Virgin Mobile USA Roaming Rates & Information

Getting caught outside of your mobile carrier’s network can throw a big wrench into your plans. Whether it’s a day trip or an extended vacation, you should know your carrier’s roaming policy—and how much it may cost you.

Virgin Mobile USA, a well-known MVNO owned and operated by Sprint, offers both domestic roaming and international calling options to its unlimited plan subscribers, so you’ll always have a way to connect. Let’s take a deeper look at Virgin Mobile’s roaming plans.

Virgin Mobile Roaming at a Glance

Data correct as of 11/6/19

Virgin Mobile USA Domestic Roaming

Virgin Mobile’s domestic roaming network covers 99% of the U.S. and is included for free with all of its unlimited monthly talk-and-text plans. You get 50 minutes per month for domestic roaming calls—but texts are not included (so prepare for a lot of “Message Not Delivered” notifications).

As long as your phone is set up for roaming, it should automatically switch you to a partner network once it detects you’re out of Virgin Mobile USA’s coverage area. Not sure if you’re roaming? Look at the network symbol at the top of your phone: it will change from your usual network label (i.e. LTE, 4G, etc.) to a triangle.

Virgin Mobile USA keeps track of your roaming minutes usage and sends a text once you’ve hit your limit, after which they’ll be replenished at the start of your next billing cycle (don’t worry if you use them up while on a call—you won’t get cut off in the middle of your conversation).

Virgin Mobile International Roaming

Virgin Mobile USA doesn’t offer international roaming plans via partner networks. If you’re heading beyond U.S. borders, consider purchasing an international SIM card to stay connected during your trip.

From right here in the U.S., however, you have a couple options to chat with friends and family around the globe. Virgin Mobile offers relatively cheap international calling add-ons to supplement your unlimited monthly plan.

• The $5 International add-on includes:
  • Unlimited calling to and from Mexico and Canada, excepting the Northern Territories
  • Unlimited text messaging
• The $10 International+ add-on offers:
  • All benefits included in the $5 International add-on
  • Unlimited calls to landlines in 70+ countries
  • 200 mobile voice minutes to 50+ countries
  • Reduced by-the-minute rates for 200+ destinations

Note that these are recurring add-ons, not one-time purchases.

Virgin Mobile USA Roaming Compared

Data correct as of 11/6/19

Virgin Mobile’s domestic roaming policy is pretty on par with its fellow MVNOs. In fact, only Virgin and Boost Mobile even specify their domestic roaming allowances (which are 50 minutes each)—Metro and Cricket are silent on the issue.

If you’re a frequent globe-trotter, however, Virgin Mobile leaves you stranded with no international roaming at your disposal. Consider exploring other carriers for this, like Metro by T-Mobile, which includes roaming through international partner networks, or Cricket Wireless, whose plans include roaming in Canada and Mexico.