Roaming charges when travelling from Canada: daily rates and travel passes, eSIM and local SIM routes, Wi-Fi calling limits, and the $100 roaming cap, with the checks to run before you travel.
Applies in: across Canada
Roaming charges are the charges for using your Canadian phone plan on another carrier's network while you travel, and they are billed separately from your monthly plan. This guide covers daily rates, travel passes, eSIM and local SIM routes, and Wi-Fi calling limits for travel from Canada, with the checks to run before you leave, at the border, and on return. This guide was checked November 4, 2026, against the pages in Sources. It ranks no carrier, recommends no carrier or eSIM seller, and states no figure that is not in the grounding for this guide. Where a figure was not verified, this guide states a check instead of a figure. Carrier prices change: check your carrier's page or app and read the welcome text on arrival, which states your destination's rates.
A daily roaming fee is not charged only when you deliberately open an app. Apps send and receive data even when you are not actively using them, according to CRTC, International roaming fees, and devices may intermittently use data even if not actively used, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. That background use is why one packet sent or received over a roaming network can be enough to trigger a day's fee under the carrier wording in this section, and why turning off data roaming matters even on a day you plan to use Wi-Fi only.
Turning off data roaming prevents connecting to other cellular networks, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. You can still call and text with data roaming off, but extra charges apply if your plan does not include calling or texting while travelling, on the same page. Turn data roaming off before you cross the border if you do not want the Canadian line to connect to a roaming network at all, and turn it on only when you have chosen a daily rate, a travel pass, or another route that covers the use.
The trigger wording differs by carrier. Do not generalize one carrier's rule to all carriers.
Near the US border, a phone may connect to a US network even before you cross, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Manually select your provider's network near the border, on the same page, rather than leaving network selection to the phone while you are close to the border.
Under the CRTC Wireless Code, providers cannot charge more than $100 for roaming per billing cycle unless you explicitly agree to pay more, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Providers must notify you when roaming internationally, on the same page. The Government of Canada travel page states the same limit and the same notification duty, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. The rate you pay while travelling is determined by your Canadian provider, on the same page.
The cap is not a price promise. It does not set your daily rate, it does not promise that a day of roaming costs any particular amount, and it does not remove the need to check the daily rate or pass price for your destination. What matters for the cap is consent: the limit is $100 per billing cycle unless you explicitly agree to pay more, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Do not agree to pay more in an enrolment step or a reply text without reading what you are agreeing to, and keep a record of any agreement you give.
A further notification rule is future-dated, not current. New protections effective 13 April 2027 include notification when data usage reaches $50 when roaming internationally, according to CRTC, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2026-67. That rule is future-dated: it does not describe the notification you will receive on a trip taken before that date. For a trip before 13 April 2027, rely on the current notification duty in the first paragraph of this section, according to CRTC, International roaming fees.
If faced with unexpected charges, contact your provider, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Check the bill under the heading in section 6 before you contact the provider, so you can name the line and the date the charge relates to.
A daily rate charges for each day you trigger it. A travel pass charges one price for a set duration. A Canada+US plan includes US use in the plan itself. Compare the three on the total for your exact trip, not on the daily figure alone, and re-check prices on your carrier's page or app before you travel, because carrier prices change.
| Carrier | Daily rate, as listed | What the daily rate covers, as listed |
|---|---|---|
| Bell | $13 per day in the US and $16 per day in over 200 international destinations, according to Bell, Roam Better with Home Data | Use data from your account, with unlimited talk and text, according to Bell, Roam Better with Home Data |
| Telus | $14 per day in the US or $16 per day internationally, according to Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ | Use data, texts, and minutes from the same monthly plan, according to Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ |
| Rogers | $16 for the US in Rogers' example of a day spent in the US and Germany, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs | Use plan talk, text, and data like at home in over 180 international destinations, at a daily rate or a Travel Pass for longer stays, according to Rogers, Roam Like Home |
Rogers bills both daily rates when the same calendar day is spent in the US and another destination, with the example of $16 for the US plus $18 for Germany, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs. Do not read the Germany figure in that example as a general international daily rate for every destination: it is the figure in that example for Germany on that day. Check the rate for each destination on your carrier's page or app and in the welcome text on arrival.
Each Bell travel pass lets you use data from your rate plan, with unlimited talk and text within the destination and back to Canada, according to Bell, Roam Better with Home Data. Each pass activates immediately once added and expires at 11:59 p.m. ET after its duration, on the same page. A pass that outlasts the trip still costs the full pass price, so buy it the day travel starts.
