Does AT&T Work in Canada? What Your Plan Includes

If your AT&T plan leaves Canada out, a HelloRoam Canada eSIM can carry your data on a Canadian network from a second line, while your AT&T number stays on the same phone.

We read every AT&T plan page, term and support article behind this guide on November 5, 2026, along with Apple, Google and Samsung's roaming steps. AT&T can change its terms at any time, so check your plan in your AT&T account before you cross the border.

Every AT&T Unlimited plan includes Canada at no extra charge

On AT&T's Canada and Mexico roaming page, an eligible unlimited plan comes with unlimited talk and text in and between the US, Canada and Mexico. You can use your plan data in Canada with no roaming charges, too. AT&T's pay-per-use rates page is broader: every AT&T Unlimited plan includes unlimited talk, text and data in and between Mexico and Canada.

Get your Canada eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then turn on data roaming for it when you land. From $3.49.See Canada plans

That covers today's Value 2.0, Extra 2.0, Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0 plans, so there's nothing to add before you go. AT&T's Canada page and its travel guide speak of "select" plans, though, so if you're on an older unlimited plan, check in your AT&T account that it includes Canada. AT&T's Day Pass terms say no daily fee applies in Canada when your plan includes it.

Here's what each kind of AT&T line gets in Canada, from AT&T's plan pages and its service agreement.

Elite 2.0's plan terms say the slowdown after 20GB of international data per bill cycle doesn't apply in Canada. AT&T's Canada page adds that calls from Canada to other countries may cost international long distance rates.

For trips beyond North America, our guide to AT&T's international plans covers what each plan pays.

AT&T roaming in Canada may run at 2G speeds

Included doesn't mean home speeds. AT&T's unlimited plans page carries the footnote "Roaming may be at 2G speeds," and the plan terms say "2G off-net data speeds may apply" to data in the US, Mexico and Canada. Off-net means another carrier's network, and AT&T's service agreement calls that international roaming when you travel abroad.

The same agreement says AT&T may reduce roaming speeds "to 2G or other speeds" or suspend roaming data at any time without notice, no matter how much data you've used that bill period.

AT&T's current International Travel Guide paints a better picture for Canada. It lists 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G there, with 5G in select locations for phones that use band n66. Its column for data that "may be slowed to 2G on certain networks" is checked for Mexico but not for Canada. So expect your plan to work, but don't count on US speeds.

AT&T's Advanced Messaging isn't available in Canada either. On unlimited plans, regular messages up to 1MB, sent within Canada or from it, still count as unlimited.

Plans without Canada pay $12 a day for AT&T International Day Pass

Canada is on AT&T's International Day Pass destination list. If your postpaid plan doesn't include Canada and your line has no other international feature, AT&T adds Day Pass on its own when you use the phone there, and it sends a text to say so.

The first time you use data, make or receive a call, or send a text in Canada, a $12 daily fee starts a 24-hour pass. Texts you receive don't count. Each other line used the same calendar day pays $6, and each line pays at most 10 daily fees per bill cycle. Day Pass runs on your home plan's allowance, so a plan with limited minutes or data still draws from them.

Here's what Day Pass adds for phones used every day of a Canada trip within one bill cycle.

A trip that crosses your bill date starts a fresh count of 10. On some plans you can skip the daily fee instead. AT&T's Canada page says customers on other plans may be able to add its Roam North America feature to get the same Canada benefit as an unlimited plan, so ask AT&T whether your plan qualifies before you go. If you're on Verizon, our Verizon Canada guide covers its plans.

Without Day Pass, data gets expensive fast. AT&T's pay-per-use page lists $2 a minute for calls in Canada, $1 per text sent, $2 per picture or video message and $2.05 per MB of data, so 100MB of maps and messages would cost $205. Its Day Pass terms quote other rates if you remove the pass: up to $3 a minute, $0.50 per text sent and $1.30 per photo or video message sent. Data costs $2.05/MB on both, so ask AT&T which call and text rates apply to your line.

Our guide to how US carriers bill data roaming puts these fees next to Verizon's and T-Mobile's. Verizon's own daily pass, Verizon TravelPass, costs $6 a day per line in Canada, plus taxes and fees.

