U.S. Roaming Guide for Canadian Travelers and Snowbirds

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Many Canadians visit the United States as cross-border shoppers, weekend tourists, snowbirds, or travelling for business. Before going, make sure you know how your existing cell phone plan works when you cross the border, how to avoid excessive roaming charges, and your rights as a Canadian cell phone citizen.

In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about using your cell phone in the U.S. We’ll also cover U.S. roaming rates and how to choose a local American cell phone plan, if you decide to go that route. 

How to use your cell phone plan in the U.S.

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The easiest way to use your cell phone while in the U.S. is to enable roaming on your existing nationwide cell phone plan. All six major Canadian carriers (Telus, Rogers, Bell, Koodo, Fido, and Virgin Plus) offer options that let you use your existing cell phone plan abroad (including data!) for a day, a week, or even longer. 

Option 1: Daily roam add-on

We highly recommend daily international roaming packs for a quick and easy solution when you’re travelling for less than a week. Reach out to your wireless provider and authorize daily roaming to the U.S., and all you have to do after that is use your device while travelling. Your phone automatically connects to an American cellular partner, and you can use your wireless data or make a call anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.

Be aware: these charges can skyrocket quickly to over $100! If you travel for longer than a week or subscribe to a cell phone plan with a different carrier, we recommend reading below to find cheap options for more extended vacations.

* Daily access expires 24 hours after first customer use or at midnight EST regardless of your location

** Once you reach the monthly maximum limit, the customer may continue using the Canadian talk time, text, and data plan while in the U.S. at no additional fee until the end of the billing cycle.

Option 2: Travel packs for extended vacations (1 week+)

Although daily roaming add-ons are the quickest and easiest way to take your cell phone plan with you to the U.S., it’s far too expensive on more extended vacations and may not be an option from your current wireless provider. If your travel plans take you away for a week or longer, then you should consider Travel Packs. 

Most Canadian wireless carriers offer travel packs that include a fixed amount of talk time, texts, and data for use in Canada and the U.S. These options are convenient because you continue using the same phone number that you have at home. Still, the rates tend to be very high for how little you get. For example, a data travel pass from Virgin Plus costs $60, lasts 30 days, but only gives you 200 minutes of talk time and 1GB of data. You can triple that to 3GB for $100. You’re paying for convenience, but there are better options. 

Option 3: Canada-U.S. plans

Major network providers—including Telus, Rogers, and Bell—offer nationwide coverage that can include the U.S. for a little more money per month. Telus' Unlimited 150 5G+ Can-US plan is one of the best Canada-U.S. plans, allowing you to use your talk time and data across the Canada-U.S. border without any restrictions.

Bell's Ultimate 150GB Canada-US plan is similar, offering unlimited data whether you're in Canada or Stateside.

Rogers' Infinite Extra Canada+US Plan is the best deal from the Big Three, though it's unfortunately limited to Quebec residents. 

Videotron's 50GB All-Inclusive Canada-US Cell Phone Plan is another cheap option for Quebec residents and includes a 100GB bonus every year.

These plans are great options if you regularly travel south of the border, but aren't the best solution for snowbirds.

What are my rights when roaming in the U.S.?

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Unless you’ve expressly consented to additional charges, it falls upon the carrier to suspend data roaming charges once they reach $100 within a single monthly billing cycle. You should be aware that approving travel add-ons or registering for daily roaming packs counts as consent. Also, if your trip spans two billing cycles, you may incur that $100 maximum charge twice.

While roaming internationally, it's up to you to make sure you stay within the limits of your plan. Carriers typically provide an account management app or website where you can track these details in real-time. The Wireless Code of Conduct only helps you avoid an unexpected $1,000 bill (or more!) when you come home. 

Should I get a U.S. cell phone plan?

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Canadians enjoy some of the fastest 4G LTE and 5G speeds in the world, with coverage for 99% of the population. However, we also have some of the highest prices in the industrialized world. The U.S. doesn’t have the best prices either, but it’s easy to find a plan that includes twice as much data and almost half the cost you’re probably paying now. Why not just get a temporary prepaid cell phone plan from a U.S.-based carrier with rates like that to save some money?

