Best networks for roaming: How to get cheap data roaming abroad

Q: What’s the difference between data roaming and mobile data?

Mobile data is what you use to connect your phone to the internet via mobile signals (3G, 4G and 5G etc.)&#xA0; Data roaming is when you use your mobile data abroad, using a different network, away from your home network.

Q: How much does data roaming cost?

The cost of data roaming depends on your mobile network. Usually, networks charge more than the standard data rate for the UK when abroad. The charges for exceeding your roaming limit can be seen in our table on this guide. You can also check with your provider.

Q: What’s the cheapest international roaming?

It depends on what location you&#x2019;re heading to! If you&#x2019;re visiting the EU, all major UK networks offer free roaming in these locations. This means that you can use your normal monthly allowance abroad (in the EU), as long as you abide by the &#x2018;fair use&#x2019; policy of your network. If you&#x2019;re a frequent traveller, Three&#x2019;s plans offer a huge variety of roaming locations.

Q: Which SIM is best for roaming?

Three offers the most affordable plans that include &#x2018;Go Roam&#x2019;. This allows users to use their normal allowance of minutes, texts and data abroad in 71 countries. Overall, Three leads the way with the most affordable roaming in comparison to other providers.

Q: Can I use my unlimited data abroad?

You&#x2019;ll be able to use your monthly data allowance abroad in EU countries. However, most mobile networks do have a &#x2018;fair use&#x2019; cap on data. This means that &#x2018;unlimited&#x2019; data might be capped when you&#x2019;re using it abroad. Always check what this limit is before travelling.

Q: How much roaming data do I need?

3GB of data per month tends to be enough for the average mobile user in the UK. You&#x2019;ll probably use your phone less when abroad which means 3GB should be more than enough. Just make sure that you switch off your data roaming when you aren&#x2019;t using it! Otherwise, you could end up using a lot more data with apps automatically updating etc.

Q: Will I get charged if data roaming is off?

No. If data roaming is switched off, your phone can&#x2019;t connect to foreign networks and so you won&#x2019;t be charged. However, if you send texts and make calls abroad, this will still incur a fee unless it&#x2019;s part of an inclusive plan.&#xA0; You can still connect to Wi-Fi for free when data roaming is switched off.

Q: Will I get charged for roaming on airplane mode?

You won&#x2019;t be able to roam when your phone is on airplane mode. Airplane mode prevents you from sending or receiving texts or phone calls and from using the internet. This is a very safe way to make sure that you won&#x2019;t be hit with any surprise charges while travelling.

Q: Why is roaming now free in the EU?

In 2017, &apos;Roam Like At Home&apos; was introduced by the EU. This meant mobile phone networks were banned from charging extra when using your monthly allowance of calls, texts and data when travelling in the European Union.&#xA0; The UK has since left the EU which means this ban no longer applies. However, major UK networks are still allowing free roaming in the EU. This could change in the future so always double-check before travelling.

Q: What if a destination isn’t covered in an inclusive plan?

If you travel somewhere outside of the &#x2018;free&#x2019; roaming areas with your mobile network, you can either buy special plans for roaming further afield or you&#x2019;ll be charged extra costs. It depends on what your mobile network offers.

Fiona Leake

| Edited by Tom Church

Updated 8th February 2021

If you’re a frequent traveller, you might be wondering which network’s SIMs are best for international roaming. In this guide, we provide you with tips to avoid racking up expensive phone bills when on holiday and share the best SIM cards for travelling.

In this guide

What is data roaming?

Data roaming is the use of mobile data whilst abroad. You use mobile data for many tasks including sending multimedia messages (MMS), checking emails, using social media, maps and much more.

If you don’t have a SIM card that offers data roaming deals, you could end up with huge charges when using your mobile phone abroad.

Do I need data roaming in the UK?

It makes no difference whether your data roaming is on or off in the UK. This is because any data you use whilst at home will come out of your monthly allowance. The usual charges will apply if you exceed your data allowance in the UK.

Data roaming in Europe

In 2017, 'Roam Like At Home' was introduced by the EU. This meant mobile phone networks were banned from charging extra when using your monthly allowance of calls, texts and data when travelling in the European Union.

However, these rules technically no longer apply as the UK’s Brexit transition period is now over. The main UK mobile providers have said that they don’t plan on reintroducing these charges. So, data roaming in Europe remains free for the time being.

‘Roam Like At Home’ isn’t guaranteed to continue forever, so always check with your network provider before travelling within the EU to make sure that the policies haven’t changed.

