Using Your Phone Abroad: UK Charges, Settings and Your Other Options

For trips in Europe, a HelloRoam Europe eSIM gives your phone a data plan of its own. One eSIM keeps working from France to Spain and Italy, while your UK number stays on for calls and bank texts.

What EE, O2, Vodafone and Three charge in Europe

Free roaming in Europe stopped being guaranteed when the Brexit transition period ended. From 1 January 2021, networks could set their own prices there, and Ofcom says most of them brought in daily charges.

Here is what the four networks list on their own roaming pages, as of October 2026:

Further afield, the price goes up. EE's 24-Hour Pass costs £6 in its Zone 1, which includes the USA, Turkey and Thailand. In Zone 3, which includes Japan, it costs £8 and gives only 500MB of data. O2's Travel Bolt On costs £7 a day in selected destinations. Our guide to EE's roaming charges by zone sets out each zone and pass.

Other networks set their own terms. Tesco Mobile, for example, lets you use your UK allowance in its Home From Home destinations. The rules change with your plan and with when you joined, so check your own plan in your network's app before you go.

Passes pay off on longer trips. A fortnight in Spain on a Vodafone plan with no Europe roaming costs £38.50 in daily charges (14 × £2.75), or £21 with the 15-day pass. On EE, 12 daily charges come to £32.64, while the 12-Day Pass costs £27.50. If daily charges add up fast on your trip, compare the cost of eSIM vs roaming before you book.

Your network must alert you when roaming starts

Since 1 October 2024, Ofcom rules require networks to alert you when you start roaming, in the EU and the rest of the world. The message must explain any roaming charges or usage limits, Ofcom says, and you can opt out of it.

You can also set a monthly bill limit. Once it is set, Ofcom says your network must tell you when you are close to it, and it can only charge you more if you agree. Three calls this a Spend Cap and Vodafone calls it Spend Manager.

One older safeguard has gone. UK law kept a default £45 monthly limit on data roaming charges after Brexit, but Ofcom says those roaming protections ended at the end of June 2022. If you want a limit, set your own.

Roaming can also start before you mean it to. Near a border, such as the one between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, your phone can join the network across it, and Ofcom requires networks to tell you how to avoid that. At sea, a phone may connect to the ship's satellite network, which Ofcom warns can cost more than normal roaming. EE, for example, charges £15 for a 24-Hour Pass in its Maritime Zone.

Roaming is not the only way to get online abroad

Roaming on your UK plan is the easy option. These are the other ways to get online, and the catch with each.

A travel eSIM is a data plan you download to your phone, usually by scanning a QR code. On a phone that runs two lines, your UK SIM stays on for calls and texts while the eSIM carries your data, Apple says. A HelloRoam plan's days begin the first time the eSIM joins a supported network at your destination, so you can install it days before you fly. Pick a plan with enough data for the whole trip, and work out how much data you will need first. If you go unlimited, read the fair use terms before you buy, whoever sells it.

A local SIM card comes from a network in the country you visit, and many local networks sell eSIMs too. Thailand's AIS is one, and our guide to the AIS tourist eSIM covers its prices and passport registration. Apple notes that you can buy a local plan online before you travel, or at an airport kiosk or shop when you arrive, and that you may be asked for ID such as your passport. Swapping cards takes your UK SIM out, so keep it somewhere safe. While it is out, texts to your UK number, such as bank codes, will not reach you.

Pocket Wi-Fi, also called MiFi, is a small hotspot that shares one data connection with several phones over Wi-Fi. It can suit a family or a group, but it is one more device to carry and keep charged.

Wi-Fi only costs nothing extra. Ofcom suggests using local Wi-Fi hotspots for maps, email and social media, and downloading playlists, podcasts and shows before you travel.

How long you stay changes the sums

• A few days in Europe: check what your plan already includes. On O2 it costs nothing extra; on other plans, compare the daily charge with a pass.
• A week or more: a pass costs less than paying day by day, as the sums above show. A regional travel eSIM covers several countries on one plan.
• Outside Europe: daily passes cost more, so a travel eSIM or a local SIM is worth pricing up before you fly. On Sky Mobile, the 24-hour pass costs the same in the USA as in Spain, as our guide to Sky's roaming charges shows.
• A long stay: networks limit roaming for long trips. Vodafone may add charges if you roam for more than 62 days in four months, or use more abroad than at home in that time. O2 says restrictions may apply under its fair usage policy if you stay abroad for an extended period.

Check your phone's lock, eSIM support and 4G before you go

A travel eSIM or a local SIM only works if your phone is not locked to your UK network. Ofcom banned UK networks from selling locked phones from 17 December 2021, so an older phone is the one to check. On an iPhone, go to Settings, General, About: "No SIM Restrictions" next to Network Provider Lock means it is unlocked. Apple says only your network can unlock an iPhone, and that this can take a few days. Going to Turkey? Our guide to using your phone in Turkey checks the lock, eSIM support and what the four networks charge there.

eSIM support depends on the model. Apple lists the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR and later, and iPhone 13 and later can run two eSIMs at once. Samsung's UK list covers the Galaxy S20 and newer flagship S models, plus the Fold and Flip models. Only some Galaxy A phones are on it, and support can also depend on the country where the phone was bought. Google says the Pixel 3a and later can use one SIM card and one eSIM. On any phone, you can dial *#06#: if an EID number appears, the phone supports eSIM, O2 says. You can also check if your phone supports eSIM on our list.

Older phones can hit one more problem. Ofcom warns that countries are switching off 2G and 3G networks, so a phone without 4G may not make calls or use data abroad. Speak to your network before you leave if your phone is old.

Phone settings for each way of getting online

• Roaming on your UK plan: after you land, turn on Data Roaming for your UK line. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap Mobile Service or Mobile Data (Apple's help pages use both names), then Mobile Data Options. On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings, Connections, Mobile Networks. On a Pixel, go to Settings, Network and Internet, Internet, then tap Settings next to your network and turn on Roaming. Our data roaming guide shows where the data roaming switch sits and when to turn it on or off.
• Wi-Fi only, with no travel eSIM: turn Data Roaming off, or switch on aeroplane mode and then turn Wi-Fi back on. Both iPhone and Pixel let you use Wi-Fi in aeroplane mode.
• A travel eSIM: install it at home on Wi-Fi, because the download needs a connection. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Mobile Service, Add eSIM. On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings, Connections, SIM manager, Add eSIM. On a Google Pixel, go to Settings, Network and Internet, SIMs, Add SIM. Our iPhone install steps walk you through it, and our Pixel setup guide does the same.
• When you land with a travel eSIM: choose the eSIM for mobile data and turn on its data roaming. Keep your UK line for calls and texts, off mobile data. Turn off data roaming on the UK line only where it has its own switch, as on iPhone and Pixel. Many Samsung Galaxy phones have one Data Roaming switch for the whole phone, so leave it on and keep mobile data set to the eSIM in SIM manager. On an iPhone, also turn off Allow Mobile Data Switching, so the phone does not fall back to UK data.

On an iPhone with iOS 26 or later, a travel eSIM bought before the trip may bring up a Turn On Travel eSIM prompt when you arrive. Apple notes you might still pay roaming fees on your home line if you keep both lines on. Our guide to using a travel eSIM on an iPhone covers the rest.