Mint Mobile keeps international calling simple. Most plans include free calls to Mexico and Canada. For other countries, you buy pay-as-you-go credits. If you're traveling abroad, you'll need a separate roaming pass. And for anyone making regular international calls, pairing Mint with a VoIP app like CallSky often gets you better rates and more reliable connections.
How Mint Mobile international calling works
Mint Mobile splits its international services into three buckets, and knowing which one applies to you will save you from unexpected charges.
Calls to Mexico and Canada are free on all Mint plans. No add-ons, no per-minute charges. Just dial the number from the US.
For calls to any other country, you'll need to add international calling credits. You load funds ($5, $10, or $20) and the cost of each call is deducted at per-minute rates. You only pay for what you use.
If you're traveling outside the US, your domestic plan won't work at all. You'll need to buy an "UpRoam" roaming pass for a fixed amount of talk, text, and data while abroad.
This flowchart breaks down which path to take depending on your situation.
Here's how the three options compare.
Mint Mobile international options at a glance
| Feature | How It Works | Best For | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Calling to Mexico & Canada | Included with all plans. Just dial the number directly from the US. | Frequent calls to Mexico or Canada. | $0 (Included) |
| International Credits | Pay-as-you-go wallet for calling other countries from the US. | Occasional calls to countries outside of North America. | Per-minute rates vary by country |
| UpRoam Roaming Pass | A pre-paid pass for talk, text, and data while traveling abroad. | Short-term international travel. | $10 - $40 for 1, 3, or 7 days |
The trade-off with Mint is that it's a budget carrier, and that sometimes shows in international call quality. Roaming can also get expensive quickly. Many Mint users work around this by using Wi-Fi calling or a VoIP app like CallSky for cheaper, more reliable connections. Since Mint runs on T-Mobile's network, our guide on T-Mobile international calling covers the underlying infrastructure.
Calling Canada and Mexico for free
Every Mint plan, from entry-level to unlimited, includes free calling to Canada and Mexico. No add-on to activate, no per-minute charges. Just dial as you normally would. If you need a refresher on dialing formats, our guide on the country code for North America covers the details.
Why this matters
With over 37 million Mexican-Americans in the U.S., cross-border calling is a daily need for a lot of people. Mint made it a standard feature across all plans. You can see the full breakdown on Mint Mobile's international features page.
One catch: free calls only work when you're physically in the United States. If you travel to Mexico or Canada and call back to the U.S., you'll pay standard roaming rates unless you're using Wi-Fi calling.
For calls beyond North America, Wi-Fi calling or a dedicated VoIP app like CallSky will get you better rates than Mint's per-minute credits in most cases.
Using per-minute rates for global calls
For calls outside North America, Mint uses a pay-as-you-go credit system. You load funds in the Mint Mobile app (starting at $5) and each call is deducted at per-minute rates. No subscriptions, no monthly add-ons.
What the rates actually look like
Mint covers over 160 countries, and some rates are genuinely low. Calls to the Philippines, for example, can be as low as $0.019/min, meaning a $20 top-up gets you over 1,000 minutes. Users on the Camino de Santiago forum have discussed these rates and generally confirm the value.
The credits also never expire, which is a real advantage if you only call internationally once in a while.
The downside is call quality. Mint is a budget carrier, and connections to some countries can be patchy, with static or drops. For casual calls, this is fine. For important conversations where you need to hear every word, it can be frustrating.
This is where many Mint users pair their plan with a VoIP app like CallSky, especially over Wi-Fi. VoIP services route calls across multiple carriers and tend to deliver more consistent audio quality.
Staying connected while traveling abroad
Using Mint outside the US is completely different from making calls at home. Your domestic plan won't work abroad. Instead, you need to buy an UpRoam Pass before you leave, a prepaid bundle of talk, text, and data valid for a set number of days.
You can buy these in the Mint Mobile app. They're designed for short trips, so you pick the pass that matches your travel length.
Choosing your UpRoam pass
Mint offers passes covering over 180 countries. The 1-day pass includes 1GB of data, 60 minutes, and 60 texts. For longer trips, a 7-day pass is available. Check Mint Mobile's international roaming page for current pricing.
One thing to watch: once you use up your high-speed data, the connection slows dramatically. Email will still work, but maps and video streaming become unusable.
Mint's roaming is fine for staying loosely connected, but it's not built for heavy use. If you need reliable calling while abroad, use Wi-Fi calling whenever possible and a VoIP app like CallSky for important conversations.
Why Wi-Fi calling matters for Mint users
If you travel or make international calls on Mint, Wi-Fi calling is the most useful feature to turn on. It routes calls over Wi-Fi instead of the cell network, which has two big benefits: free calls to U.S. numbers from abroad, and better audio quality when your cell signal is weak.
When you're abroad and connected to Wi-Fi, you can call any U.S. number at no cost, exactly as if you were at home. No roaming pass needed for those calls. From inside the US, Wi-Fi calling also improves Mint Mobile international calling quality. Your international credits still apply, but the connection is more stable than a weak cell signal.
How to turn it on
It takes about 30 seconds. We have a full guide on what is Wi-Fi calling, but here's the short version.
- On iPhone: Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling, toggle on.
- On Android: Settings > Network & Internet > Calls & SMS, enable Wi-Fi calling. (The exact path varies by Android version.)
Turn this on before you travel. Every hotel, cafe, and airport Wi-Fi network becomes a free way to call home.
The limitation is that call quality depends on the Wi-Fi network. On a congested hotel connection, calls can still drop. For important international calls where reliability matters, a VoIP service like CallSky handles this better since it's built to optimize call routing across networks.
When a VoIP app makes more sense
Mint is great for keeping your domestic phone bill low. But for international calls, a budget carrier's connection isn't always reliable enough, especially for business calls or conversations where you can't afford drops and static.
How VoIP improves international calls
A VoIP app like CallSky works alongside your Mint plan. You use Mint for domestic calls and the VoIP app when you need better international call quality.
The difference is in how calls are routed. CallSky sends your call across multiple global carriers and picks the best path in real time. This reduces static, lag, and dropped calls compared to a single budget carrier's connection.
Like Mint's credits, CallSky credits also never expire. And for teams, there are a few extras that a mobile plan can't offer: you can manage team members from a central dashboard, share a credit pool across the group, and keep international contacts organized in one place.
For most Mint users, the practical setup is to keep Mint for domestic and Mexico/Canada calls, and use a VoIP app for everything else. You get the low domestic bill from Mint and better call quality for international conversations.
Common questions about Mint Mobile international calling
Can I call any country with Mint Mobile?
Mint covers over 160 countries using international calling credits. Per-minute rates vary widely by destination, so check the rate in the Mint app before dialing. Free calling is limited to Mexico and Canada.
Do my international credits expire?
No. Credits stay in your account until you use them, whether that's a week or a year later. This is useful if you only call internationally occasionally.
Is international roaming included in my plan?
No. Your Mint plan stops working when you leave the US. You need an UpRoam Pass for talk, text, and data abroad. Without one, you'll pay high per-minute roaming rates that add up quickly.
The simplest way to avoid roaming charges is Wi-Fi calling. Connect to any Wi-Fi network abroad and you can call U.S. numbers for free. For international calls where you need consistent quality, a VoIP app like CallSky is more reliable than cellular roaming.
CallSky offers per-minute international calling with credits that never expire. If you're looking for better call quality than what Mint provides internationally, try CallSky.