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The Best Cell Phone Plans For International Students (2023)

One of the common struggles that international students have is  being able to call back home without costing them every bit of savings that they have piled up. Your cell phone carrier may have a plan to transfer the service over to include international calls, but most of the time, it is a very expensive way to go. 

You can also get a sim card from the location you are in to switch the phone over to a local plan with international calls added to it. However, the best way to get one while studying abroad is to take advantage of a deal that offers you a free phone with any new service plan. From there, you can add international calling if it is not already part of the plan.

Let’s dig into a few of the best options for international students in 2023, so you can make an informed decision before you get stuck in a contract that is pointless for your circumstances.

  • Wi-Fi Networks – Whenever you are around a spot that allows you to hook up to Wi-Fi, you can use one of the many apps that will enable you to chat anywhere in the world. Whatsapp, Skype, Facetime, and so on. All you need to do is open one of the apps and talk to whoever you want after they download the app on their mobile devices as well.
  • Roaming Benefits – Depending on your plan and how high up their pay scale you are, you may have some roaming benefits that may include free international calls on weekends and holidays. It is worth checking to see if your current provider can offer anything like that because it would be much easier to keep the service plan you already have. If your service provider does not provide it, go to a comparison site online and check out some new mobile phone plans. Find one that does so you can switch over before leaving your home country.
  • Tesla International Calling Plan – Tesla has many different plans available with decent pricing. The main expense will be getting a phone set up with them, but you will be good to go after that.
  • Optus International Calling Plan – Optus is a little on the expensive side, but they do not require any type of contract when signing up for service with them. That is a great benefit when traveling back and forth between countries because when you need it, you have it, and when you don’t, you will not have to pay for it.
  • Vodafone International Calling Plan – For a student staying out of the country while studying, the Vodafone calling plan may be one of the best options. It has low-level plans all the way up to big data plans, which allow you to switch to roaming and, for $5.00 a month more, have as many international calls as you want. 

There are many other phone companies available in the area that you are traveling to, which means you can compare them all to find the best deal. Some companies out there will give you a free phone with service, which may be what you need to look for unless you are planning to buy a new one. 

What it all boils down to is no matter where you are studying, there will be a couple of main phone cell phone companies that control the towers, while other smaller companies feed off them to offer services to you. Even though some of them do not provide as good of service, they will be cheaper than going through one of the primary service providers.