For Telus and Rogers travel passes, this guide states no pass price. Rogers states that Roam Like Home is available at a daily rate or a Travel Pass for longer stays, according to Rogers, Roam Like Home, and states no Travel Pass price in the grounding for this guide. Check the current Travel Pass price on the Rogers page or app before you travel. Check the Telus page or app for any Telus pass that applies to your destination, because the grounding for this guide states no Telus pass price.
A Canada+US Rogers plan lets you use plan talk, text, and data in the US like at home without roaming fees, according to Rogers, Canada+US plan FAQs. You will still incur the daily Roam Like Home fee in eligible international destinations outside the US, on the same page. A Canada+US plan therefore changes the US answer only: outside the US, the daily fee question in this section still applies, and the destination rate must still be checked.
This example is arithmetic only on the listed prices checked November 4, 2026. It is not a quote, and it states no figure beyond the listed daily rates and the listed Bell pass price in this section.
On those listed prices, the Bell pass total is lower than each daily total for a 7-day US trip, even though the pass lasts longer than the trip. On a 1-day US trip, the arithmetic runs the other way on the same listed prices: 1 day at the Bell daily rate of $13 is lower than the $60 Bell US 14-day pass price, according to Bell, Roam Better with Home Data. Run the same arithmetic for your exact number of days, your exact destinations, and the current listed prices, and remember that a day spent in two destinations can be billed at both daily rates under the Rogers example in this section, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs.
Cruise-ship and in-flight networks are separate from land passes and daily rates, so check your carrier's cruise and in-flight option before you sail or fly.
A local SIM or an eSIM, or a prepaid plan at the destination, can avoid roaming charges altogether, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. With a local SIM, you will not have your regular number, on the same page. That trade is the central one: the roaming charge is avoided because the Canadian line is not the line connecting to the roaming network, and the cost is that calls and texts to your regular number do not reach you on that line in the same way.
Your phone must be unlocked to use a local SIM or an eSIM from another provider, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Under the Wireless Code, phones sold today by Canadian providers must be unlocked, on the same page. For a phone sold before December 1, 2017, or a used phone, check whether it is unlocked, on the same page. Not all phones work on every network, so research compatibility in advance, on the same page. The Government of Canada travel page states the same unlocked-phone position: the phone must be unlocked, and phones sold by Canadian providers must be unlocked, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada.
You can remove or replace the SIM, or use an eSIM without removing the SIM, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. Keep the SIM safe if you remove it, on the same page. If you use a third-party travel eSIM or SIM on Rogers, follow the provider setup and set it as the primary SIM to prevent the Rogers SIM from connecting to a roaming network, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs. Set the travel eSIM as the data line and keep data roaming off on the Canadian line, so background data on the Canadian line does not trigger a day fee under the Telus and Rogers wording in section 1, according to Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ and Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs.
Verification texts need a separate check, because a code sent to your Canadian number still arrives on the Canadian line. Incoming texts will not activate Telus Easy Roam, according to Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ. If you have opted out of Roam Like Home with data roaming off, Rogers states no billing for incoming texts or unanswered calls, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs. For Bell, this guide states no incoming-text wording, so check the Bell page or app and the welcome text. The warning that applies on the Telus and Rogers wording is about what you do next: answering a call, making a call, or sending a text on the Canadian line can trigger a day fee, according to Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ and Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs. Receiving a code is not the same action as answering or sending on that line, but do not answer a verification call or reply from the Canadian line without checking what that action triggers under your carrier's wording.
Compare eSIM offers on the terms that decide whether the offer fits your trip, not on a seller name: the amount of data included, how long the offer stays valid, whether calls and texts are included or data only, and when activation starts. This guide names no eSIM seller and states no eSIM price, so check each offer's own terms for those four points before you buy, and check whether activation starts at purchase, at first connection, or at a set time, because a pass or offer that activates immediately can run out before the trip ends if it is bought too early.
Wi-Fi and chat apps can also carry calls and texts over an internet connection while you use an eSIM for data. Wi-Fi and chat apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, Skype, and Google Voice can text and call over the internet, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. Some charge for landline calls, on the same page. Offline maps use less data or no data, on the same page, so download maps for offline use before you travel if you plan to navigate on a limited data offer.
Wi-Fi only is not automatically free of roaming charges. The sequence that keeps the Canadian line off a roaming network is airplane mode first, then Wi-Fi. Enable airplane mode before crossing the border or before the flight takes off, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. In airplane mode, manually re-enable Wi-Fi, on the same page. With data roaming off, using data over Wi-Fi will not activate the Telus fee, according to Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ, but the Rogers traps in this section can still apply if the phone connects to a roaming network in another way.
