As a retail and consumer expert who‘s spent over a decade comparing cell phone plans, I know firsthand how confusing and costly international calling can be. Whether you‘re a globetrotting business traveler, an immigrant family trying to stay connected to roots abroad, or just have a one-off emergency call to make overseas, understanding your wireless carrier‘s international rates is key to avoiding bill shock.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll break down everything you need to know about Verizon‘s international calling charges. We‘ll cover per-minute rates for popular countries, texting and data costs, Verizon‘s monthly international plans, and savvy strategies to slash your global talk costs. By the end, you‘ll be armed with the knowledge to confidently stay connected with your worldwide network without going broke. Let‘s dive in!
Verizon International Calling Rates Per Minute
First, let‘s look at Verizon‘s pay-per-use rates for international long distance calls. The exact per-minute price depends on which "zone" the country you‘re calling falls under. Here‘s a detailed breakdown for some of the most frequently called countries:
| Country | Verizon Per-Minute Rate |
|---|---|
| Canada | $0.49 |
| Mexico (landline) | $0.49 |
| Mexico (mobile) | $0.69 |
| United Kingdom | $1.49 |
| China | $1.99 |
| India | $1.99 |
| Australia | $1.99 |
| France | $1.49 |
| Germany | $1.49 |
| Israel | $1.49 |
| Italy | $1.49 |
| Japan | $1.99 |
| South Korea | $1.99 |
As you can see, costs can vary significantly by destination, with rates ranging from $0.49/minute to call a Canadian number to $1.99/minute to ring up Tokyo. At these pay-per-use prices, an hour-long catch-up call with your sister in Sydney could balloon to over $120! That‘s why it‘s so crucial to understand your carrier‘s rates before dialing internationally.
How Do Verizon‘s International Rates Stack Up?
Of course, Verizon isn‘t the only wireless giant in the game. Here‘s a quick comparison of how Big Red‘s international rates fare against some of its top competitors for a few key countries:
| Carrier | Canada | Mexico | China | India | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | $0.49 | $0.69 | $1.99 | $1.99 | $1.49 |
| AT&T | $1.00 | $1.00 | $3.00 | $3.00 | $1.00 |
| T-Mobile | $0.49 | $0.49 | $2.99 | $2.99 | $1.49 |
| Sprint* | $0.49 | $0.49 | $2.29 | $2.29 | $1.69 |
*Sprint has since merged with T-Mobile
As you can see, Verizon is competitive with rivals T-Mobile and Sprint for calling Canada and Mexico, but tends to be pricier for other major destinations like China, India and the UK. AT&T brings up the rear with some of the highest international pay-per-use rates overall.
Verizon International Texting & Data
What about international text messages? Without an add-on plan, Verizon charges you $0.50 per SMS sent and $0.05 per SMS received outside of North America. Picture and video messages are pricier at $0.25 to send to most countries.
The one bright spot is that if you‘re on one of Verizon‘s latest unlimited plans (like Play More, Do More or Get More Unlimited), international texting is now included to over 200 countries worldwide. But this perk is only for outbound messages – you‘ll still pay that pesky $0.05 for each inbound text received.
As for data roaming costs, Verizon‘s pay-per-use rates are a whopping $2.05 per MB in over 200 "World" countries and $0.002 per KB (that‘s over $2000 per GB!) in 5 "Exclusion" destinations like Cuba and Turkmenistan. At those crushing rates, you‘re better off sticking to Wi-Fi abroad and using web-based calling and messaging apps whenever possible.
Verizon‘s International Plan Options
If you‘re a frequent flyer and need to make regular calls abroad, signing up for one of Verizon‘s international plans can be a cost-effective way to keep in touch with your global contacts. Here are your options:
TravelPass
- Use your domestic talk, text and data allowances while abroad in over 185 countries
- $5/day in Mexico & Canada; $10/day in other TravelPass countries
- Automatically renews each 24-hour session any day you use your device abroad
- Convenient if you already have a generous domestic plan allowance
- Best for shorter jaunts abroad (costs can rack up over longer trips at $5-10/day)
Monthly International Plan
- Discounted long-distance rates for calls made from the US to over 230 countries
- Starts at $15/month for 100 minutes (~$0.15/minute)
- $25/month for 200 minutes, $40/month for 300 minutes
- Unused minutes roll over for 12 months
- Ideal if you make international calls semi-regularly but not enough to justify pricier unlimited plans
Pay As You Go
- Flat monthly rate starting at $5/month for 30 minutes to 90+ countries
- Additional minutes at competitive rates (eg. $0.05/min to Canada and $0.10/min to Mexico)
- Only charged for the minutes you use
- Great for infrequent international callers who want the assurance of lower rates
Unlimited Together – World (Prepaid)
- Unlimited calling from the US to over 70 countries
- Unlimited texting to 200+ countries
- $15/month as an add-on to select prepaid unlimited plans
- Best value if you need to call a wide variety of international contacts
Real Customer Case Studies
To put Verizon‘s international calling costs in perspective, let‘s look at a few real-world case studies from my consumer advocacy practice:
The Accidental Roamer
Margot thought she had turned off data roaming on her Verizon iPhone before a week-long Caribbean cruise. But she forgot that SMS receipts from her credit card‘s travel alert service counts as international usage. She came home to a $150 bill for a few measly texts!
