NEW YORK, Jan 19, 2026, 04:59 EST
- Optimum Mobile rolled out revamped international calling and roaming add-ons, including a $35 weekly data Travel Pass
- New monthly calling plans start at $5 for Mexico and Canada, with a $15 option covering 181 countries
- The move sharpens cable operators’ push to keep mobile users from switching when they travel
Optimum said it has revamped international calling and roaming add-ons for its Optimum Mobile wireless service, pitching a $35-a-week “Travel Pass” for customers using data overseas. It also introduced monthly international calling plans priced at $5 and $15, and said the options are available to new and existing customers. “We’re making it easier and more affordable than ever for our customers to connect globally,” said Mike Parker, Optimum’s president of consumer services. (Thefastmode)
International add-ons have become a churn lever in U.S. wireless, where carriers try to keep customers from jumping networks for perks. For cable operators selling mobile alongside home broadband, the pitch is simple: a cheaper bundle, fewer reasons to leave, and one less surprise bill when people travel.
That matters because cable-backed mobile keeps gaining ground. In the third quarter of 2025, cable operators led by Comcast, Charter and Optimum captured about 39% of U.S. smartphone net additions, Light Reading reported, citing a MoffettNathanson study. “We would expect [cable’s] share to rise dramatically” if industry growth slows, analyst Craig Moffett wrote. (Light Reading)
Optimum’s mobile site lays out the travel options by destination group. It lists a $35 weekly data-only pass and a $70 weekly option that adds talk and texts, with the allowance varying by group — 300 call minutes and 300 SMS/MMS in some destinations, versus 60 minutes and 60 SMS/MMS in others. (SMS/MMS are standard and picture messages.) (Optimum)
The company also leaned into the anti-hassle angle. Optimum said the $35 weekly pass includes 5 gigabytes of data and support for common messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Messenger, and it pitched the pass as a way to avoid buying a separate travel eSIM. An eSIM is a digital SIM card you download to add service without swapping a physical chip. (Light Reading)
Optimum also tied the changes to its top unlimited plan. It said Unlimited Max customers now get 300 minutes and 300 texts from the United States to Mexico, Canada and the Dominican Republic, and receive 5GB of high-speed data roaming plus 300 minutes of voice roaming and 300 texts when traveling in those countries. Optimum also promoted a third-line-free offer and a bundle discount it said can reach $15 a month through Optimum Complete. (MarketScreener)
The pricing lands in a market where cable peers have been training customers to look for passes. Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile sells a $10-a-day Global Travel Pass that includes 5GB of high-speed data per 24-hour session, and a $5-a-month Mexico and Canada pass that includes talk, text and a 5GB monthly data allowance before speeds slow, its website shows. (Xfinity)
But the fine print can still bite. Optimum’s support pages say travel passes start immediately from the time of purchase, and customers need to select the right destination group and switch roaming data on before using service abroad. (Optimummobile)
For customers, the trade-off is familiar: pay a flat weekly price for predictability, or gamble on pay-per-use rates and workarounds like Wi‑Fi-only use. The bigger unknown is how quickly consumers will decide that a carrier pass beats the growing pile of travel eSIM offers and local prepaid SIMs.
Optimum is betting that simpler international pricing helps keep Optimum Mobile users inside the bundle — even when they leave the country.
