries. | View Plan |
| Google Fi Unlimited Premium | $65/month | Unlimited international calling to 50+ destinations | View Plan |
| US Mobile Unlimited Premium | $44/month | Unlimited calling and texting to 60+ countries at no extra charge. | View Plan |
| Ultra Mobile 25GB Monthly Plan | $29/month | Unlimited talk to 90+ international destinations; free global texting to 200+ countries. | View Details |
| Visible+ Pro Plan | $45/month | 500 international long-distance minutes to 85+ countries | View Plan |
Hop down to our methodology to learn how we picked our top plans.
Best international calling plan from a major carrier
Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | Global Choice perk with calls to 140 countries | $85/month
Our top pick for the best international calling plan from a major carrier is Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate, starting at $85/month. It's a perfect plan for families traveling abroad, with international roaming already built in and enough high-speed data to keep everyone connected without worrying about overages.
This plan includes:
- Global Choice perk: up to 300 minutes per month to call one country of your choice from 140 options
- Unlimited talk and text when traveling in 210+ countries and destinations
- 15GB of high-speed data per month abroad, then unlimited at 1.5 Mbps
- Unlimited premium domestic data on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network
- Unlimited mobile hotspot data (200GB at high speed, then 6 Mbps)
Check out our guide for a complete rundown of Verizon's international calling rates and see how they compare to T-Mobile and AT&T.
|
Verizon
Unlimited Ultimate
$85.00/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
Best international calling plans: MVNOs
#1. Mint Mobile | Free calls and texts to Mexico and Canada | $15/month
T-Mobile MVNO Mint Mobile offers one of the best unlimited plans on the market, starting at $15/month. It's a great pick for budget-conscious travelers who frequently call or text friends and family in Mexico and Canada, and don't mind prepaying for a longer-term plan to lock in the best rate. Keep in mind that the $15/month price is an introductory offer. After the first 3 months, the price jumps to $30/month unless you opt for a 12-month plan.
This plan includes:
- Free calling and texting to Mexico and Canada
- Affordable rates to over 160 countries
- Affordable international roaming in 180+ countries via Minternational Pass
- Unlimited talk, text, and data
- 50GB mobile data before deprioritization
|
Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$25.00/mo
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
#2. Google Fi | Unlimited calls to 50+ countries | $65/month
Google Fi's Unlimited Premium plan includes excellent international calling perks for $65/month. It's an ideal choice for frequent travelers and digital nomads who need reliable, hassle-free connectivity in as many countries as possible, without worrying about roaming charges or using local SIM cards.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited international texting from the U.S.
- Unlimited international calling to over 50 destinations
- Mexico and Canada calling and texting included
- Unlimited data and text in over 200 countries abroad
- Unlimited premium domestic data
|
Google Fi Wireless
Unlimited Premium for 1
$32.50/mo
|
#3. US Mobile Unlimited Premium | Unlimited calls to 60+ countries | $44/month
US Mobile's Unlimited Premium offers a generous roaming package for the price. It's a strong option for customers who want a free allotment of international minutes included when roaming abroad, rather than being charged per minute every time they pick up the phone.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited calling and texting to 60+ countries at no extra charge
- Free international texting to 200+ countries
- 20GB of data, 200 minutes, and 250 texts while roaming abroad
- 20GB of data in Canada and Mexico, plus 200 minutes and 250 texts
- Unlimited talk and text
- Unlimited premium data domestically
|
US Mobile
Unlimited Premium Plan
$39.00/mo
|
#4. Ultra Mobile 25GB Monthly Plan | Unlimited calls to 90+ countries | $29/month
Ultra Mobile's Unlimited Monthly plan is a great fit for customers who need to call friends, family, or business connections spread across the globe. All of Ultra Mobile's plans include unlimited international calling from the U.S. to other destinations.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited talk to 90+ international destinations
- Unlimited talk and text in Mexico and Canada
- Free global texting to 200+ countries
- $5 international call credit each month
- $5 international roaming credit (one-time)
- 25GB of 5G / 4G LTE data domestically
- Mobile hotspot capability
For customers who need data and calling while traveling abroad, Ultra Mobile also offers a Go Roam World Pass, which offers coverage in 200+ destinations:
