Most prepaid plans are built for life at home, which is fine until you land in London, Paris or Seoul and realise your phone plan has nothing to say about where you are now. Some prepaid plans take a different approach and include a dollar amount of international roaming credit every month, a small travel budget that sits in your account ready for when you go abroad. Paired with prepaid plans with roaming credit, a trip overseas no longer has to start with a scramble for connectivity.
What Roaming Credit Is
Roaming credit is a set amount, from $5 to $15 depending on the plan, included with your monthly plan and set aside for use while you travel outside the US. It sits alongside everything else in the plan, so at home you still get your full data allowance, unlimited nationwide talk and text and unlimited international calls and texts to 100 countries. When you travel, the credit gives you a starting balance to put towards staying in touch abroad.
Who Gets the Most From It
Roaming credit suits travellers who take a few short trips a year and want a fallback for calls and messages while away, as well as people who visit family abroad and need to reach a ride or a host the moment they arrive. Frequent travellers who cross into Mexico or Canada often will also value the extra roaming data that comes with the two unlimited plans. If you travel more than once or twice a year, a phone plan for travel abroad with credit built in saves you working out a new arrangement before every trip.
Roaming Credit by Plan
| Plan | Monthly data at home | Roaming credit | Price per 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| $19 Unlimited International Plan | 5GB | $5 | $19, now $10 for 12 months |
| $33 High Data Plan | 18GB | $5 | $33, now $7.50 for 6 months |
| Unlimited Plus | Unlimited, full speed for 50GB | $10 | $49, now $18 for 9 months |
| Unlimited Pro | Unlimited, full speed for 50GB | $15 | $59, now $29.50 for 6 months |
How the Four Plans Compare in Practice
The $19 Unlimited International Plan is the entry point. It gives you 5GB at home and $5 of roaming credit each month, now at $10 per 30 days for twelve months, so a full year of travel-ready service costs very little.
The $33 High Data Plan adds far more data at home, 18GB plus 10GB of hotspot data, with the same $5 roaming credit and a promo price of $7.50 per 30 days for six months.
Unlimited Plus doubles the roaming credit to $10, adds 5GB of roaming data in Mexico and Canada, and removes the data cap at home. It is now $18 per 30 days for nine months.
Unlimited Pro carries the largest credit at $15 a month, the same Mexico and Canada roaming data and 25GB of hotspot data, for $29.50 per 30 days for six months.
Why Keep Your Own Number Abroad
Arriving with your usual number working means your bank’s security codes, your airline’s gate change texts and messages from family all reach you without a hitch. There is no kiosk to find, no passport scan at a counter and no temporary number to share with everyone. The roaming credit gives you a buffer for calls and messages while you are away, and your plan is waiting exactly as you left it when you come home.
A Pre-Trip Checklist
- Check your current roaming credit balance in your account before you leave.
- Renew your plan before departure if your 30 days will run out while you are away.
- Switch on roaming in your phone settings when you land.
- Save your hotel, airline and host contacts with their full international codes.
- Keep an eye on your credit during the trip so it lasts as long as you need it.
To Sum Up
Roaming credit turns an ordinary prepaid plan into one that is ready for a trip abroad, with $5 on the entry plans, $10 on Unlimited Plus and $15 on Unlimited Pro. Choose the allowance that matches life at home and the credit that matches how often you travel, and pick an international roaming prepaid plan that comes along for the journey.
All four plans are available from Lyca Mobile. Already planning the suitcase? Get packing inspiration for city breaks and beach trips on Feedfashion.