AT&T Prepaid and Build-A-Plan lines need Canada in the plan

AT&T's prepaid support page says certain plans include unlimited talk, text and data in and between Mexico and Canada. On AT&T's prepaid plans page, Unlimited Enhanced Plus and Unlimited Ultra list "Mexico and Canada included," with a 25GB monthly limit in Canada and 5G in the US only. The other plans on that page, such as Unlimited Saver, don't list it.

On those other plans, AT&T's service agreement says international data roaming isn't available. The prepaid International Travel Add-On won't fill the gap, because Canada isn't on its country list. Switch to a plan that includes Canada before you leave, or bring another way to get online.

AT&T Build-A-Plan lines can't use data in Canada either. Its terms say international data roaming isn't available, and its FAQ says add-ons like International Day Pass aren't available right now.

Turn on data roaming to use AT&T data in Canada

Even on a plan that includes Canada, data roaming has to be on. Apple says Data Roaming lets your phone use cellular data in places your carrier's own network doesn't cover, and AT&T's Day Pass FAQ tells travelers with data trouble to confirm it's turned on. Here's where the switch sits:

• iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options, then turn on Data Roaming. With two lines, tap your AT&T number first, as Apple's data roaming steps show.
• Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, then turn on Roaming, per Google's Pixel network settings guide.
• Galaxy: Settings > Connections > Mobile networks, then turn on Data Roaming Access, per Samsung's Galaxy data usage guide.

If data still won't connect, AT&T's first fix is to turn the phone off for a minute and back on. Picking a Canadian network by hand won't help, because AT&T's troubleshooting page says a manual network scan won't work in Mexico or Canada. AT&T's international customer care is at +1.314.925.6925, a free call from your AT&T phone, from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Central time every day.

AT&T can limit your line if you mostly use it in Canada

AT&T's service agreement lists "living or predominantly using Wireless Service outside of the AT&T owned and operated domestic network coverage area" among the reasons it may limit, suspend or cancel service. Its Canada page says only that the benefit is subject to plan terms. Before a semester, a work posting or a winter in Canada, ask AT&T how long you can roam on your line.

When a travel eSIM beats AT&T roaming in Canada

On an AT&T Unlimited plan, a short trip to Canada needs nothing extra, and your own plan is the simpler choice. A travel eSIM earns its place when your line can't use data in Canada, as on prepaid plans without Canada and on Build-A-Plan. It also helps when Day Pass would add $12 a day, or when you'd rather have data on a Canadian network than roaming that may run at 2G.

Our plan catalogue was last read on November 5, 2026. Every HelloRoam Canada plan in it connects through Rogers and carries data only. That can change, so confirm the network listed for your plan before you buy. Driving on to Mexico or back through the US? A North America data plan keeps one eSIM working across all three countries.

Your phone has to be unlocked first. AT&T will unlock a phone you bought over 60 days ago once it's fully paid off, as long as your bill isn't past due. On an AT&T Wireless plan, an eligible Apple, Samsung or Google phone should unlock by itself. AT&T Prepaid phones need 12 months of paid service, and you ask for the unlock: with the AT&T Device Unlock app on Android, or with an unlock request for an iPhone. On iPhone, Settings > General > About shows "No SIM Restrictions" next to Carrier Lock once it's unlocked.

Then check that your phone supports eSIM. Install the eSIM at home, since its plan days start only when it first connects in Canada. When you arrive, make it your cellular data line and turn on data roaming for that line.

Keep your AT&T line on for calls and texts. Apple says that with both lines on, the travel eSIM handles data and your home line can still run up roaming fees. On an AT&T Unlimited plan, those calls and texts cost nothing extra in Canada. On a plan with Day Pass, a call made or received or a text sent on the AT&T line starts a $12 day, and so does any data the line uses. On iPhone, leave Allow Cellular Data Switching off, because Apple says turning it on lets the iPhone use cellular data from both lines.

For the wider trade-offs, read our eSIM vs international roaming comparison.

We sell travel eSIMs at HelloRoam, so we aren't neutral here. For a few days of maps and messages, the AT&T Unlimited plan you already pay for is the easier answer. Our conflict-of-interest disclosure explains how we handle comparisons like this one.