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T-Mobile international roaming: Costs, plans, and alternatives
Traveling abroad with T-Mobile? Learn everything you need to know about T-Mobile international roaming plans, costs, and alternatives to consider.
Need to stay connected abroad with your T-Mobile plan? You can do so by taking advantage of the international roaming options offered by the cell service provider. Let’s take a closer look at the T-Mobile roaming plans for US customers, tackling their pricing, coverage, and alternatives you might want to consider.
If no options offered by T-Mobile feel right for you, consider giving Holafly eSIMs a try. Enjoy unlimited data, 24/7 customer support, and hotspot sharing anywhere in the world.
Avoid excessive roaming fees
Don't get caught out by data roaming charges. Use local networks at local rates.
What is T-Mobile roaming?
T-Mobile roaming allows you to connect to local networks abroad while using your regular T-Mobile eSIM or SIM card. Whenever you cross an international border, roaming connects you to a local network in your destination, allowing you to make calls, send texts, and use high-speed data just like a local.
T-Mobile roaming plans and pricing
Using T-Mobile international roaming sounds great, but it comes with extra costs. There are several ways to get international roaming, but all of them will increase your phone bill. Keep in mind, though, that T-Mobile prepaid international roaming doesn’t cover data roaming.
Let’s take a look at your options, what you can expect to pay for them, and what you get for your money.
Pay-monthly roaming plans
Travel frequently? You can get a monthly plan that includes roaming. Using such plans means you don’t face additional costs when traveling, but you pay more for your plan every month.
Currently, only two T-Mobile plans include roaming in the monthly price. These are:
- Experience More
- Experience Beyond
Both offer calls for $0.25/min, unlimited texting, and unlimited data (with high-speed data caps) in 215 countries and destinations.
The Experience More plan, priced at $85/month, offers 15 GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico, as well as 5 GB of high-speed data in other destinations. The Experience Beyond plan, priced at $100/month, offers 30 GB of high-speed data in Canada and Mexico, as well as 15 GB of high-speed data in other destinations.
Once the high-speed data limit is reached, you get unlimited data, but the speed cap is set at 256 kbps, which is only enough for the most basic internet needs.
For comparison, these plans are $25-50/month more expensive than plans without roaming. Therefore, you need to travel quite frequently for them to be worth the price. Otherwise, buying an international pass every time you travel abroad may be cheaper.
International pass
T-Mobile’s international pass offers coverage in the same 215 countries and destinations as the monthly plans for a fixed fee. The pass doesn’t include texts, but it offers unlimited calling instead. That said, unlimited international texting is already included in most monthly plans. The data limits offered depend on the duration of your pass. Here are the available options:
| Pass duration | Price | Data included |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | $5 | 512 MB of high-speed data |
| 10 days | $35 | 5 GB of high-speed data |
| 30 days | $50 | 15 GB of high-speed data |
Once you use up the data limit, the international benefits of your regular monthly plan apply. If there are none, you would have to buy another pass to get more international data.
Pay-as-you-go roaming
If you don’t have a roaming-inclusive plan and decide not to buy an international pass, you’ll be subject to T-Mobile’s pay-as-you-go roaming rates. That said, it’s something most users want to avoid, as pay-as-you-go charges accumulate quickly and end up being significantly more expensive than any roaming plan.
The rates are the same for nearly every destination that T-Mobile global roaming covers. The price is $0.25 a minute for calls and $0.01 for a MB of data. So, if you use data-heavy apps or engage in long international calls, you can easily run up a bill that reaches triple digits throughout your holiday.
How to activate international roaming with T-Mobile
The process of activating T-Mobile international data roaming depends on your roaming plan. For roaming-inclusive monthly plans, simply activate data roaming through your phone’s settings, and you’ll be able to use your phone just as you would at home.
If you want to use the T-Mobile international roaming pass, you’ll have to get the pass first. Here’s how you can do it:
- Log in to your T-Mobile account on the website or through the T-Mobile app.
- Go to the Manage Add-Ons section.
- Select the plan you want to activate.
- Tap Agree & Submit.
- Activate data roaming through your phone settings.
If you do decide to go with pay-as-you-go rates, the process is identical to a roaming-inclusive plan and only requires you to activate T-Mobile data roaming on your phone.
How to avoid T-Mobile roaming charges?
If nothing T-Mobile has to offer feels right for you, don’t worry, there are other ways to stay connected abroad. Using an eSIM for international travel is one of the most popular options for travelers nowadays and a great way to avoid T-Mobile international roaming charges.
Using an eSIM is super convenient, as you can buy, set up, and activate your eSIM within minutes, all from the comfort of your own home. With many options available on the market, you’re sure to find a plan that suits your needs in terms of coverage, data limits, and user experience.
Enjoy unlimited data anywhere with Holafly
Looking for complete peace of mind when traveling internationally? All Holafly eSIMs offer unlimited data, hotspot sharing, and 24/7 customer support, which ensures that you’ll never lose connection.
You can get eSIM plans as cheap as $1.55/day for longer trips, but even the most expensive plans, priced at $6.90/day, are a solid alternative to T-Mobile’s International Pass, considering that you get unlimited data.
If you travel frequently or live a digital nomad lifestyle, Holafly Connect might be the perfect option for you. It’s a pay-monthly eSIM subscription that includes coverage in 170+ destinations worldwide.
The plans range from $39.90 to $64.90/month, depending on the data limit, so you can choose one that suits your needs. The service doesn’t require any contracts or long-term commitments, so you can simply cancel at no extra cost whenever you no longer need it.
Avoid excessive roaming fees
Don't get caught out by data roaming charges. Use local networks at local rates.
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A senior SEO writer from Lithuania, combining my passion for writing and travel at Holafly. With years of experience in technical fields, I'm here to answer all of your questions about staying connected. I specialize in turning even the most complicated topics into something everyone can understand.
