How to Make Calls with Your US Phone While Abroad (without paying a fortune)

A few weeks ago, we brought you our guide to the best ways to call home. Now it’s time to look at a closely related issue: using your US cell phone abroad.It’s becoming increasingly common to travel internationally, whether it’s for business, pleasure, or simply to visit friends and family back home. But international travel has its drawbacks for must of us, especially when it comes to using your US cell abroad.New York International has done the hard work for you and put together an explanation of how it works and what it costs.In the following price comparisons, we’re assuming you’re using your phone’s own provider. However, at home or abroad, if you’re able to connect to a local Wi-Fi network (which you can still do in most phones’ “airplane” mode, which disables the device’s costly data roaming), then Internet calling services such as Skype, Fling, and Tru allow you to make international calls at incredibly cheap rates. You buy “credits” that are applied to making calls over the Internet using a downloadable app for your smart phone. This allows you to bypass your provider’s international calling rates, and it costs only the “credits” you choose to buy, plus any Wi-Fi costs. If it’s a friend or family member’s connection, perfect! Even using the service on offer at a local café or Internet café may well end up being much cheaper.But sticking with the more traditional phone companies, the picture looks different depending on your provider.Making CallsWith many international roaming packages provided through your regular cell service, you may be required to have had an active account for a set amount of time before special deals become available to you. For some international roaming packages, at least one month of previous usage is necessary. For others, this time period may be even longer. Be sure to check the terms and conditions and eligibility requirements of your particular provider. If you’re not certain whether particular charges or fees may apply to you when travelling, it’s always best to contact your provider directly to find out. The last thing you want when you get home to New York is a surprise bill waiting for you!AT&T. AT&T boasts that their phones work in more places around the world than any other U.S. carrier — more than 225 countries, plus 250 cruise ships. Their World Traveller international roaming package, $5.99 per month, offers you discounted rates in more than 150 countries. This would reduce the cost of using your cell in France, for example, from $1.39 per minute (the standard international rate) to just $0.99 per minute. They also offer a bulk messaging option, Global Messaging, with packages including 50, 200, or 500 messages per month for use overseas, costing $10, $30, and $50 respectively.The Canada and Mexico Travel Minutes plan, which comes with inclusive minutes and a per-minute overage, ranges from $24.99 per month (50 minutes, with an overage charge of $0.79) to $199.99 per month (800 inclusive minutes, and an overage charge of $0.39 per minute). These rates apply only in Mexico and Canada, however. They also offer individual packages for just Canada or just Mexico at $4.99 per month, with rates of $0.59 per minute roaming in either country.It’s important to check the AT&T website before you leave and make sure that your device is capable of international usage.Verizon. Verizon allows you to stay connected in more than 40 countries, but there’s no single international rate or package you can buy. As their website explains:Rates for international roaming in CDMA countries vary. For information on rates in a specific country, follow the steps below:

1. Visit ourInternational Roaming Rates and Coverage page.
2. Select the destination to which you will be traveling from the Traveling To… dropdown, and click Go.
3. Scroll down to the Voice & Text Rates and Global Data Rates sections of the destination’s page

They do, however, offer a Global Phone, now operating in more than 220 countries.  Allowing you to use one phone for both U.S. and overseas calls within a single package. The monthly charge again depends on which countriesyou opt for.T-Mobile. T-Mobile customers can add WorldClass International Roamingwithout an activation fee. Then, as long as your device supports the frequencies used in your destination (which you can check here), the rate-per-minute will depend on the country you’re in (you can check using the drop-down menu found here). If you’re a No Annual Contract Customer, you can add services to allow international calling. International roaming rates for Canada and Mexico are $0.59 and $1.79 per minute respectively, and for all other countries the rate varies. Check out the handy form on their website to find the information relating to the country you’ll be in.Information is available on the T-Mobile website about whether your current device is capable of international roaming.Sprint. Again, not all devices will work while roaming abroad, so be sure tocheck first whether you’ll be able to use your phone abroad and to what degree. If you’re traveling with a Nextell device, you can make calls in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru via International Direct Connect (with no charges for voicemail calls if the caller disconnects), and Chile, Guam, Israel, Jordon, Singapore, and South Korea (with voicemail charges even without connecting). The rates vary depending on the location.If you’re using a Sprint device, you have more options. You can find calling rates for individual locations online, and Data Pack Add-Ons are available for Canada and Mexico (from $30 to $125 a month, depending on your choices) and for Multiple Country Roaming (currently covering 39 countries).Sprint also offers this helpful breakdown of a sample bill for international usage, showing you exactly how the charges will be laid out.Phone Rentals and Phone CardsIf you're traveling abroad and don't want to use your own phone, rental is also an option. Many international airports now offer cell rental services such asTripTel's, or you can plan ahead and use websites like CellularAbroad.com, Phonerental.com, or TravelCell.com. Under this system, the rental cell is mailed to you to use when you travel. As a local phone, it works best for short stays - any longer and the costs might not be worth it. Rental costs can rack up to the price of simply buying a cheap local phone for a couple of weeks.And as always, phone cards are an established way of making international calls — airports, tourist offices, local libraries, and a host of other locations are sure to have cards good for use on public and private telephones alike.As you can see, there are many options! But doing a little homework can help ensure that you don’t return to New York to find that expensive surprise waiting for you when the bill comes. Since call costs so often depend on specific countries you visit, do make sure you’re aware of the per-minute rate for calling before you dial. And, finally — have a great trip!