Verizon prepaid plans: prices, eSIM, and what they cost abroad

What Verizon prepaid plans were listed on 10 November 2026?

Verizon Prepaid is Verizon's pay-ahead service: no credit check, no deposit and no annual contract. When we read its prepaid plans page on 10 November 2026 it listed four phone plans, plus separate data plans for tablets and hotspots. Every Verizon prepaid plan costs more in the first month, because the Auto Pay discount starts from month two and needs a credit or debit card.

Instead of Auto Pay you can take loyalty discounts: $5 a month off after three months and another $5 after nine, which brings the 15 GB plan to $35 and Unlimited to $50 without a card on file. You cannot combine the two. Talk & Text is not eligible for loyalty discounts. Streaming on 15 GB and Unlimited is limited to 480p.

Verizon's FAQ says 5G Ultra Wideband, its fastest 5G, comes only with Unlimited Plus and the 100 GB and 150 GB data plans, though a disclaimer on the plan grid also mentions it near Unlimited. We go with the FAQ.

The page also carried offers with no end dates: four Unlimited lines at $35 a line, two Unlimited lines for $80 a month, discounted phones such as the iPhone 16e at $349.99 with $100 in service credits, and a three-year lock on the base monthly rate of every prepaid phone plan. Bring your own phone and there is no activation fee.

This is desk research from Verizon's own pages. We have not bought or tested a Verizon prepaid plan.

Which Verizon prepaid plan suits a traveller?

Unlimited Plus is the one built for travel. It adds 5G Ultra Wideband, 25GB of premium hotspot and Global Choice, which gives unlimited calls from the US to one chosen country each month. The 15 GB, Unlimited and Unlimited Plus plans all include unlimited talk, text and data in Mexico and Canada, but Verizon drops data to 3G speeds after 2GB a day there. It may also limit or remove that use if more than half of your usage over 60 days is in those countries. You need a 4G or 5G world device.

All plans include unlimited texting from the US to more than 200 destinations. Calls abroad from the US are charged per minute unless you add an international calling plan.

Can a visitor buy a Verizon prepaid SIM card or eSIM?

Verizon sells prepaid online, in Verizon stores, by phone and through local retailers, and offers both a physical SIM and an eSIM. Verizon says the eSIM needs no installation and costs nothing extra, and is managed through the My Verizon app. If you bring your own eSIM phone, you activate through Verizon's Bring Your Own Device page.

What we could not find is anything for visitors. Verizon's prepaid FAQ does not say what ID, Social Security number or US address a new customer needs. Unlike AT&T and T-Mobile, Verizon showed no short-stay pass for people visiting the US. Plans run a month at a time, so a week in New York costs the full month. One rule to know: you must make a call, send a text or use data within 60 days of adding funds, or Verizon forfeits the funds and disconnects the line.

If you buy a phone from Verizon, it stays locked to Verizon for 365 days after activation. A visitor should bring an unlocked phone. Our Verizon USA SIM card guide has more on coverage and the lock.

How much is Verizon prepaid international roaming?

Verizon Prepaid TravelPass is added automatically to eligible lines and charges only on the days you use your phone abroad. When we read it, it cost $12 per line per day in more than 140 countries, and $6 a day in Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Mexico and Canada are $0 on the 15 GB, Unlimited and Unlimited Plus plans. Each day includes 5GB of high-speed data, then unlimited data at 3G speeds for the rest of the 24-hour session. The fee comes out of your prepaid balance, so top up before you fly. Data-only prepaid plans cannot use TravelPass.

When is a travel eSIM cheaper than Verizon TravelPass?

On any trip longer than a couple of days, almost always. A week in Japan on TravelPass is $84. Our verified prices, read on each seller's site in August 2026, put 10GB over 7 days in Japan at $17 with Airalo and 10GB over 30 days at $16 with Nomad. Unlimited data for 7 days in Japan was $27 with Airalo and $25 with Nomad. In the UK, Airalo's 10GB over 7 days was $18 and Saily's 10GB over 30 days $18.99.

TravelPass makes sense for a one- or two-day trip, if you need your US number to take calls, or in Mexico and Canada, where the larger plans already include it. Otherwise keep the Verizon line on for calls and texts, switch its data roaming off, and use the eSIM for data. Our international roaming plans page compares Verizon's travel costs with AT&T's and T-Mobile's.

Verizon prepaid or a travel eSIM for a visit to the US?

For a stay of a month or more where you want a US number, Verizon Unlimited at $60 for the first month is a reasonable choice if you can get through sign-up. For a shorter visit, a data-only travel eSIM bought before you fly is simpler. Our verified US prices from August 2026 were $21.50 for Airalo's 10GB over 7 days, $22.99 for Saily's 10GB over 30 days and $25 for Nomad's 10GB over 30 days. See where to buy a SIM card in the USA for stores and airports, and the USA SIM card comparison for the other carriers.

What we could not confirm

Verizon's pages did not state the ID requirements for a new prepaid customer, or say whether a non-resident can sign up. We found no end dates for the multiline and phone offers. The plan grid and the FAQ disagree on whether the Unlimited plan gets 5G Ultra Wideband.