Watch out - you could still incur roaming charges if you exceed your data limits in Europe.

Some network providers have a ‘fair use’ policy. This restricts using your full UK allowance in the EU.

Here’s how the main UK networks restrict free EU data roaming:

Network	How much of your UK data can you use in the EU for free?	What are the charges for exceeding this limit?
EE	Pay monthly users - 50GB data cap.PAYG users - 25GB data cap.	36p per 100MB.
O2	Your full allowance as long as you follow O2’s fair usage policy.	£4.50 per GB.
Three	20GB data cap for all users.	3p per MB.
Vodafone	Unlimited data tariffs are limited to a 25GB data cap. All other users can use their full allowance.	Buy more data with Data Extra plans.
Tesco Mobile	Depends on your usage.	35p per MB.
Asda Mobile	You can use your full allowance.	N/A
BT Mobile	50GB data cap.	10p per MB.
Sky Mobile	You can use your full allowance.	N/A
iD Mobile	Depends on your usage - use iD Mobile’s online calculator to check.	Depends on your usage - use iD Mobile’s online calculator to check.
Giffgaff	20GB data cap.	36p per MB.

How to avoid roaming charges

If you’re unsure of how to use your phone abroad, follow our tips to avoid unexpected roaming charges on your bill.

1. Turn off data roaming

The best way to avoid roaming charges while abroad is to turn off data roaming. Smartphones automatically connect to the nearest signal if roaming is switched on when abroad. This could rack up a huge bill, especially if your apps are set to automatically update, using a lot of data.

‘Roam Like At Home’ for free when in the EU might not last much longer as the UK has left the European Union. This means that it can be safest to just turn off roaming, whether you’re in the EU or further afield.

2. Use free Wi-Fi

Try to use free Wi-Fi wherever you can when abroad. Usually, hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes will offer a free internet connection. Make sure you have roaming switched off as when the Wi-Fi signal drops out, you’ll be transferred to mobile data.

You can also use free Wi-Fi to call home using apps such as Skype, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

3. Download entertainment before you go

Free Wi-Fi is handy for sending a few messages and checking emails but you don’t want to be downloading music and films whilst on holiday.

Instead, download any music, shows, movies and boarding passes before you go on holiday. You won’t need to hang around free Wi-Fi for hours or use any precious mobile data.

Most TV streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video offer the ability to download TV shows and movies onto your devices.

4. Check how much your destination costs with your mobile network before travelling

If you know you’ll need to roam abroad, avoid any nasty surprises by checking with your network provider what charges you can expect to face.

Even if you’re just travelling in the EU, double-check it’s still free with your provider and what their ‘fair use’ policy is. As of 1st January 2021, UK providers are no longer required to offer free roaming in EU countries. Whilst most providers are still offering free roaming, this could be subject to change.

If you’re planning an international trip, work out how much roaming will cost with your providers. Some networks are better than others in certain countries, we will cover this in more detail below.

5. Be careful of roaming costs when on a cruise

Data works differently when you’re at sea. Even if you’re on a European cruise, it’s easy to connect to a neighbouring countries network that isn’t in the EU.

So, when on a cruise, turn off your data roaming and only use the ship’s Wi-Fi when you need to access the internet.

6. Check roaming add-ons from your network

Most of the major UK networks offer roaming add-ons that give you an allowance of calls, texts and data to use abroad. If you buy an add-on, you’ll only pay for the cost of the allowance.

Buying a roaming add-on is a good idea if you’re travelling out of the EU and know that you’ll need to access the internet regularly. Check your network providers website or call to find out if they offer add-ons.

7. Consider buying a SIM card for travel

If you’re travelling to a different country for a long period of time, you could consider buying a local SIM. This SIM will be provided by a local network provider to the country and you’ll be able to top it up with pay-as-you-go credit.

An alternative is to buy a UK SIM with good prices for international roaming. We have shared our recommendations below.

This is a good idea if you’ll be staying in a country for a while.

Should data roaming be on?

When you’re in the UK, it doesn’t make much difference whether data roaming is on or off. You won’t be charged as you aren’t connected to a foreign network.

However, if you’re travelling abroad, we recommend that your data roaming is switched off. This will avoid any unexpected charges to your bill. Even if you’re travelling in the EU, data roaming should be switched off until you need it. Otherwise, you could use up your ‘fair use’ allowance without even knowing it.

