Best Phone Plans for International Calling
Most US carriers treat international calling as an add-on. A handful build their entire product around it, and those are the plans worth knowing — several include unlimited calls to 100 or more countries on their cheapest tier, at prices below what the mainstream brands charge for a domestic-only plan.
How we judged these plans ▾
The best plans for international calling include unlimited calls to 100+ countries and cost $10–$60 a month. We ranked them on how many destinations are included, whether roaming is covered, how much roaming data comes with it, and what the plan costs domestically.
Red Pocket Essentials, at $10/mo
No other plan at this price includes international calling and roaming at all, let alone both. $10 buys 3GB of data, unlimited talk and text, unlimited calling to more than 20 countries and Global Passport roaming across 60+ destinations with 100 minutes, 100 texts and 1GB of data. Red Pocket also lets you choose whether AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon carries the line, which no other carrier here offers, and states its rates never rise.
The catch: The 20+ country list is the shortest here — verify your destination before switching. 3GB is modest, and taxes and fees are extra. For calls to 80+ countries you need Red Pocket Premium at $30.
Read our full review →Check the country list, not the count. "100+ countries" rarely means every number in those countries — calls to mobile numbers are often excluded where landlines are included. Verify your specific destination on the carrier's list before switching.
Top picks — the short version
The best international calling plans in 2026 start at $10/mo. The right pick depends on whether you're calling from the US or travelling abroad — very few plans do both well.
At a Glance
Why These Plans Win
Every plan is scored against the same four pillars. Here is why each one made the ranking, who it fits, and what to watch for.
Calling abroad is not the same as roaming
Calling from the US to another country and using your phone while standing in that country are separate features with separate pricing, and plans are often strong at one and absent on the other.
Every plan in this ranking includes calls from the US. Roaming is narrower: Red Pocket covers 60+ countries with 1GB, H2O covers 80+ destinations with a $5–$20 credit, Simple Mobile's top tier covers 140+ with 10GB, and Ultra Mobile covers Mexico and Canada on every plan with 5GB of data at 24GB and above.
If you travel, read the roaming column first. If you call from home, read the calling column and ignore the rest.
Check the destination, not the number
"Unlimited calling to 100+ countries" is a marketing figure, and the detail underneath varies. Carriers routinely include landlines in a country while excluding or metering calls to mobile numbers there — which matters, since most people abroad answer on a mobile.
Simple Mobile is explicit that its eligible country list varies by plan and by which network carrier issued your SIM. Red Pocket, H2O and Lycamobile all note their lists are subject to change.
Before switching, find your specific destination on the carrier's own list and check whether mobile numbers are included. It's the single most common source of disappointment with these plans.
Credits, add-ons and what they're for
Several carriers pair an unlimited country list with a monthly calling credit — H2O gives $1.50 to $5, Simple Mobile $10 to $20. The credit covers destinations that aren't on the unlimited list, billed per minute.
These credits generally don't roll over. H2O states unused international talk doesn't carry to the next cycle, and Simple Mobile's worldwide calling credits expire each payment cycle. If you rely on a country that's off-list, budget for a paid add-on instead: Simple Mobile sells worldwide calling at $10 and Page Plus sells a $9 Global Calling card that does roll over while service stays active.
What the mainstream carriers offer
Postpaid plans generally treat international as a premium tier feature. T-Mobile's Experience Beyond includes 15GB of high-speed data in 215+ countries and Experience More includes 5GB — genuinely strong, but at $85–$100 a month for a single line.
Google Fi Unlimited Premium is the closest mainstream equivalent to the plans here, with high-speed data in 200+ destinations and free calls to 50+ countries at $65.
For most people who simply call one or two countries regularly, a $10–$30 prepaid plan built around international does the job for a fraction of that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the cheapest plan with international calling? +
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Affiliate disclosure: ShopCellPlans earns a commission on qualifying signups through some of the links on this page. Our rankings reflect editorial judgment, not commercial relationships. Read our methodology.