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For years, T-Mobile has been the gold standard of international voice / text / data plans.  Included with your regular monthly plan, you were able to get international calling / texting / data in 130+ countries around the world.  Earlier this year, Sprint announced their Sprint International Roaming world travel plan.  (All?) Sprint customers now have unlimited text and 2G data and calls for 20 cents a minute

a yellow and black cover with a white outline of a plane and a globe

Sprint International Roaming world travel plan details

You can access the details about the Sprint International Roaming world travel plan by going to Sprint.comInvalid request error occurred. and choosing Support -> International.

Like I said earlier, you get free text and 2G data with the Sprint International Roaming world travel plan and calls are 20 cents / minute.  With the prevalence of wi-fi hotspots, I would probably look to use Google Voice or a similar wifi calling service in lieu of paying that much, but it’s nice to have it as an option

Is Sprint’s 2G data fast enough to do…. anything?

Is Sprint’s 2G data fast enough to do anything?  That is the real question, isn’t it!  I’m sure that streaming and other services requiring a lot of data would be right out, but I’m not sure if things like email, maps or simple web browsing would work.  I typically use Osmand offline maps to get around but having Google Maps could be useful as well

[My top 2 mobile phone apps for travelers on the go]

Really I just want to know if I can play Pokemon Go while in Sweden so I can catch a Mr. Mime 😀

If 2G doesn’t work for you or you want to upgrade, Sprint does offer full high-speed data as part of its Sprint International plan.

a screenshot of a phone

Those price points seem pretty reasonable to me for short term trips.  For instance, next month I’ll be in Sweden for 4 days.  If the 2G data doesn’t work out, it would probably be worth it to me to pay a few bucks / day for Internet access wherever I go.  I think it’s a nice feature that it’s something that you don’t have to decide right away –  you can opt-in if/when you want from your phone, though I have not yet used the service to be able to tell if that works well.

Of course if you are a long-term traveler, $5 / day adds up pretty fast and so the Sprint International Roaming plan probably would not work out.

Other options for travelers

Besides Sprint International Roaming and T-Mobile, one other option that I’ve heard recommended for international travel are Google Fi (which either requires specific models of phones or some knowledge / willingness to mess with your existing phones).

Do you have experience with the Sprint International Roaming plan?  What do you do for international cell phone coverage?


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