Rejoice, travelers with Verizon cell phone service! The days of adding a $10-a-day pass to stay connected while traveling abroad could be over – let alone picking up an eSIM or considering Google Fi service for your international travels
With little fanfare, Verizon has introduced “Unlimited Ultimate” plans that include international talk, text, and data in 210-plus countries worldwide … at roughly the same price as previous plans! With that plan, there's no need to separately add Verizon's $10 daily Travel Pass – and forget about the provider's steep, $100 International Monthly Plan, too.
The international coverage you get through the Unlimited Ultimate plan is solid. It gets you up to 10GB a month of high-speed data (and 2G speeds after that) while traveling abroad in addition to free calls and texting. And while we couldn't pin down a list of the 210 countries eligible for coverage, it's probably safe to assume that all the popular (and even many not-so-popular) destinations are included. Typically, cell phone providers only exclude countries like Cuba, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria.
As always, the monthly cost depends on how many cell phone lines you have. In my case, changing to an Unlimited Ultimate plan costs exactly what I was previously paying – $55 a line for a total of four lines – for a plan that didn't include international coverage.
This robust plan with international coverage built in might not be new, exactly … but it likely escaped many Verizon customers' notice (including yours truly) who have been on the same plan for years. After some quick searching, it appears Verizon quietly rolled out this new option late last year.
In fact, I only discovered it while trying to figure out my options to upgrade to one of the new iPhones late last week.
While trying to trade in my current iPhone for a new iPhone 16 Pro, Verizon required me to upgrade from my years-old plan – a 5G Play More, which is no longer available to new customers – in order to complete the device upgrade. Lo and behold, Verizon is now offering these Unlimited Ultimate plans with international coverage included … for the exact same price I was paying beforehand!
That's a big win for me, as I'm sure it will be for many other travelers. Any frequent international traveler knows staying connected abroad is critical. And while it's gotten much easier over the years (remember buying and installing a SIM card at the airport?!), it can still be fairly expensive.
I've tried everything, racking up plenty of $10 daily charges from Verizon's Travel Pass. For years, I was an avid user of Google Fi. But as an iPhone user, I had to carry a separate phone that I could use as a hotspot, which wasn't ideal.
More recently, we've seen the emergence of eSIM apps like Airalo, which allow you to download an app, buy an eSIM card for the destination you are headed to, and then activate it once you are on the ground. It's been a significant advancement for staying connected abroad, but it still requires paying more – not to mention, additional setup.
I know what you're thinking, T-Mobile customers: International coverage like this is nothing new. Indeed, free international coverage has been a hallmark of T-Mobile for years. But for others, it's been a major (and expensive) pain point.
Sorry, AT&T customers: No such luck for you. To date, AT&T has not rolled out a similar plan that includes international travel. In fact, they've taken the opposite approach: The company recently increased the price of its global connectivity day pass from $10 to $12.
Bottom Line
Check your phone plans, Verizon customers. A new set of coverage plans offers the option to stay covered virtually anywhere abroad at roughly the same price.
Verizon quietly rolled out this new “Unlimited Ultimate” plan somewhat recently. Whether you're looking to upgrade to a new iPhone 16 like me or simply trying to figure out the best way to stay connected for your next international trip, it's a no-brainer for Verizon customers to make the change.