Verizon charges pay-per-minute rates starting at $0.49 a minute to call other countries from the US, unless you add one of three monthly plans: Global Calling ($5), Global Choice ($10) or Global Calling Plus ($15), all per line, as of October 2026. Verizon says calls to Mexico and Canada are included in all its Unlimited plans, so most people only need an add-on for other countries.

Which one is worth it depends on which country you call and how often. Below are the options side by side, the per-country rates for the most-called destinations, and the point where a monthly plan stops making sense.

Verizon's international calling options side by side

Option	Monthly cost	What you get, calling from the US
Pay per minute	$0	Per-country rates starting from $0.49 a minute
Global Calling	$5 per line	Unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, discounted calls to 220+ countries from $0.05 a minute
Global Choice	$10 per line	Up to 300 minutes a month to one country you pick from 140, unlimited Mexico and Canada, discounted rates elsewhere
Global Calling Plus	$15 per line	Unlimited calls to landlines in 60+ countries and mobiles in 30+ countries, discounted calls to 160+ more from $0.05 a minute

Prices are from Verizon's international calling page, as of October 2026. Two more things to know:

Unlimited plans, including myPlan Unlimited, include calls to Mexico and Canada from the US.
Unlimited Ultimate plans include one Global Choice country at no extra cost.

The "unlimited" calls in Global Calling and Global Calling Plus assume you have a plan with unlimited talk in the US. Verizon notes that domestic airtime applies.

Is there a "Verizon International Long Distance" plan?

Not under that name any more. "International long distance" is Verizon's umbrella term for calling other countries from the US, and its support pages use it for the three monthly plans above. If you see older articles mentioning an International Long Distance add-on or the old Verizon international packages, the current equivalents are Global Calling, Global Choice and Global Calling Plus. Global Choice is still offered and can be added today.

If you choose none of them, Verizon bills pay-per-minute rates, which start at $0.49 a minute. Verizon shows the exact rate for each country in a lookup box on its international calling page rather than in a printed table, so check your country there before a long call.

Rates for the countries people call most

This is where the plans really differ. Global Calling Plus publishes a landline and a mobile rate for every country, and Global Choice publishes a minutes allowance per country. As of October 2026:

Country	Global Calling Plus (landline / mobile)	Global Choice minutes per month	Global Choice rate after allowance
Mexico	Free / Free	Unlimited (included)	Not applicable
United Kingdom	Free / Free	300	$0.05 a minute
India	$0.05 / $0.05 a minute	300	$0.05 a minute
Colombia	$0.09 / $0.09 a minute	300	$0.05 a minute
Philippines	$0.19 / $0.23 a minute	120	$0.20 a minute

Sources: Verizon's Global Calling Plus page and Global Choice page.

Notice that Global Choice minutes vary by country. India, the UK and Colombia get 300 minutes, but the Philippines gets 120, and other countries on the list get as little as 60. Look up your country before you pick it.

What a 10-minute call costs

Here is one 10-minute call priced on each Verizon option and on a pay-as-you-go browser service. Verizon figures are as of October 2026. Pay per minute is shown as a minimum, because Verizon only publishes the starting rate. The plan columns show the call cost only, not the monthly fee. The last column is at the time of writing (October 2026), with each country linked to its live rate page.

10-minute call to	Verizon pay per minute	Global Calling Plus ($15/mo)	Global Choice ($10/mo, that country picked)	BoraPhone (landline / mobile)
Mexico	Included on myPlan	$0	$0	$0.40 / $1.10
India	$4.90 or more	$0.50	$0 (within 300 minutes)	$1.11 / $1.11
United Kingdom	$4.90 or more	$0	$0 (within 300 minutes)	$0.40 / $0.70
Philippines	$4.90 or more	$1.90 / $2.30	$0 (within 120 minutes)	$4.61 / $6.50
Colombia	$4.90 or more	$0.90	$0 (within 300 minutes)	$0.90 / $0.90

Which option should you pick?

Work it out from how you actually call.

You call one country for hours every month. Get Global Choice for that country, or Global Calling Plus if the country is free on Plus. Five hours a month to India on Global Choice is $10, because 300 minutes are included. The same 300 minutes at 11 cents a minute (the pay-as-you-go India rate in the last column above) would be $33, and at Verizon's lowest pay-per-minute rate of $0.49 at least $147. For the Philippines, 120 included minutes for $10 beats every pay-per-minute option in the table, which would cost $55 or more. Heavy callers should take the plan.

