What Is Data Roaming? UK Network Charges, Spend Limits and Phone Settings

If your trip is in Europe, a HelloRoam Europe eSIM adds a second data line that works across the plan's borders. Maps and messages run on it, and your UK number stays on.

Data roaming means your phone borrows a foreign network for internet

Your UK network has deals with operators abroad, and your phone joins one of their networks when you arrive. Three, for example, says its roaming works on other operators' networks, with an arrangement for each destination, and your phone picks the right one automatically.

Samsung describes data roaming as your phone sending and receiving data on a network your provider does not own. The Data Roaming switch in your settings controls that mobile data. Calls and texts can roam too, under your network's own roaming terms.

Wi-Fi is a separate connection, and Ofcom suggests using local Wi-Fi hotspots instead of mobile internet abroad. One catch: EE says calls you make over WiFi Calling while abroad are charged at its standard international rates.

UK networks charge for roaming by the day, the pass or the zone

Ofcom requires mobile companies to publish their roaming charges on their websites. This is what Three, Vodafone, O2 and EE list for Pay Monthly customers on their own pages, read on 24 October 2026.

A worked example: a week in Spain with data every day costs £19.25 in Vodafone daily charges (7 × £2.75) if your plan does not include Europe, so its £16 8-day pass is cheaper. Seven days on Three's £2.75 rate also come to £19.25. Outside Europe, two weeks on Three's £8 rate in its Around the World zones come to £112 if you use your phone every day.

Three starts its daily charge the first time you call, send a text or use data in a Go Roam destination. EE's rate depends on when your plan started, so check EE roaming charges by zone before you go.

If those sums look high for your trip, our eSIM vs roaming comparison sets the costs side by side.

The UK's legal £45 data roaming cap ended in 2022

Since 1 January 2021, after the Brexit transition period ended, UK networks have been free to set their own prices for roaming in the EU. Ofcom says most now charge by the day.

Until the end of June 2022, UK networks had to apply a default £45 monthly limit on data roaming, before VAT. You got alerts at 80% and 100% of it. Ofcom says those protections have now fallen away. Some networks kept a limit of their own: Three, for example, sets a worldwide data roaming limit of £45 plus VAT a month.

As of October 2026, two Ofcom rules help you keep the bill in check. When you enter another country, your provider must send you an automatic message about its roaming charges, unless you opted out. You can also set a monthly spend limit, and your provider can only charge more than it if you agree. Charges and rules change, so check your network's roaming page and Ofcom's guide before you travel.

Roaming can also start at a border, at sea or on a plane

Not all roaming is planned. Ofcom says a phone near a border, such as Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, or Turkey and Greece, can connect by accident to the stronger network across it. Providers must tell you how to prevent this and help limit the cost while you are in the UK. Three and Vodafone both say roaming in the Republic of Ireland costs nothing extra, within their terms.

Near the coast or at sea, a phone may join a ship's satellite network, and Ofcom says that can cost more than normal roaming. Three adds airline networks on planes and says neither maritime nor airline networks are part of Go Roam. To avoid these networks, Ofcom and Three suggest choosing the local network by hand. You then need to change it again in each new country, and Ofcom notes you will not get calls or texts out of that network's range.

Turn data roaming on or off to match how you get data abroad

The right Data Roaming setting depends on where your mobile data comes from on the trip.

• No roaming deal and no travel eSIM: switch Data Roaming off and use Wi-Fi, which is how Ofcom suggests limiting data use. Turn it back on if you later buy a pass.
• Your plan includes the country, or you bought a pass: switch Data Roaming on. Three says Go Roam needs data roaming switched on in your phone's settings.
• A travel eSIM carries your data: choose the eSIM for mobile data and turn its data roaming on. Keep your UK line for calls and texts, and off mobile data. On iPhone and Pixel each line has its own roaming switch, so you can turn the UK line's data roaming off there. Many Samsung Galaxy phones have one Data Roaming switch for the whole phone, so leave it on and set mobile data to the eSIM.

Apple adds a warning: with both lines on, the travel eSIM carries your data, but you might still pay roaming fees on your home line.

The data roaming switch sits in a different menu on each phone

On iPhone, open Settings, tap Mobile Data, then Mobile Data Options, and turn Data Roaming on or off. With two lines, tap the number you want to change before Mobile Data Options. The Mobile Data screen also shows how much data you have used.

Low Data Mode, in the same Mobile Data Options screen, turns off Background App Refresh and automatic backups, and pauses iCloud Photos updates. With iOS 26 and later, an iPhone that already has a travel eSIM may ask you to Turn On Travel eSIM when you arrive. Adding a travel eSIM on iPhone covers the models and setup.

On a Samsung Galaxy, open Settings, tap Connections, then Mobile Networks, and use the Data Roaming switch. To choose which SIM carries data, go to Settings, Connections, SIM Card Manager, then Mobile data.

On a Pixel, open Settings, tap Network and Internet, then SIMs. Each SIM has its own Roaming setting, and under Your primary SIMs you choose which one handles mobile data. The screens can look a little different on your model.

A travel eSIM takes your data off your UK network's roaming bill

A travel eSIM is a second line you add to your phone, often by scanning a QR code. Many are data only. Your UK SIM stays in the phone, so your number stays on for calls and texts, under your network's roaming terms.

First, check your phone supports eSIM. Apple lists the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later, and the phone must not be locked to one network.

HelloRoam sells travel eSIMs for 185+ destinations. Its step-by-step setup guide tells you to select the HelloRoam line and switch Data Roaming on, so it joins a local network when you land.

A pocket Wi-Fi router can suit a group sharing one connection, so compare UK pocket Wi-Fi devices and plans if that is you.

For calls, texts and the other choices on the same trip, read our guide to using your phone abroad from the UK.