Better be safe than sorry - switch roaming off!

How to turn off data roaming

Thankfully, it’s really easy to switch off data roaming, which makes it easier to avoid those unexpected charges!

How to turn off data roaming on Android

Open Settings and tap on ‘Connections’

Tap ‘Mobile networks’

Turn off ‘Data roaming’ by swiping the button left

How to turn off data roaming on iPhone

Open Settings and tap ‘Mobile data’

Tap ‘Mobile Data Options’

Turn off data roaming by tapping the button so it’s no longer green

Best network for international roaming: Three

If you’re looking for the best network for international roaming, look no further than Three’s Go Roam.

Any Three customers on its ‘Advanced’ pay monthly plans and pay-as-you-go users can use their normal allowance of minutes, texts and data abroad in 71 countries with Go Roam. There’s a 'fair usage' cap of 12GB data, 3,000 mins and 5,000 texts abroad.

The 71 locations cover the EU and include the United States, Australia, Switzerland and more. Click here for the full list of countries.

If you travel anywhere outside of the 71 countries listed, you will be charged expensive roaming rates. So, this might not be the best deal if you were travelling to Turkey, for example.

Best Vodafone SIM deals for roaming

Vodafone also has an extensive roaming offering with its Global Roaming Plus which offers roaming at no extra cost in 81 countries. If you bought a Red Entertainment plan between 4th September 2018 and 9th July 2019, or an Unlimited Max plan from 10th July 2019, you’ll have Global Roaming Plus.

This is Vodafone’s best roaming offering but the plans that qualify for it aren’t the cheapest.

For more of Vodafone's roaming offers, check out the website.

Best O2 SIM deals for roaming

O2 Refresh tariffs of 90GB and above, and SIM only tariffs of 100GB and above can benefit from free travel in O2’s Inclusive Zone. The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On offers data roaming in 27 international destinations.

You’ll get a daily allowance of 120 minutes, 120 texts and uncapped data. The data will be subject to O2’s fair usage policy.

You can purchase the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On as an extra if you have a pay monthly phone with a 30GB - 89GB tariff or pay monthly SIM with a 30GB - 99GB tariff.

Best EE SIM deals for roaming

EE offers free roaming in European countries, much like every other major UK network.

If you’re travelling to Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand or the United States, you can purchase the Roam Further Pass which lets you use your UK allowance for £10/mth on a rolling 30-day contract. ‘Smart’ plans allow you to add Roam Further as a swappable Smart Benefit at no extra cost.

For more locations, you can buy a Travel Data Pass and World Select Talk and Text.

Best Tesco Mobile SIM deals for roaming

All Tesco Mobile customers can roam with their monthly allowance of calls, texts and data at no extra cost in 48 European countries.

If you’re planning to go further afield, you’ll have to face extra charges.

Best iD Mobile SIM deals for roaming

All iD Mobile plans offer inclusive roaming in 50 different locations, mainly throughout Europe.

This is a fairly impressive offering considering that iD Mobile is largely a no-frills budget mobile service provider.

However, if you use your mobile to make calls, texts or browse the internet in countries outside of the 50 free destinations, you’ll face extortionate charges. Find out how much, by destination, here.

Best BT Mobile SIM deals for roaming

BT Mobile customers can use their monthly UK allowance in 47 locations at no extra charge.

If you’re roaming outside of the EU, you can buy a Travel Data Pass for £6 a day. This buys you 500MB of data per day to use in Andorra, Australia, Canada, China, India, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and the USA.

Best Virgin Media SIM deals for roaming

Virgin Media offers the 'Roam Like At Home' scheme to all customers, offering inclusive roaming within the EU.

However, if you’re with Virgin Mobile and travelling outside the EU, you’ll be subject to the standard charges abroad. Take a look at these charges here.

Best Sky Mobile SIM deals for roaming

All Sky Mobile customers can enjoy inclusive roaming in over 30 destinations with its Roaming Passport scheme.

If you’re travelling further afield, Sky’s Roaming Passport Plus covers 12 more locations, including the USA, Hong Kong, Thailand and South Africa. This add-on will cost you £6 per 24 hours and will allow you to use your usual monthly allowance in more locations.

Best Giffgaff SIM deals for roaming

Giffgaff offers inclusive roaming for all of its customers in 37 locations in the EU and beyond. You can easily top-up via the Giffgaff website if you run out whilst abroad.

If you travel further than these 37 locations, you’ll be subject to expensive roaming charges.