The roaming situation changes when you travel internationally. Roaming charges can mount up quickly. If you’re a Verizon customer, understand the carrier’s roaming policy to prevent surprise roaming charges when you travel outside the United States.
Domestic Roaming Charges
Domestic wireless roaming is free on all nationwide Verizon plans. That means your mobile device can connect to a non-Verizon network in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico at no additional cost. Except for a few old plans, you won’t incur fees for domestic roaming. Instead, these roaming minutes are treated like regular Verizon minutes. If your plan allows 60 minutes for the month, you’re allotted that same 60 minutes when you roam domestically. The number of minutes doesn’t change because you left Verizon’s coverage area. You probably won’t be aware you did.
International Roaming Charges
If your Verizon plan doesn’t include service outside the United States, you’re charged on a per-minute, per-text, and per-megabyte (MB) basis when you travel abroad. Verizon charges you for each bit of activity, but you have some control over how much you pay. When traveling abroad, you may receive text alerts from Verizon explaining how you’ll be charged and that you’ve reached a usage threshold. Verizon may limit your service if you incur significant charges. International roaming minutes are billed as separate minutes of use (that is, separate from the minutes included in your domestic plan) and can get pricey. Verizon’s charges range from $0.99 per minute up to $2.99 per minute.
Verizon’s International Plans
If you have a 5G or 4G World–capable device, use Verizon TravelPass, which allows you to take your domestic minutes, texts, and data allowance to more than 185 countries for $10 per day ($5 per day for Canada and Mexico). Plus, you’re charged only for the days you use your device. With Verizon, you can make calls and use text messaging services on hundreds of cruise ships. Voice use is $2.99 per minute on these ships, and texts cost $0.50 to send and $0.05 to receive. If you’re taking a trip outside the United States, use the Verizon International Trip Planner to avoid surprise roaming charges.