We recommend bringing your own phone to take advantage of the lower pricing, so all you need to pay for is the plan. However, you’ll need to be aware of a few potential issues:

• You'll have a different phone number. Anyone who wants to reach you while you’re traveling will need to know your American phone number.
• Your phone needs to be compatible. If you choose to bring your own phone instead of buying a new one, you should check which U.S. carrier will work with your phone's technology.
• Your phone needs to be unlocked. You may need to confirm that you can use your phone on a different cell network with your carrier, especially if you bought a phone before 2018. WhistleOut has a complete guide to help you unlock a cell phone in Canada.
• Who has the best plan for my needs? WhistleOut’s American counterpart has a complete guide to finding the best U.S. cell phone plan for visitors, including plans for short or long visits. You can also check out our picks for the best U.S. phone plans. 

Canada-U.S. roaming rates by carrier

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The simplest solution for any Canadian is simply paying an extra fee and taking your smartphone, your existing plan, and even your phone number when you travel. Costs were once prohibitively expensive but now can be only a little more than if you buy a prepaid plan while visiting the United States. 

However, you should still track how much time you talk and how much data you use as incurring overage charges in another country can quickly add up.

Jump to your carrier to see their roaming rates and plans:

• Bell Mobility
• Rogers Wireless
• Telus Mobility
• Fido
• Koodo
• Virgin Mobile
• SaskTel
• Videotron
• Fizz Mobile
• Public Mobile
• Chatr
• Lucky Mobile

Bell Mobility U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Roaming rates to the U.S. with a Bell plan are $1.99/minute, $0.99/text, and a whopping $6/MB.

Daily plans: For $13/day, you can bring your complete data plan from Canada with you to use in the United States through the Roam Better plan add-on. 

Vacation plans: Roam Better maxes out after 20 days ($260), allowing you to keep using the add-on for the rest of the month without additional charges.

Regular visitor: Upgrade your cell phone plan to the Bell Ultimate 150GB Canada-US plan and get unlimited Canada & U.S. calling and use your plan while visiting the U.S. without any restrictions. 

Rogers Wireless U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Phone calls within the U.S. are $1.45/minute, outgoing texts are $0.75 each, and data is a steep $7.99/50MB!

Daily plans: You can take your existing plan minutes, texts, and even data with you to the U.S. for $12/day. To find out if you have Roam Like Home enabled, text travel to 222 from your Rogers device.

Vacation plans: After 20 days per monthly bill ($240 total), then you can continue using Roam Like Home for the rest of that billing period without additional charges. 

Regular visitor: The Rogers Infinite Premium Canada+US Plan adds more full-speed data to your monthly plan and full coverage across the United States. 

Telus Mobility U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Calls within the U.S. or back home to Canada cost $1.60/minute, texts are $0.75 each, and data is $5/MB.

Daily plans: Telus' Easy Roam add-ons allow you to use your phone in the U.S. for $14/day and covers a full 24 hours from when you make your first call, text, or use data; Bell and Rogers end your daily plan at midnight Eastern Standard Time. 

Vacation plans: Along with increased daily rates, Telus appears to have eliminated individual travel packs. Your best option is to use the Easy Roam option for up to a maximum of 20 days. 

Regular visitor: Upgrade to the Unlimited 150 5G+ Can-US plan. It costs a little more than other plans, includes up to 150GB of full-speed data, and you can use it anywhere in Canada or the U.S. 

Fido U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: If you'd like to use pay-per-use rates, you need to opt out of Fido Roam by contacting Fido. Fido's pay-per-use rates are calls for $1.45 per minute and $0.99 per text message. Data is $12 for 50MB. 

Daily plans: Fido Roam allows you to call, text, and use data in the U.S. for $12/day.

Vacation plans: After 20 days of Fido Roam, you can continue using your phone plan while visiting the U.S. until the end of your billing month at no additional charge. 

Regular visitor: Fido doesn't currently offer plans that let you use your talk, text, and data in the United States without incurring extra fees.

Koodo U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Koodo customers who choose to use their existing cell phone in the U.S. without a daily Easy Roam plan will pay $1.60/minute, $10 for 100 outgoing texts, and a steep $10/50MB. 

Daily plans: For $14/day, you can use your existing Koodo phone and plan while traveling throughout the United States on Easy Roam.

Vacation plans: Start your trip using Easy Roam, and once you hit $240 (20 days), you can continue using the service at no additional charge until your next billing cycle. 

Regular visitor: Koodo doesn't currently offer plans that let you use your talk, text, and data in the United States without incurring extra fees.

Virgin Plus U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: In the U.S., phone calls on your existing Canada-based cell phone plan cost $1.99/minute. Sending a text message costs $0.99. Data service in the U.S. requires a data pass (see Vacation plans section below). 

Daily plans: Virgin Plus Roam Sweet Roam costs $13/day for access to every byte of data from your monthly plan while you’re traveling in the U.S.