The lesson: Double check that data roaming is fully disabled to avoid accidental charges. Consider signing up for TravelPass ($10/day) if you anticipate any usage.
The Immigrant Dilemma
Aarav‘s aging parents live in India and he calls them every weekend for about 30 minutes to check in. Without an international plan, those filial chats would run him nearly $120/month at Verizon‘s $1.99/min standard rate to India!
The smarter solution: Aarav saved big by adding a $15/month Verizon Unlimited Together – World plan to his account, letting him gab away to Mumbai without worrying about the clock.
The Traveling Saleswoman
As an IT equipment vendor, Jenna flies from the US to Mexico, Brazil and the UK every month to meet with enterprise clients. During her last 7-day trip to London, she talked for 9 hours with her office, 3 hours with customers, and made a 5-minute booking change call to British Airways. At Verizon‘s $1.49/min basic rate to the UK, Jenna‘s company would be on the hook for over $1000 in roaming charges!
The expense-saving fix: Verizon‘s $10/day TravelPass plan covers all of Jenna‘s talk, text and 4G data needs while abroad in 185+ countries for one predictable daily fee. Her company‘s accounting department is also happy to avoid manually expensing every call.
Sneaky Surcharges to Watch Out For
Keep in mind that Verizon‘s advertised international calling rates don‘t include taxes and fees, which can add 5-20% to your final costs. For example, the Universal Service Fund fee, cost recovery charges, and other carrier surcharges can sneakily inflate your monthly international plan price.
Beware of "premium numbers" as well, like those for adult entertainment, psychic hotlines, or radio program call-ins. Calls to these lines can cost up to $9.99/minute on top of standard international calling rates!
The Impact of COVID-19
It‘s worth noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has majorly impacted consumer calling behavior over the past few years. With international travel heavily restricted, many wireless customers have relied even more on international calling to stay connected with far-flung family.
In response, carriers temporarily suspended some international fees. For example, Verizon waived roaming charges for customers stranded in select hard-hit countries like China and Italy at the start of the pandemic. The carrier also offered a monthly discount on its Global Calling Plan add-on. But as borders reopen and travel resumes, expect these COVID-era concessions to be rolled back.
The 5G Factor
Finally, a quick word on the impact of 5G rollouts on the future of international calling affordability and quality. As carriers build out 5G infrastructure with higher speeds and lower latencies, the clunky carrier-to-carrier international connections that lead to poor audio quality and dropped calls today will hopefully improve.
But don‘t expect miracles on the cost front. Even with 5G, carriers will likely still charge premium rates for international calls since they have to interface with foreign telecom networks and exchange hefty connection fees. Innovative startups may seize the 5G moment to offer more seamless international calling options, but Big Telecom will surely aim to preserve their roaming revenue cash cows.
The Bottom Line
I‘ve thrown a ton of information at you in this mega-guide to Verizon‘s international calling charges. Here are a few key takeaways:
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Verizon‘s pay-per-use rates for international calls range from $0.49 to $2.99 per minute depending on the destination country. Texting is similarly pricey at $0.50 per sent message and $0.05 per received text.
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Frequent international callers can save substantially with a monthly calling plan add-on. Verizon‘s Unlimited Together – World ($15/month) is especially cost-effective for calling 70+ countries.
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For shorter trips, Verizon‘s TravelPass ($5-10/day) lets you use your domestic talk, text and data allowances abroad. Longer-term travelers are better off unlocking their phone and using a local SIM card.
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Beware sneaky fees, accidental data roaming, and "premium number" calls that can balloon your international charges.
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The best way to avoid international calling sticker shock is to use Wi-Fi based calling and messaging apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Voice and Skype whenever possible.
Armed with this knowledge, you‘re now ready to tackles the wild world of international wireless costs as an informed consumer. Remember, a little homework can save you hundreds on your mobile bill!
