Visible International Roaming: How to use your Visible plan abroad

Visible Wireless has proven that great coverage doesn’t have to break the bank. This rings true whether you're using the pocket-friendly carrier at home or abroad. As a Visible customer, you’ll experience the best of Verizon's global network wherever your travels take you.

With Visible’s international roaming Global Pass, you’ll have access to unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data in over 140 destinations for only $10/day. Enabling international coverage on of Visible’s unlimited plans is as easy as the flip of a switch. 

We’ll walk you through Visible’s roaming coverage, plan options, and our overall take on whether the carrier’s international features are worth switching to Visible.

Visible international roaming coverage

---

Visible is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) running on Verizon’s network both in the United States and abroad. While U.S. carriers like Verizon don’t own and operate their own cell towers abroad, they partner with dominant carriers worldwide to get you coverage where you need it. This kind of coverage is called international roaming. 

Thanks to Verizon’s global roaming agreements, Visible’s international roaming includes coverage in over 140 countries and territories, including popular travel destinations like Europe and Southwest Asia. You’ll have anywhere from 3G to 5G speeds depending on what’s available in the country you’re in, as well as how much high-speed data you have available to you (more on that below). Regardless, you’ll never be without critical access to the data you need to power your maps, stream music, and browse the web wherever you go. 

Visible offers easy access to international coverage on either of its two unlimited plans. The only difference is that the pricier Visible+ plan includes (some) international coverage already baked in (more on these details below). Both plans will need to enable Visible’s Global Pass to access international roaming for most destinations

Visible’s international roaming by plan

---

Visible keeps things simple by offering three unlimited plans: Visible, Visible+, and Visible+ Pro. Visible’s $25/month plan does not include international roaming. All international coverage, including that in Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, must be purchased via a Global Pass (you can find Global Pass details below). 

The Visible+ plan, on the other hand, includes unlimited talk and text and 2GB of high-speed roaming data within Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands for $35/month. It also includes one complimentary day of Global Pass per month (note that this doesn’t roll over).

For even more perks, the Visible+ Pro plan includes two global passes per month, as well as international calling and texting options, with the ability to call 85 countries and text to 200 countries, ensuring customers can stay connected globally.

Visible’s Global Pass

---

Global Pass is Visible’s international roaming package that includes unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data in over 140 countries and territories. It is essentially a feature you can turn on and off straight from your Visible app or your online account. 

As noted earlier, the cost for Global Pass will vary slightly depending on your Visible plan. For example, Global Pass coverage in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is included in the Visible+ and Visible+ Pro plans but will cost basic Visible plan customers $5/day.

Global Pass coverage everywhere else, including all 140 countries and territories, will cost both Visible, Visible+, and Visible+ Pro customers $10/day. Visit Visible's website to see which destinations are eligible for Global Pass.

Global Pass also includes unlimited calling and texting to the U.S. while you’re abroad, so you can communicate back home as often as you wish for no extra charge. Hotspot is also included as part of your data access. After you use your daily 2GB of high-speed data, your speeds are reduced to 3G. This means you’re never truly cut off from accessing the web—you’ll just find that data-heavy applications like using GPS for navigation will be slower, which could potentially prove to be an issue if you’re out in more remote and unfamiliar areas. 

While Visible may alert you to your data usage via text message, they cannot guarantee these notifications in every location. But with unlimited everything, there’s no risk of accruing additional roaming charges. 

Your Global Pass session will reset automatically every 24 hours or whenever you enter a new country.

How to activate Visible’s international roaming

---

You can activate Visible’s international roaming online using your Visible account or within your Visible app. 

Before you can activate international coverage, you must first enable Autopay on your account if you haven’t yet done so. (As a reminder, Visible+ members will not need to do anything to enable international coverage in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)

To  turn on Autopay:  

1. Log in to your Visible account.
2. Find the Account section.
3. Locate Autopay and toggle it on.

Once that is done, you are ready to enable Global Pass. To do this: 

1. Sign into your Visible account.
2. Select Overview and then Global Pass.
3. Agree to the conditions and select Enable Global Pass.

When you enable Global Pass, your phone will automatically connect to an international carrier, and your paid session will begin. You can disable Global Pass as easily as you enabled it by following steps 1-2 above and then selecting Disable Global Pass. Alternatively, you can enable Airplane Mode to keep your phone from automatically connecting.

Visible international roaming: Pros & cons

---

We’re fans of Visible’s international roaming for many reasons. One, it is relatively affordable considering Global Pass's daily unlimited calls, texts, and data (though only 2GB is high-speed). Secondly, you’ll only pay a maximum of $10/day (less in border countries/U.S. territories) with no additional fees, no matter how many calls you make or how much data you use. Lastly, we love the ease with which you can turn Global Pass on and off without signing up for a secondary international plan or package. Getting international coverage is as easy as toggling on or off coverage straight from your Visible app.  

Of course, $10/day on a ten-day trip (or longer) can add up. Just remember, with Visible, you’re already saving in the long run by paying only $25, $35, or $45 for your monthly phone plan. If you’re worried that 2GB of high-speed data won’t be enough, remember you can do almost anything you need with 3G speeds, such as check email, use maps, and even stream music and videos, though buffer times may be longer.

Alternative international roaming plans

---

If Visible’s international roaming doesn’t meet your travel needs, you might consider Google Fi, an MVNO running on T-Mobile’s network known for strong international coverage. With their $65/month Unlimited Premium plan, you can access unlimited 4G LTE data and calls in over 200 destinations. Plus, you don’t have to do anything to enable coverage—your phone will simply connect to local cell service when you land!

Ultimately, if you want as much international coverage as possible and are willing to pay the big bucks, we recommend T-Mobile’s Experience More. For $85/month, you’ll get unlimited texting and data (5GB of high-speed data) in over 215 destinations, as well as in-flight texting and Wi-Fi, and access to discounts on hotels and rental cars through T-Mobile’s travel benefits.