1 Jan 2021
UK left the EU free-roaming framework after Brexit
12-15 GB
Typical UK fair-use cap for EU roaming on inclusive plans
£2-£3/day
EU roaming daily fee on EE and Vodafone in 2026
0p
EU roaming cost on Smarty, iD, O2, Three, Tesco Mobile
What is data roaming?
Data roaming is the use of your mobile data connection on a foreign network when you travel outside the country your SIM was issued in. From the moment your phone latches onto an overseas mast, your mobile provider treats every browse, message and app refresh as roaming traffic, even if the signal bars on the screen look identical to the ones you see at home.
Whether that costs you anything depends entirely on which UK network you are with and which country you are visiting. Some plans include EU roaming at no extra cost up to a fair-use cap, others charge a flat daily fee of £2 to £8, and a handful still bill out-of-bundle data by the megabyte, which can sting badly outside Europe.
What Brexit changed for UK roaming charges
The EU Roaming Regulation introduced in June 2007, and the Roam Like At Home rules of June 2017, capped what European mobile networks could charge for cross-border data. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, but free roaming was protected by the transition agreement until 31 December 2020. From 1 January 2021, UK networks have been free to set their own EU roaming charges.
Some operators chose to keep EU roaming free as a competitive promise, while others reintroduced daily fees from 2022 onwards. EE was the first major network to bring back EU charges in January 2022, followed by Vodafone, Three and Sky Mobile. As of September 2026, the picture is split roughly in half: half the UK market charges a daily EU fee, the other half still includes it on inclusive plans subject to a fair-use cap.
UK roaming policy by network (2026)
The table below summarises the current EU and worldwide roaming policy of every major UK network. Always check the latest position on your provider's roaming checker before you fly: the cheaper networks have form for tightening fair-use caps with little notice.
| Network | EU roaming | Outside the EU | Fair-use cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE / BT Mobile | £2.59/day on pay monthly | Roam Abroad Pass bundles via app | 50 GB on bundle |
| Vodafone | £2.59/day standard; 8-day £8 or 15-day £15 passes; free on Xtra plans | Roaming Pass £6/day in 100+ countries | 5-25 GB depending on plan |
| Three | Free in EU and 11 other destinations (Go Roam in Europe) | £2/day in 70 Go Roam Around the World destinations | 12 GB |
| O2 | Free in 49 Travel Inclusive Zone destinations (EU plus extras) | O2 Travel Bolt-On £6/day | 25 GB |
| Tesco Mobile | Free (Home from Home) in EU plus selected destinations | Tesco Mobile travel bolt-ons | 12 GB |
| Smarty | Free in EU plus selected destinations, no daily fee | Not included, switch off data | 12 GB |
| iD Mobile | Free in EU plus 27 destinations (Take Your Plan Abroad) | Pay-as-you-go rates elsewhere | 30 GB |
| giffgaff | Free in EU plus a few extras (Roam Like At Home) | £20+ goodybags abroad | 5 GB |
| Sky Mobile | Roaming Passport Plus £2/day in 51 destinations | Passport rates outside the 51 | 25 GB on the pass |
| VOXI | Worry-Free Roaming free in EU plus selected destinations | Not included, use Wi-Fi or eSIM | 15 GB |
Policy and fair-use caps reviewed in September 2026. Always confirm on your network's roaming checker before travel.
How daily fees add up on a typical trip
A two-week family holiday on EE costs £36 per SIM in EU roaming fees on the standard daily rate (14 days x £2.59). On Vodafone, the 15-day £15 pass cuts that to a flat £15 per SIM. On Three, O2, Smarty, iD Mobile or Tesco Mobile, the same two weeks cost nothing extra as long as you stay inside the fair-use cap.
Outside the EU the gap widens. A week in Florida on Vodafone Roaming Pass is £42 (7 days x £6). The same week on Three's Go Roam Around the World is £14. An Airalo or Saily eSIM for the United States typically runs £6 to £12 for 5 GB to 10 GB.
The eSIM alternative: usually cheaper than roaming
An eSIM is a digital SIM card built into the phone, activated by scanning a QR code. Any iPhone from the XS onwards and most flagship Android handsets released since 2020 (Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, Google Pixel 3 and later) support eSIM. The physical SIM stays in place for calls and texts on your UK number, and the eSIM runs the local data plan in parallel.
For short trips, a local-data eSIM almost always undercuts network roaming. Typical 2026 prices on the four leading consumer eSIM apps:
- Airalo: 1 GB Spain for around £4; 5 GB USA for £14
- Ubigi: 3 GB Europe for £6; 10 GB regional Asia for £18
- Saily: 5 GB EU for £8; unlimited 7-day USA for £25
- Holafly: unlimited 7-day Europe for £19; unlimited 7-day USA for £27.
A few practical caveats: an eSIM gives you a foreign mobile number for outgoing calls, so anyone calling your UK number reaches the physical SIM (and may pay international rates). Activation needs Wi-Fi or an existing data connection, so set it up at home or in the airport lounge. And not every Android phone supports dual active SIMs, so check your handset's compatibility before buying.