On Rogers, Wi-Fi-only use can still incur roaming charges, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs. The traps Rogers names are iMessage falling back to SMS or MMS, background app refresh, Wi-Fi Assist, cloud backups, and push email using data, on the same page. Each of those can use cellular data even when you believe you are on Wi-Fi only, so turn data roaming off, turn off Wi-Fi Assist and background app refresh for the trip if you do not need them, and check that iMessage is not falling back to SMS or MMS before you send a message.
Wi-Fi Calling has its own rating while you travel, and the destination of the call matters. While travelling outside Canada on Wi-Fi Calling, incoming calls and messages from anywhere, and outgoing calls and messages to a Canadian number, are deducted from plan buckets with no long-distance or roaming charges, according to Rogers, Wi-Fi Calling Terms. An outgoing call or message to a non-Canadian number is rated as on a mobile network, and roaming and long-distance charges vary by roaming solution, on the same page. If enrolled in Roam Like Home, an outgoing Wi-Fi call or message to a non-Canadian number triggers the daily fee, on the same page. Wi-Fi Calling to a non-Canadian number while travelling incurs roaming charges such as the daily fee, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs, while incoming calls and calls back to Canadian numbers over Wi-Fi Calling are not charged, on the same page. Standard wireless plan rates apply while using Wi-Fi Calling, including roaming and pay-per-use rates, according to Rogers, Wi-Fi Calling Terms.
The 9-1-1 limits on Wi-Fi Calling are strict, and they apply even when ordinary Wi-Fi calls work. Wi-Fi Calling cannot support emergency calls made outside Canada or the United States, so connect to a mobile network for emergency calls there, according to Rogers, Wi-Fi Calling Terms. A 9-1-1 call over Wi-Fi routes to a specialised emergency call centre that transfers the call to the correct public safety answering point using the registered 9-1-1 Emergency Address or the location you give the operator, on the same page. You must immediately inform the operator of your location, on the same page. If the Wi-Fi connection is lost, the call drops and the centre or the public safety answering point cannot reconnect to you, on the same page. The T9-1-1 text service is not available over Wi-Fi Calling, on the same page. Keep an alternative phone service handy, on the same page. Check that the registered 9-1-1 Emergency Address on your account is current before you travel, because that address is one of the two location sources the call centre uses, according to Rogers, Wi-Fi Calling Terms.
Before you leave. Check your carrier's page or app for the current daily rate and any travel pass for your destination, because carrier prices change, and read the welcome-text instruction in the next paragraph so you know what to look for on arrival. Confirm enrolment with the text code on your carrier's page: text TRAVEL to 222 to confirm enrolment on Rogers, according to Rogers, Roam Like Home, and text ROAM to 9000 to enrol on Bell, on the Bell page cited in section 3, according to Bell, Roam Better with Home Data. Turn on data roaming only if you have chosen a daily rate or a travel pass that requires it: Rogers states to turn on data roaming for Roam Like Home, according to Rogers, Roam Like Home. Check that your phone is unlocked and compatible with the network at your destination, because your phone must be unlocked, phones sold today by Canadian providers must be unlocked, and not all phones work on every network, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. If you plan to use an eSIM, check the data amount, validity, calls and texts included, and when activation starts, as set out in section 4, and keep your Canadian SIM safe if you remove it, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. If you plan to use Wi-Fi Calling, check the registered 9-1-1 Emergency Address and the 9-1-1 limits in section 5, according to Rogers, Wi-Fi Calling Terms. Buy a Bell travel pass the day travel starts, because a pass activates immediately once added, according to Bell, Roam Better with Home Data.
At the border and on arrival. Enable airplane mode before crossing the border or before the flight takes off, and in airplane mode manually re-enable Wi-Fi, according to Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada. Near the US border, manually select your provider's network, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Read the welcome text on arrival, which states your destination's rates: Rogers provides a free welcome text on arrival that includes destination pay-per-use rates if Roam Like Home is unavailable, the plan is ineligible, or you have opted out, according to Rogers, Roam Like Home. If the welcome text shows a rate you did not expect, check your carrier's page or app before you make a call, send a text, or use data on the Canadian line, because those actions can trigger a day fee under the wording in section 1. If you use a travel eSIM, set it as the primary SIM, following the Rogers instruction to follow the provider setup and set the travel SIM as primary to prevent the Rogers SIM from connecting to a roaming network, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs.
On return. Check the bill under One-time Charges and Credits per line, because roaming charges appear under that heading per line, according to Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs. Compare each line with the welcome text, the daily rate or pass price you checked before you left, and the days you triggered a fee under section 1. If faced with unexpected charges, contact your provider, according to CRTC, International roaming fees. Keep the welcome text and any enrolment confirmation until the bill is checked, because the welcome text states the destination rates that applied on arrival.
