Do US cell phones work in the Virgin Islands?

• I'm going to St. Thomas on vacation---will my cell phone work? If so, is it going to cost an arm and a leg to use it? What's the cheapest way to call the US from the USVI?

• Answer:

  You do not need an international plan to go to the USVI. In fact, I recommend you do not get one for Caribbean travel. In the Caribbean it can be less effective than just expanding your roaming capabilities to adapt to low service area. I have anecdotal experience across the Caribbean of two people using the same carrier having different results. The one using an international plan having severe complications. For The USVI 340 area code is considered national not international. Now while you do not need an international plan, all cell phones are not considered equal there . I had a Verizon plan a few years ago which is great in my home town but they do not have enough towers in the USVI. Some place I could not get service at all, others I was constantly in roaming. I came home to a 300 dollar bill. I switch to Sprint which a great deal of the locals use. The other preferred carrier is AT&T which is horrible in my hometown. Sprint/AT&T has absolute perfect coverage there. If you have another carrier beside these two, I believe T-Mobile and Verizon will now provide greater service than years before but with roaming charges accruing during your stay. Switch your plan to unlimited roaming and you should be fine. For the Caribbean in general, many islands are too small to offer the full compliment of every service carrier you will find a similiar situation across the Caribbean. I So while Sprint and AT&T reign supreme in the USVI, go to Turks and Caicos and Verizon will be what you need.