You call several countries regularly. Global Calling Plus at $15 covers the widest set of free landline and mobile destinations, and discounted rates for most of the rest.

You only call Mexico or Canada. If you are on a Verizon Unlimited plan, calls to both are already included. If your plan does not include them, Global Calling at $5 adds them.

You call abroad a few times a year. A monthly plan is hard to justify, and pay per minute starts at $0.49 a minute. A 20-minute call to the UK costs at least $9.80 that way, against $0.80 to a landline at the rate in the table above.

How to add, change or remove a Verizon international plan

Add a plan by text

Send a text to 4004:

Global Calling: text the word Global
Global Calling Plus: text the word Plus
Global Choice: text the keyword for your country, for example India or UK (the keywords are listed on the Global Choice page)

Add or change it in My Verizon

Open the International plan page in the My Verizon app or website, choose Add new plan and follow the prompts. Adding a plan replaces any international calling plan already on that line, so you cannot stack Global Choice and Global Calling Plus on one line. To remove a plan, manage it from the same page or contact Verizon, and check the date it comes off your bill.

Dialing the number

For countries outside the 10-digit North American system, dial 011, then the country code, then the number. A UK mobile written as 07700 900123 becomes 011 44 7700 900123 (drop the leading zero). Your account has to be active for 34 days and in good standing to call some countries, and a few destinations need extra permission from Verizon.

Calling from the US vs using your phone abroad

Everything above covers calls from the US to other countries. Traveling is a separate product with separate prices. As of October 2026, Verizon's international travel page lists:

TravelPass: $12 a day in 210+ countries and destinations, or $6 a day in Canada and Mexico, charged only on days you use your phone there.
International Monthly Plan: $100 a month, with 20GB of high-speed data, unlimited texting and 250 minutes.
Canada and Mexico: unlimited data, talk and text are included with Verizon's unlimited and other select plans.
Pay as you go: charged per minute, per text and per MB if you have nothing else on the line.

None of the Global plans discount calls you make while abroad. And if you call a foreign number over Wi-Fi from your US phone, it is still an international call. Our explainer on whether Wi-Fi calling is free internationally covers that trap in detail.

If you only call abroad now and then

BoraPhone lets you call landlines and mobiles in 180+ countries from a web browser, with no app and no SIM. Credit is pay-as-you-go from $5, billing is per minute (rounded up), you see the rate before you dial, and your first call is free. It suits people who call abroad occasionally, people who need to reach a country that is not covered by their Verizon plan, and travelers who want to call a foreign number over Wi-Fi without roaming charges. For a regular hour-a-week call to India or the Philippines, a Verizon plan is the cheaper choice.

To compare carriers, see our guides to T-Mobile international calling, phone plans with international calling and the full carrier vs VoIP cost comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Verizon charge for international calls?

Without a plan, Verizon bills pay-per-minute rates that start at $0.49 a minute and vary by country, as of October 2026. Monthly plans cost $5 (Global Calling), $10 (Global Choice) or $15 (Global Calling Plus) per line and cut those rates sharply or make some calls unlimited. Calls to Mexico and Canada are included on Verizon's Unlimited plans.

Does Verizon do free international calls?

Not to most countries. Verizon's Unlimited plans include calls to Mexico and Canada, Global Calling Plus makes calls to landlines in 60+ countries and mobiles in 30+ countries unlimited, and Global Choice includes a monthly allowance to one country. Everything else is charged per minute.

What are the details of the Verizon $100 international monthly plan?

It is a travel plan for using your phone abroad, not for calling other countries from the US. As of October 2026 it costs $100 a month and includes 20GB of high-speed data, unlimited texting and 250 minutes, and you can take it for one month or let it renew. Verizon suggests it for trips of nine days or longer.

How do I use my Verizon phone internationally without charges?

On Verizon's unlimited and select plans, use in Canada and Mexico is included. Elsewhere, TravelPass ($12 a day) or the $100 monthly plan apply, and without either you pay per minute, per text and per MB. Calls to foreign numbers are international calls even over Wi-Fi, so an internet calling service on Wi-Fi is usually the cheaper way to make those.

Is Verizon Global Choice still available?

Yes. As of October 2026 Verizon still sells Global Choice at $10 a month per line, with up to 300 minutes to one of 140 countries and unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada. Add it by texting your country's keyword to 4004 or through My Verizon.

Verizon International Calling Plans: Prices, Rates and Picks