This guide states no price for a Rogers Travel Pass and no price for a Telus travel pass, and no Bell trigger wording for which single action triggers a day's fee. It states no incoming-text wording for Bell. It states no pay-per-use data rate, no data allowance or speed figure, and no limit on the number of days a daily rate can be charged, because none of those figures was verified in the grounding for this guide. It states no eSIM seller name and no eSIM price. It states no finding about any carrier or seller being lower priced than another, and no total cost for any trip beyond the labelled 7-day arithmetic in section 3, which uses only listed daily rates and one listed Bell pass price. For each check in this section, check the carrier's current page or app and read the welcome text on arrival, which states your destination's rates. The future-dated notification rule in section 2 is stated only as effective 13 April 2027, according to CRTC, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2026-67, and it is not stated as a current rule.
Each carrier words the trigger differently, so check your own carrier rather than borrowing another carrier's rule. Telus Easy Roam runs on any calendar day you make or answer a call, send a text, or use data, and incoming texts alone do not activate it, according to [Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ](https://www.telus.com/en/support/article/telus-easy-roam-faq). Rogers, for a customer who has opted out of Roam Like Home with data roaming off, bills nothing for incoming texts or unanswered calls, but bills when you send a text or make or answer a call, according to [Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs](https://www.rogers.com/mobility/roaming/billing). Bell is the gap here: this guide states no Bell trigger wording, so read the Bell page and the welcome text for the wording that applies to your plan.
Yes: $100 per billing cycle, unless you explicitly agree to pay more, and your provider must notify you when you are roaming internationally, according to [CRTC, International roaming fees](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/trav.htm). The Government of Canada travel page repeats the same $100 limit and the same notification duty, according to [Government of Canada, Using data plans outside Canada](http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/mobiles-abroad). Treat the figure as a cap, not a price: it sets no daily rate, and an explicit agreement to pay more changes what can be charged, as section 2 explains.
No. It depends on your exact number of days, so run the arithmetic on the listed prices checked November 4, 2026. Seven days in the US comes to $91 on Bell's listed $13 daily rate, according to [Bell, Roam Better with Home Data](https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/promotions/Roam-Better-with-Home-Data). The same week is $98 on Telus at $14 a day, according to [Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ](https://www.telus.com/en/support/article/telus-easy-roam-faq), and $112 on Rogers at the $16 US figure in its same-day example, according to [Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs](https://www.rogers.com/mobility/roaming/billing). Against all three, the Bell US 14-day pass at $60 wins for a 7-day trip even though it lasts twice as long, according to [Bell, Roam Better with Home Data](https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/promotions/Roam-Better-with-Home-Data) — but a pass bought for a 1-day trip loses, and a pass activates immediately, so buy it the day travel starts and compare the full pass price with your exact daily total, as section 3 sets out.
Receiving a text is not the same as sending or answering on the Canadian line, and each carrier words that distinction its own way. Incoming texts will not activate Telus Easy Roam, according to [Telus Support, Easy Roam FAQ](https://www.telus.com/en/support/article/telus-easy-roam-faq). Rogers words it as an opt-out position: with data roaming off and Roam Like Home opted out, incoming texts and unanswered calls are not billed, according to [Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs](https://www.rogers.com/mobility/roaming/billing). The risk is what you do next — answering, calling back, or replying from the Canadian line can trigger a day fee under the Telus and Rogers wording in section 4, and Bell states no incoming-text wording in the grounding for this guide, so check the Bell page before relying on one.
Outside Canada and the United States, no. Rogers' Wi-Fi Calling terms state that Wi-Fi Calling cannot support emergency calls made outside Canada or the United States, and that you must connect to a mobile network for emergency calls there, according to [Rogers, Wi-Fi Calling Terms](https://www.rogers.com/support/terms/wi-fi-calling-terms-and-conditions). Where Wi-Fi 9-1-1 does work, the call goes to a specialised emergency call centre, which transfers it to the correct public safety answering point using your registered 9-1-1 Emergency Address or the location you give the operator — so tell the operator where you are at once, and do not hang up. If the Wi-Fi connection drops, the call drops with it and nobody can call you back. T9-1-1 texting is unavailable over Wi-Fi Calling, so keep another way of reaching emergency services handy.
Start with the bill, not with a complaint. Rogers puts roaming charges under One-time Charges and Credits, one section per line, according to [Rogers, Roaming charges FAQs](https://www.rogers.com/mobility/roaming/billing) — find the line and the date before you dispute a total. Then contact your provider, which is the route the CRTC names for unexpected charges, according to [CRTC, International roaming fees](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/trav.htm). Keep the welcome text from arrival: it states the destination rates that applied, and carrier prices change, so the current page is not proof of the rate on the day you travelled, as section 6 explains.