Vacation plans: Roam Sweet Roam maxes out after 20 days ($260), allowing you to use the service in the U.S. for the rest of the month without additional charges.

Regular visitor: Virgin Mobile doesn't currently offer plans that let you use your talk, text, and data in the United States without incurring extra fees.

Freedom Mobile U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Phone calls anywhere in the U.S. cost $0.20/minute, $0.10 for text messages, and data is $0.03/MB.

Daily plans: Freedom no longer offers daily roaming plans. 

Vacation plans: The Roam Beyond Pass offers unlimited texting in 73 destinations and unlimited local/back-to-Canada calling for 30 days. There are two data options for the Roam Beyond Pass:

• $20 for 1GB of roaming data
• $30 for 5GB of roaming data

Regular visitor: Freedom's Roam Beyond Plan is the best bet for frequent travelers to the U.S.

SaskTel U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: SaskTel charges $0.07/minute for voice calls and $0.07/MB for data. SaskTel cellular customers who already have text messaging on their plan at home can use it while travelling in the U.S. at no additional cost.

Daily plans: Opt-in for roam & RELAX, and the next time you travel to the U.S., unlimited calls anywhere within the country (or back home to Canada) are only $3/day. If you need the internet, then enable data roaming, and your device will connect automatically with up to 500MB for $6/day (300MB for $5/day if you’re on an older plan).

Vacation plans: Call ahead and have SaskTel add a monthly roam & RELAX U.S. add-on. For $40, you get 250 minutes of talk time in the U.S. and 1GB of data. For $60, SaskTel will give you 400 minutes and 3GB of data. You can also top out at $80 for 600 minutes and 5GB of data. 

Regular visitor: The totalSHARE Canada & U.S. plan option is only slightly more expensive than the regular version of the plan. When subscribing, you choose your data pack—from 1GB to 50GB—which you can share with other shareMORE phone lines on your account.

Videotron U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Using your existing cell phone and plan on a pay-per-use basis in the U.S. isn’t too expensive for calls at $0.75/minute, with text messages at $0.25 each. Roaming data costs you $0.15/MB.

Daily plans: For $10/day, Videotron offers one of the lowest daily rates for daily travelers to the U.S. Activate the Daily Traveller Pass option so you can use the minutes, texts, and data from your monthly cell phone plan while traveling in America. 

Vacation plans: After ten days at $10/day, Videotron puts a hold on the daily charges, and you can continue using your at-home plan while in the U.S. for the rest of your billing cycle. Videotron also has U.S. data add-on packs, but the Daily Traveller Pass offers far better value.

Regular visitor: Hook up to a Canada-US Without Borders plan, which includes 25GB of 4G LTE data in Canada and the U.S. (with 5G connectivity available in Quebec) for $60/month. While in Canada, you also receive 100GB of full-speed overage data per year.

Fizz Mobile U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: Talk time in the U.S. is $0.10/minute, and text messages cost $0.02 each. Data is $0.02/MB. 

Daily plans: If you’re gone for more than a day or hope to use data while abroad, pick up one of Fizz Mobile’s affordable Travel Add-ons: 

• $5 adds 500MB of data
• $8 adds 1GB of data
• $10 adds 2GB of data

Vacation plans: The travel add-ons listed above are each active for the remainder of your billing month or until you use them up. 

Regular visitor: Fizz offers a few Canada-U.S. plans. The best is the Unlimited Canada + USA, which offers plenty of data and unlimited talk and text on both sides of the border.

Public Mobile U.S. roaming plans

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Pay-as-you-go: If you don’t purchase an international travel add-on from Public Mobile, you will not have service in the United States.

Vacation plans: For Public Mobile customers who plan ahead, there is a selection of 15-day U.S. roaming add-ons that let you use your favourite cell phone while traveling. 

• $30 for unlimited, U.S. talk, text, and 3GB of data
• $15 for unlimited U.S. talk and text
• $10 for 250MB of data only
• $20 for 1GB of data only
• $25 for 3GB of data only

Regular visitor: Public Mobile does not currently offer any Canada-U.S. plans.

Chatr U.S. roaming plans

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In July 2022, Chatr announced that U.S. carriers were shuttering their 3G wireless networks, meaning Chatr could no longer guarantee roaming in the U.S.

Lucky Mobile U.S. roaming plans

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There are no U.S. roaming options for Lucky Mobile customers. If you bring your phone with you to the U.S., you will not have access to phone calls, text messages, or data.