- Go Roam World 5-Day Pass is $5: 1GB high-speed data, 100 talk minutes, 100 SMS
- Go Roam World 15-Day Pass is $10: 5GB high-speed data, 300 talk minutes, 300 SMS
|
Ultra Mobile
12GB 1-Month Plan
$29.00/mo
|
#5. Visible+ Pro | 500 international minutes to 85+ countries | $45/month
The Visible+ Pro plan from Visible is a strong pick for customers who make frequent international calls from home and want a built-in roaming option for occasional travel, all backed by Verizon's 5G network. This plan includes:
- 500 international long-distance minutes to 85+ countries per month
- Unlimited international texting to 200+ countries
- Unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data per day when traveling in Mexico and Canada
- Global Pass included: 2 free roaming days per month in 140+ countries (up to 12 days banked)
- Unlimited talk and text
- Unlimited premium data on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network
- Unlimited mobile hotspot at up to 15 Mbps
|
Visible
$45 Visible+ Pro Plan
$45.00/mo
Taxes & Fees included
|
You don't have to take our word for it; compare the above plans with those of dozens of other carriers via WhistleOut's comparison tool.
Free international calling with apps
Want to place calls around the world for free? Mobile apps let you do just that. Simply signing up for an app that uses Wi-Fi is one of the easiest ways to make international calls for free.
For instance, you can make voice or video calls over mobile data or Wi-Fi with the likes of WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger, Hangouts, Zoom, and a handful of other messaging apps.
International calling vs. international roaming
Two of the most popular international perks included with phone plans are international calling and international roaming. Despite sounding similar, they are not the same and provide different features for users.
- International calling lets you dial phone numbers in other countries while you're still inside the United States. It does not mean you can make calls while physically traveling abroad.
- International roaming allows your phone to connect to a foreign carrier's network while you're traveling in another country. This covers calls, texts, and mobile data used while you're abroad.
Which one you need depends on how you use your phone. You may need international calling if you have friends or family living in other countries and want to call them from home. You may need international roaming if you plan to use your phone while traveling abroad or frequently cross into Canada or Mexico.
How we picked the best international calling plans
Our plan picks are underpinned by extensive first-hand testing and a critical analysis of each plan's features and performance. Our team evaluates phone plans based on the following criteria:
- Price & value: Not all cheap plans are "bad," and not all expensive plans are worth it. We look at everything a plan includes and compare it both to other plans from the same carrier, as well as similar plans from competitors in the market, to determine whether the value is consistent with the price.
- High-speed data: Also called "premium" data, this is how much data you get at full 4G/5G speeds before they can or will slow down. The more guaranteed high-speed data the plan includes, the better experience you'll generally have—but there's also usually a limit to how much you actually need, and we ensure that you're not overpaying for data that will go unused.
- Coverage & network reliability: The breadth of each carrier's 4G LTE and 5G networks determines your reception and service. Particularly in the case of 5G, some carriers offer far more robust coverage than others, which affects how their phone plans perform in different parts of the country.
- Plan extras & perks: In addition to the basics—talk, text, and data—some plans throw in freebies like international calling, hotspot allowances, cloud storage, entertainment subscriptions, or service discounts.
Our mobile experts spent at least one month using many of the plans we've recommended to you. In addition to running speed tests, tethering to the hotspot, and analyzing coverage reliability, we also leveraged proprietary data and real-world customer feedback to evaluate plan options, cost, and inclusions. We considered plan-specific elements, including perks, international coverage, premium data allowances, and mobile hotspot allocations. After our hands-on testing and extensive research, we picked the best plans we feel meet the needs of most people.
Visit our guide to choosing a phone plan to dive deeper into how we evaluate plans and carriers, and how to pick the right plan for yourself or your family.
Scott Houghton
Jr. Staff Writer
Find a better phone plan
Thousands of cell phone plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.
.png?w=280&h=280&usm=20&usmrad=0.8&fit=crop "Best Cell Phone Deals for June 2026: Get the New iPhone 17 for Free")