How to enable data roaming on iPhone and Android
Data roaming is switched off by default on every UK SIM. You have to turn it on manually in the phone's settings before your overseas trip, or as soon as you land. The steps are slightly different on iOS and Android, but both take well under a minute.
Data roaming on iPhone (iOS)
On any iPhone running iOS 14 or later, the data roaming switch sits inside the Mobile Data menu. The exact wording is Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options > Data Roaming. Apple's iPhone displays a confirmation prompt warning that data charges may apply.
- Open Settings and tap Mobile Data
- Tap Mobile Data Options (on dual-SIM iPhones, pick the line you want to use abroad first)
- Toggle Data Roaming on and accept the confirmation
- Optionally, scroll down to Voice & Data and confirm 5G or LTE is selected for the fastest connection
- Restart the phone if no signal appears after 30 seconds.
Data roaming on Android
Android wording varies by manufacturer (Samsung One UI, Google Pixel stock, Xiaomi MIUI, OnePlus OxygenOS), but the option always lives under SIM or mobile-network settings. The quickest route on any handset is to open Settings and type roaming in the search bar.
- Open Settings
- Tap Connections (Samsung), Network & internet (Pixel) or SIM cards & mobile networks (Xiaomi)
- Open Mobile networks, then select your roaming SIM
- Toggle Data roaming on and accept the confirmation
- Check Preferred network type is set to 5G or 4G/LTE.
Once activated, your handset displays a roaming indicator in the status bar (an "R" next to the signal bars, or the foreign network name). If nothing appears after a couple of minutes, toggle airplane mode on and off to force a fresh network scan.
How to keep your roaming bill low
Even on networks that include EU roaming, a holiday can quickly burn through the fair-use cap if you stream video or video-call relatives every day. A few small habits keep data usage in check and protect against bill shock on any network.
- Use hotel and café Wi-Fi for video calls, software updates and large downloads
- Download Netflix, Spotify and Google Maps content offline before you fly
- Disable background app refresh and auto-update in your phone's data settings
- Set a usage warning at 80% of your network's fair-use cap in Settings > Mobile Data
- Buy an eSIM ahead of time for any non-EU destination
- Turn data roaming off altogether on a second phone or tablet that you only need for Wi-Fi.
Visiting the UK from abroad
If you are coming to the UK on holiday, ask your home network how it bills UK roaming. Most EU operators still treat the UK as part of their Roam Like At Home zone, but a growing number have removed it and now apply a daily fee or per-MB charge.
For a long stay or a move, a local UK SIM card or eSIM is the cheapest option. SIM-only plans from Smarty, iD Mobile and Tesco Mobile start at £6 to £10 a month with generous data allowances. Our guides to settling in the UK and finding cheap broadband at home cover the wider setup.
Frequently asked questions
Data roaming is the use of your mobile data connection on a foreign network when you travel outside the country your SIM was issued in. From the moment your phone connects to an overseas network, your provider treats the session as roaming, even if the screen still shows the same signal bars.
It depends on the network. EE, Vodafone, Sky Mobile and BT Mobile have reintroduced daily EU roaming charges of £2 to £2.59 per day on most pay-monthly plans. Smarty, iD Mobile, O2, Three, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff and VOXI still include EU roaming free of charge on their inclusive plans, subject to a fair-use data cap of typically 5 GB to 30 GB.
As of September 2026, Smarty, iD Mobile, O2 (Travel Inclusive Zone), Three (Go Roam in Europe), Tesco Mobile (Home from Home), giffgaff (Roam Like At Home), VOXI (Worry-Free Roaming) and Vodafone Xtra plans still bundle EU roaming with no daily fee. All apply a fair-use cap on data, ranging from 5 GB on giffgaff to 30 GB on iD Mobile.
Leave it off until you arrive at your destination, then turn it on only if your network includes the country in its inclusive plan or you have bought a daily pass. Switching it on in a country with no inclusive allowance can cost £6 to £20 per MB. If you are travelling outside the EU and your network charges out-of-bundle rates, consider an eSIM instead.
Usually yes, especially outside the EU. Local-data eSIMs from Airalo, Ubigi, Saily or Holafly start at around £3 for a few hundred MB and rarely exceed £15 for a 10 GB short-trip plan, undercutting almost every UK network roaming pass. An eSIM works alongside your physical SIM, so you keep your UK number for calls and texts while data runs on the local plan.
A fair-use cap is the amount of data you can use abroad each month before the network either charges out-of-bundle rates, throttles the speed, or asks you to top up. Typical UK caps are 5 GB on giffgaff, 12 GB on Three and Tesco Mobile, 25 GB on O2 and 30 GB on iD Mobile. The cap resets every billing cycle.
Yes. SMS and voice calls use the standard cellular signal, not mobile data, so turning data roaming off still lets your phone send and receive texts and accept calls. Be aware that international call and text charges may apply, and apps such as WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal and FaceTime will not work until you switch data roaming back on or join a Wi-Fi network.
Next steps
Before you fly, confirm your network's current EU and worldwide roaming policy, set up an eSIM for any non-EU destination, and turn data roaming off until you have landed. If you spot that you are paying more for your home connection than the roaming saving is worth, our broadband and mobile guides can help you switch.