A dedicated travel phone that's cheap, unlocked, and totally expendable might be the best accessory you're not packing when you go abroad.
Travel can be dangerous and costly for your phone. Data roaming charges can quietly snowball, a cracked screen or stolen device can cost hundreds or more to replace, and you can instantly lose your entire digital life to a foreign pickpocket. Additionally, with phone searches at international borders reaching record highs in 2025, your personal data may be at risk.
The smarter move is to leave your real phone at home and travel with a burner phone you can afford to lose.
Let's talk about why you should use a burner phone on your next international vacation and what you should look for when choosing one.
What is a burner phone?
The term "burner phone" probably makes you think of criminals on police shows or villains in spy movies, but it sounds more dramatic than it actually is.
A burner phone is simply a cheap and potentially disposable mobile phone that's intended for temporary use.
Common burner phone uses include:
- Protecting privacy and anonymity
- Avoiding spam calls
- Separating work and personal phone numbers
- International travel
- Security devices for journalists and activists
- Emergency phone for kids or seniors
How do burner phones work for international travel?
For international travel, a burner phone is just a secondary device that won't ruin your trip if you lose it and is unlocked so you can pop in a local SIM at your destination.
If you're like most Americans, your primary smartphone stores most of your life. Personal photos, banking information, private messages, and more are all locked up on a tiny device that originally cost you at least $800 to buy. Losing or damaging your phone while traveling can cause major stress, even if no one else can access the contents.
If you're leaving the country, your primary device should stay locked up at home. Instead, a cheaper burner phone that contains none of your personal information should be what you take on the plane.
The world is a dangerous place for smartphones. Here are the kinds of things that can happen to your device when you travel:
- It can be lost: Time changes and jet lag can throw off your routine, making it easy to misplace things like your phone. You may also drop it when rushing to make a connection at the airport or accidentally leave it plugged in at your hotel room when checking out.
- It can be stolen: Theft is a common problem in busy tourist areas, and your primary device is the last thing you want a pickpocket walking away with. If thieves access your main phone, they may also get into your financial accounts, social media apps, and private photos.
- It can be damaged: Cobblestone streets shatter screens, monsoon rains fry internal circuits, and monkeys can steal your device and throw it on the ground (this really does happen). The ways to destroy your phone on vacation are basically endless, but the results are always the same: You have to pay out of pocket to repair or replace your phone when you get home.
- It can be seized at the border: Customs agents in most countries have the legal authority to search or confiscate your phone, many times without explanation. Unfortunately, you may not get the device back when they're done. Surprisingly, this can also happen to American citizens when returning home at customs checkpoints in U.S. airports.
Using a burner phone means that if your device is damaged, lost, seized, or destroyed from any of the events above, it's not a major financial loss or a security threat to your personal data.
Burner phones can help you save money
Protecting your personal phone is not the only reason to get a burner phone. These devices can also help you save money on your trip by letting you use a cheaper travel eSIM or local SIM card instead of paying your carrier's international roaming fees.
International data roaming through your domestic carrier can be expensive if it's not included in your plan. Travel passes from major carriers like AT&T and Verizon start at $12/day. For a 10-day trip, that's a $120 fee on top of your regular bill just to use your normal plan while abroad. Other carriers may charge you for each minute, text, or megabyte (MB) of data you use, which quickly adds up.
A cheap unlocked phone with a local SIM or eSIM can be much cheaper. Depending on your destination, getting enough data for your entire trip can cost less than $50.
What makes a good travel burner
Your travel burner doesn't have to be a throwaway flip phone from a gas station (though that works if you want a digital detox while on vacation). A basic smartphone with a long battery life is usually the best option, since they have features like a camera for taking photos and apps for getting directions or translating.
The kinds of features you should look for in a travel burner include:
- Unlocked device: The phone can use a foreign SIM, which is usually not an option if the device is locked to a specific domestic network.
- Dual SIM or SIM tray: This is helpful if you want to keep your home number active via eSIM while running a local SIM in the physical slot.
- Cheap price: Plan to spend somewhere in the $50–$300 range. That said, a free phone is even better, so check if you've kept an old device after upgrading or see if anyone you know wants to dispose of an old phone taking up space in their drawer.
- Decent camera: Even with a burner phone, you'll still want to put your vacation photos on Instagram. Luckily, newer budget phones and older flagship devices from the past few generations still work just fine for travel photos.
