Last updated: 16 October 2026
In Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, yes, exactly as at home. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all treat them as part of the US: no roaming fee, no day pass, your normal data. Your phone may show "Roaming" or "Extended" in the corner, and that is fine.
Everywhere else in the Caribbean, your phone works, but it is international roaming. That includes the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Aruba. On most plans you pay a day pass of $10 to $12 a day per line, so a week in Nassau or Punta Cana can add $70 to $84 to your bill. A travel eSIM for the same week costs less.
What your carrier charges, island by island
| Destination | Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands | As at home | As at home | As at home |
| Dominican Republic | TravelPass, $12 a day | Included on Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0, Day Pass ($12 a day) on other plans | Plan allowance, or a pass from $10 a day |
| Bahamas, Jamaica, Aruba and the rest of the Caribbean | TravelPass, $12 a day | Day Pass, $12 a day | Plan allowance, or a pass from $10 a day |
A few things change the sum:
- Verizon Unlimited Ultimate includes 15 GB a month of high-speed data in more than 210 countries, which covers most of the Caribbean. Confirm your island in the Trip Planner in My Verizon: if it is listed, you pay nothing extra.
- AT&T charges at most 10 Day Pass fees per line in one bill period. A trip of more than 10 days inside one billing cycle still costs $120 per line.
- T-Mobile's Experience plans include high-speed data abroad: 5 GB on Experience More, 15 GB on Experience Beyond, then slow data. Essentials includes none.
- Each line pays. A family of four on Verizon spends $48 a day in Jamaica.
The details per carrier are in our guides to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile roaming.
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands
These are US territories, and for your phone they are home:
- Verizon calls it domestic roaming and includes it on every current plan (Unlimited Ultimate, Unlimited Plus, Unlimited Welcome and Simplicity). Older plans can differ, so check My Plan in the My Verizon app.
- AT&T puts the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in one "Domestic Coverage Area" in its plan terms.
- T-Mobile runs its own network in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
You do not need a travel eSIM there. Coverage can be patchy in the hills of Puerto Rico and between the Virgin Islands, so download offline maps before you drive.
Two catches:
- The British Virgin Islands are not the US Virgin Islands. Tortola and Virgin Gorda are a separate country, and a ferry from St. Thomas takes you onto international roaming. Near the border, phones can also connect to a BVI network on their own. If you are staying on St. John or the north shore of St. Thomas, check the network name before you use data.
- Your carrier can limit service if most of your use over two months is outside the mainland, so a long stay is better served by a local plan.
Flying in from the mainland, US citizens do not need a passport for Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands. A REAL ID or other accepted ID is enough for the flight.
The Bahamas, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic
These are international destinations for every US carrier, apart from the Dominican Republic on AT&T's two top plans.
- The Bahamas: the local networks are BTC and Aliv. Coverage is good in Nassau and on Paradise Island, thinner on the Out Islands.
- Jamaica: Digicel and Flow cover the resort areas of Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios well.
- The Dominican Republic: Claro and Altice cover Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata.
Our eSIM plans for all three run on local networks and cost the same: $17.99 for 7 days with 1.5 GB a day, $29.99 for 15 days, or $20.99 for 5 GB over 30 days if you mostly use resort Wi-Fi. Compare that with $84 for a week of TravelPass. See the plans for the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
Aruba and the other islands
Aruba works like the Bahamas: your US phone roams there on a day pass, and the local networks are Digicel and SETAR. We do not sell an eSIM for Aruba yet, so compare your carrier's day pass with a SIM card or tourist eSIM from Digicel or SETAR at the airport. On an eSIM-only iPhone, only an eSIM will do.
For Grand Cayman, Turks and Caicos, Barbados, Curaçao, St. Lucia and the rest, the same rule applies: international roaming on every US carrier. Check your carrier's country list before you go, especially for Cuba, where most US plans do not work.
On a Caribbean cruise
At sea, a cruise ship runs its own network, and it is expensive: AT&T charges $20 a day per line at sea, with no 10-day cap. In port, your phone connects to the island's network like any visitor.
The usual setup is to put your US line in airplane mode on board and use the ship's Wi-Fi, then use a travel eSIM for data on port days. Our guide to cruise phone plans compares what each carrier charges at sea, and eSIM for a cruise shows which of our plans covers each cruise route, and the islands we do not cover.
How to set up a travel eSIM for the islands
- Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked: how to check and unlock it.
- Install the eSIM at home, on Wi-Fi: iPhone or Android.
- When you land, set the eSIM as your line for data and turn on data roaming for the eSIM line.
- Turn data roaming off on your US line, so it never starts a day pass. Leave the line on if you want texts, but remember that on Verizon and AT&T a call or a sent text starts a day too.
If your US iPhone has no SIM card slot, you cannot use a local SIM card anyway: does the iPhone 17 have a SIM card?
FAQ
Will my phone work in Puerto Rico?
Yes. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile treat Puerto Rico as part of the US, so your plan works as it does at home, with no roaming charges on current plans.
Do I need an international plan for the US Virgin Islands?
No. St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix count as domestic for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The British Virgin Islands next door do not, so watch the network name near Tortola.
Will my phone work in the Bahamas?
Yes, on roaming. Verizon and AT&T charge $12 a day per line, and T-Mobile plans include some data abroad or a pass from $10 a day. A travel eSIM for the Bahamas costs $17.99 for a week.
Does my phone work in the Dominican Republic?
Yes. It is included on AT&T Unlimited Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0. On other plans it is roaming: TravelPass at $12 a day on Verizon, the Day Pass on AT&T, and your plan's allowance or a pass on T-Mobile.
Do I need an eSIM in Jamaica?
You do not need one, but it is usually cheaper. A week of roaming costs $70 to $84 per line on most plans, against $17.99 for a 7-day travel eSIM.
Do US citizens need a passport for Puerto Rico?
No, not on a flight from the mainland US. A REAL ID or another accepted ID is enough.
Facts checked on 16 October 2026 against Verizon's and AT&T's own pages and our carrier guides.