How does Mint Mobile international roaming work, and is it worth it?

In the last few years, we’ve seen international roaming become more common on prepaid carriers, including Mint Mobile. Last year, Mint actually revamped its international roaming options, retiring its older UpRoam system in favor of its new Minternational Pass system.

In this brief guide, we explain how Mint Mobile international roaming works, if it’s worth it, and some possible alternatives. Don’t have Mint but are interested? Sign up below!

Mint Mobile International rates and how it works

Mint Mobile used to use a credit system with set international rates depending on the region. Thankfully, the new plans are much simpler. First, you have a 1-Day pass for $5, which gives you access to 1GB of high-speed data, 60 minutes of talk, and 60 text messages for just 24 hours. There are hundreds of countries where this can be used; then you can check Mint’s official page if you need more specifics.

Need more time or data? Mint also offers a 3-day pass for $10, which upgrades to 3GB of data, 200 minutes of talk, and 200 texts. Lastly, there’s a 10-day pass that gives you 10GB of high-speed data, 500 minutes of talk, or 500 texts.

The good news is you don’t have to worry about unexpected overages like you might when using international roaming on a postpaid carrier. The bad news is this plan gets pricey if you’re going to be traveling for longer than 10 days. For example, an entire month’s use would add $60 to your bill, on top of your normal monthly rate.

Don’t need data but want 30-day phone and text coverage? You can get an international calling pass with 100 minutes and 100 texts for just $5 a month.

Free roaming in Canada and international calling within the US

Although Mint’s international plans aren’t cheap, there’s good news if you frequent Canada often. The carrier offers free roaming here, giving users unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of data each month that can be used up north. You’ll also get free international calling and texting within the US to Mexico and Canada, while Mint offers free texting to an additional 150-plus countries. There’s also the option to call these 150-plus countries for a low fee, though the exact rate depends on the country.

Is Mint Mobile international roaming worth using?

Honestly, we wouldn’t recommend using Mint Mobile as your sole international traveling plan unless you’re only going to be gone for a few days. For longer trips, Mint Mobile just isn’t worth it unless you only need mobile data for part of the trip and can rely on local WiFi to help offset your costs and data usage. Still, for those who don’t travel out of the country often, it’s a nice little perk. And if you need more coverage than this, you can always use an international e-SIM for travel.

The best Mint Mobile alternatives for international roaming

Looking for another carrier with better international roaming? We highly recommend Google Fi Wireless plans in particular. The Google-owned carrier provides free calling and texting to Canada and Mexico on its Unlimited Standard plan. For just $55 a month, you can upgrade to Premium, which includes 50GB of international data in over 200 locations.

Another decent Mint Mobile alternative is US Mobile. The US Mobile Unlimited Premium plan includes options that range from around 10GB to 20GB of international data a month. That’s in addition to 100GB or more of premium data for use in the US, 50GB of hotspot access, and more. All of this starts at just $45 a line.