- Basic app support: You'll likely need apps for directions, maps, translating, ride-sharing, booking tours, getting airline boarding passes, downloading digital tickets, sending messages, and much more. Make sure your phone is new enough to run the most recent versions of these apps.
Best burner phones for travel
Now that you know the features to look for, here are the kinds of devices we recommend you start with when looking for a burner phone:
- Your old phone: If you've upgraded in the last two to three years and didn't trade in your old phone, you already have a capable backup phone for travel. Factory reset it, make sure it's unlocked (contact your old carrier if not), and download the newest operating system to prepare for your trip.
- Previous-generation flagships: A two-year-old Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or iPhone is still a legitimately great phone. Plus, they're much cheaper than the newest models. You can typically find them on sale with even deeper discounts at third-party retailers like Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy since they're trying to empty their stock.
- Refurbished phones: Buying a "used" phone from a reputable site is a great way to get a premium phone at a much lower price. Sites that sell refurbished phones will replace broken parts, add new batteries, and test them before sale. In many cases, you won't even be able to tell it had a previous owner.
- Budget phones: Brands like Motorola, the Samsung Galaxy A series, the Google Pixel A series, and iPhone SE models are all much cheaper than the newest flagships. If you can find a previous-generation budget phone, you'll save even more. These devices are not exciting, but they're unlocked out of the box and widely available.
No matter what, don't go out and buy a brand-new flagship phone for your trip. Paying upwards of $800 for a new device defeats the purpose. Remember, if losing your phone will genuinely ruin your vacation, it's not a real burner phone.
Should I get a burner phone for my trip?
Most travelers should get a burner phone. They're one of the best ways to protect your personal phone while traveling, and we think the peace of mind they provide is genuinely worth the small upfront cost of buying a second cell phone.
The kinds of travelers who need a burner phone include:
- Frequent international travelers who want a permanent, optimized travel setup
- Anyone visiting higher-risk destinations where theft or pickpocketing is common
- Travelers visiting nations with high-surveillance governments or led by authoritarian regimes
- Anyone whose profession may attract the attention of border guards or law enforcement (examples include journalists, government officials, tech workers, lawyers, activists, business executives, academics, and scientists)
That said, there is some flexibility since no destination is the same. For example, a burner phone is a much more important tool for a journalist visiting Russia than a college student taking a spring break cruise to the Bahamas.
If you're traveling to a safe country with a friendly relationship with the United States, or your carrier already includes international coverage in your plan, a burner phone may be more trouble than it's worth. In that case, start comparing international plan options to figure out what the cheapest option is for you.
If you decide to take your personal phone abroad, make sure to back it up before you leave, invest in a strong phone case, and accept that accidents can happen. Phones can still get damaged, stolen, and lost at the safest destinations.
Travel burner phone FAQs
What countries recommend burner phones?
No country formally recommends burner phones for tourists coming to visit, but travel security experts now suggest them for all destinations. This includes places with high-surveillance or authoritarian governments like China, Russia, and much of the Middle East due to device seizures. It also includes much of Europe, Africa, and Latin America due to crimes like theft and pickpocketing. Finally, even if your device is not lost while abroad, U.S. citizens may also have it seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when returning to the country.
What are the disadvantages of a burner phone?
The main disadvantages of burner phones are convenience and capability. They may have smaller screens, weaker cameras, and fewer features than you're used to. Additionally, if you rely on services tied to your primary number, like two-factor authentication texts, you'll need to move those services to a third-party app or your new phone number to access them while abroad.
Is it legal to use a burner phone while traveling?
Yes, it's legal to use a burner phone while traveling in virtually every destination. Using a cheap, unlocked phone with a local SIM is perfectly normal. However, some countries do require SIM registration, meaning you'll need to show an ID or passport when purchasing a local SIM card. Make sure to check the entry requirements and laws surrounding SIM cards for your specific destination before your trip.
Can you put apps on a burner phone?
Yes, you can put apps on a burner phone as long as the device runs a current operating system. The main limitation for apps on burner phones is storage, which tends to be smaller on budget devices. You should also ensure that any apps you download are legal in the places you're traveling to. Common examples of illegal apps around the world include social media apps, dating apps, LGBTQ community apps, gambling apps, and VPN apps. If illegal apps are discovered on your device, the phone may be seized, and you may be fined or arrested.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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