Can you use your own phone in Japan without paying a fortune? The answer is: It depends. Here are the latest roaming rates for major American, British and Australian phone companies.
Here are the roaming rates for voice, data and texting by country:
United States
The takeaway:
- T-Mobile and Sprint are your best bets for roaming in Japan.
- Both T-Mobile and Sprint offer cheap calls (20c/min), unlimited texting and unlimited data (but the download speeds may be slow).
- Verizon and ATT&T’s roaming rates are significantly higher than T-Mobile or Sprint.
The details:
T-Mobile
T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan automatically includes cheap calls and unlimited data when roaming at no extra charge, but it’s slow (128 Kbps) and tethering is not possible. But, if you use wifi for most of your data needs, it’s a very appealing option.
Here are the details of T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan for Japan:
- Calls: 20c per minute in and out to any country - cheap
- Texting: Unlimited, included at no extra charge
- Data: Unlimited, included at no extra charge, but slow (128 Kbps) and no tethering.
- Must have Simple Choice Plan, which costs min $50/month.
- For details check T-Mobile’s international roaming page.
Sprint
Sprint’s Global Roaming Plan is similar to the plan offered by T-Mobile. If you add the $5 Japan add on, this plan offers voice calls for 20c/minute and unlimited texting. Data is also unlimited. The site mentions data speeds of up to 2GB/minute, but I have not been able to verify data speeds in Japan. But, if you use wifi for most of your data needs, this looks like a very competitive option.
Here are the details of the Global Roaming Plan WITH the $5 Japan add-on.
- Calls: 20c per minute in and out to any country - cheap
- Texting: Unlimited, included at no extra charge
- Data: said to be up to 2GB/min but unverified
- Check the Japan Add-On page for details on the plan.
Verizon
It appears that Verizon does not offer cheap roaming to Japan. Here are the details:
- Calls: $1.79 per min
- Data: $2.05 per MB
- Japan not included in Travel Pass program
- Check the Verizon international plan page for details.
AT&T
It appears that AT&T does not offer cheap roaming to Japan. Here are the details:
- Calls: Pay-per-use - $2.50/min; Passport ($30) - $1.00/min; Passport Silver ($60) - $0.50/min; Passport Gold ($120) - $0.35/min (ie, over 60 mins, then Passport Silver better; over 400 mins, then Passport Gold better)
- Data: Passport - 120 MBs at $1.00/minute (overage $0.25/MB); Passport Silver - 300 MBs at $0.50/minute (overage $0.20/MB); Passport Gold - 800 MBs $0.35/minute (overage $0.15/MB).
- Texting: unlimited texting included with the three passport plans mentioned above.
- For details, visit AT&T’s Japan roaming rates page.
United Kingdom
The takeaway
- Vodafone UK is a reasonable choice for roaming in Japan.
- Vodafone UK’s WorldTraveller plan is the way to go.
The details
Vodafone UK’s WorldTraveller plan is the best plan for travelers to Japan. Here are the details:
- WordTraveller plan cost: £5 a day - reasonable
- You can use your UK minutes, texts and data
- You won't pay a penny to receive calls or texts
- Check Vodafone UK’s international plans page for details.
Australia
The takeaway
- Telstra Travel Pass plans are good choices for travelers to Japan.
- Without a Travel Pass plan, roaming in Japan will be expensive.
The details
Telstra offers Travel Pass plans of varying length that will make it reasonable to roam in Japan (Japan is zone 2 in their system). Without such a plan, it will cost an arm and a leg to roam in Japan. Here are the details:
- Calls without Travel Pass $3/min for incoming and outgoing – expensive!
- Travel Plan 3 days unlimited talk/225MB of data: $30
- Travel Plan 7 days unlimited talk/525MB of data: $70
- Travel Plan 14 days unlimited talk/1.03GB of data: $140
- Travel Plan 30 days unlimited talk/2.20GB of data: $300
- Basically $10/day. Voice calls in Japan included - not sure whether calls to/from Australia included (calls to/from countries outside zone 1 and 2 - eg UK/USA - are not included
- I’ve looked hard at their plan online and I cannot determine if international calls (ie, calls to/from Australia etc) are included. I recommend that you ask Telstra before committing to any of their plans.
- For details, visit Telstra’s international roaming page.
Tokyo Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Tokyo guide
- Check Tokyo accommodation availability and pricing on Booking.com and Agoda.com - often you can book with no upfront payment and free cancellation
- Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Tokyo
- You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets online from Klook - popular routes include Tokyo to Kyoto, Tokyo to Osaka and Tokyo to Hiroshima
- You can buy an eSim to activate in Japan or buy a Japan SIM card online for collection on arrival at Tokyo Narita or Haneda airports. Or rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
- See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
- Compare airline flight prices and timings for the best Japan flight deals. Check my guides to arriving at Narita Airport and at Haneda Airport.
- If you're visiting more than one city, you might save money with a Japan Rail Pass – see if it's worth it for you
- A prepaid Welcome Suica card makes travelling around Tokyo much easier - here's how
- World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world
- Do you want help planning your trip? Chris Rowthorn and his team of Japan experts at Japan Travel Consulting can help
