T-Mobile has announced its One plan now offers free international data and texting in 210 countries. That’s… pretty much everywhere on Earth. Interestingly, this comes very soon after Sprint launched a very similar upgrade to their international plans.
If you sign up for T-Mobile’s One plan, you get 2G data speeds wherever you go. As I discussed recently, that’s pretty slow. If dial-up speeds aren’t for you, for $5 a day you can get 512 MB of 4G LTE data. This is, also interestingly, similar to what Sprint now offers.
So does this make T-Mobile the best choice for frequent travelers? Well…
Compared
No. That’s still Google’s Project Fi. If you travel a lot, like I do, Google Fi offers 4G data all over the world, for the same $10-per-gigabyte they charge you at home. There’s a cap at $60, so the most you’ll ever pay is $80 including the base $20 fee. That’s basically the same price as Sprint and T-Mobile, but unless you’re a heavy data user, you’ll pay less each month since you’re only paying for the data you’re using.
The difference in speed between 4G and T-Mobile and Sprint’s 2G is night and day. Using Fi while travelling is like having a local SIM card, or like using your phone at home. While 2G data, on the other hand, is a test of patience as literally everything takes forever to load. 2G is better than nothing, but it is not an enjoyable experience.
But, of course, only a handful of phones work with Project Fi. So that’s probably a dealbreaker for some.
T-Mobile has certainly upped their game, either to one-up Sprint, or to bring their plans more in sync as the inevitable merger nears.
However, despite the headline grabbing coverage, the fine print tells a different story. Yes, T-Mobile works just about everywhere, but unless you’re a seriously hardcore traveler, “everywhere” doesn’t matter as much as “where you’re going,” and with very few exceptions, where you’re going is almost certainly covered by Sprint as well. While T-Mobile’s $5 daily data pass covers you for only 512 MB of data, Sprint’s is just the whole day, without a specific data cap. Now, are you going to use 512 MB in a day under normal usage? No, probably not. Still, it’s something to consider.
Conclusion
If you travel a lot, Google Fi is the way to go. If you travel a lot but don’t want one of the phones that works with Google Fi, Sprint and T-Mobile are pretty neck and neck as to which is the better option. It likely comes down to how you use your phone when you’re home, and the bonus that come with each service (T-Mobile includes Netflix, Sprint includes Tidal and Hulu). Or, on an even more local level, which one offers better coverage at your house.
A final thought. I traveled with T-Mobile for several years and it was great being able to land in a new country, and have my phone just work. Check messages, navigate to my hotel or hostel, and so on. But if I was staying in a country for more than a few days, I’d buy a local SIM card to get 4G data. Trying to use any app on 2G is excruciating. If you’re only travelling for a few weeks each year, it’s fine. But if you travel a lot, it’s way too frustrating. Those local SIMs typically cost between $15-$20 for a month of data, which isn’t a ton, but it adds up.
This year, however, I switched to Google Fi and I have never felt the need to buy a local SIM. My phone works the same as it does at home. So I’m likely saving $100+ a year not buying local SIMs during my travels. But as mentioned, you have to want one of just a handful of phones that works with Fi, a rather big deal. Worth considering, though.
And regardless, AT&T and Verizon’s international offerings are abysmal.
