EU Roaming Charges Explained: Every UK Network Compared

Data roaming comes into play when you travel outside the UK, and your phone connects to local mobile networks to stay online. This can be handy for browsing, calling, or texting friends and family back home. However, data roaming often comes with hefty fees, depending on the country and your specific plan.

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Reviewed by: Phil Brown, founder of SIM Only Finder. Phil previously worked in UK mobile retail at Three UK, advising customers on SIM plans, contracts, and network choices. He has spent over a decade running consumer comparison platforms and reviews networks and SIM-only deals based on that hands-on industry background. About the author

Last reviewed: July 2026. Updated regularly to reflect current network pricing, roaming policies, and fair usage limits.

What are roaming charges?

Travelling overseas shouldn't come with hidden costs, yet roaming charges can lurk behind seemingly simple actions like checking maps or sending messages. Be wary of both daily rates and per-use charges for calls, texts, and data, all of which can skyrocket beyond your usual plan.

Even exceeding your domestic data allowance while abroad can result in eye-watering fees, with charges that can reach several pounds per megabyte outside inclusive zones. Remember, free EU roaming doesn't guarantee unlimited data. Many networks cap roaming data below your home allowance, meaning an unexpected bill could be waiting if you are not careful.

Do your research before you travel, compare plans with generous data allowances, and be mindful of fair usage policies to avoid roaming charges spoiling your adventure.

Has Brexit affected roaming charges?

Brexit dramatically changed the landscape for data roaming. Previously, UK residents enjoyed free calling, texting, and data within the EU thanks to EU regulations. However, with the UK's departure in 2021, these protections vanished.

Consequently, British travellers now face potential roaming charges depending on their mobile network provider. While some providers currently offer complimentary roaming within the EU, most have either reintroduced charges or plan to do so. Careful research and informed plan selection are crucial for avoiding hefty bills while exploring Europe post-Brexit.

Which networks still offer free EU roaming?

While Brexit ended the legal mandate for free EU roaming for UK mobile users, some providers continue to offer it as a perk within their plans. Here is a breakdown of networks that include EU roaming, and the data limits that apply:

• Giffgaff: Most giffgaff plans include free EU roaming with up to 5GB of data, counted per plan rather than per month. Exceeding it costs 10p per MB, or you can buy a travel data add-on. Read our full giffgaff roaming guide.
• Honest Mobile: EU roaming is included on all Classic SIM plans with an unusual twist: the first five days of every trip are free, then £2 per day, and the free days reset each time you return to the UK. The Unlimited plan has a 20GB roaming cap; smaller plans use their full allowance abroad. Read our full Honest Mobile roaming guide.
• iD Mobile: Free roaming in 50 destinations, more than any other UK network includes as standard. A 30GB fair usage cap normally applies, but iD suspended it on 1 October 2024 and has not reinstated it, so all customers currently get their full UK allowance abroad. A £45 roaming spend cap applies throughout.
• O2: All O2 plans have free "roam like at home" in 48 European destinations. The 25GB cap applies if your plan includes 25GB or more; smaller plans simply use their normal allowance abroad. Read our full O2 roaming guide.
• Lebara: Selected Lebara plans include free EU roaming with a 30GB cap on Unlimited plans. Charges apply once you exceed your allowance.
• SMARTY Mobile: All SMARTY plans include free EU roaming with up to 12GB of data per month, or your monthly allowance if lower. Over the cap you can buy a data add-on, or an EU Roaming Pass on plans above 12GB. Read our full SMARTY roaming guide.
• Spusu: All Spusu plans include free EU roaming, with the allowance scaling by plan tier from 3GB up to 20GB. Read our full Spusu roaming guide.
• Tesco Mobile: Home From Home covers 48 destinations with no separate roaming data cap, so normal fair use applies rather than a fixed limit.
• Three: Free for some, not for most. Pre-October 2021 customers and those on current Value or Complete plans roam free in Europe; everyone else pays £2.75 a day to unlock their allowance. Read our full Three roaming guide.

Network policies and inclusions can change, so always double-check the latest information directly from the provider before your trip. Fair usage policies may restrict excessive tethering or hotspot usage even within the data allowance.

Which networks are now charging for EU roaming?

While some UK mobile networks have reintroduced roaming charges, others continue to offer free usage abroad. Check your specific plan and sign-up date to confirm your situation. Refer to the table below for a summary of current roaming charge policies among select providers.

The daily charge trap: how networks define "a day"

EE and Vodafone charge almost the same headline rate, £2.72 against £2.75, but they define a roaming day completely differently, and the difference can double what you pay.

EE applies its daily charge to a UK day, midnight to midnight, UK time. Vodafone's runs for 24 hours from the moment roaming is first detected, so if your phone connects at 10am the charge covers you until 10am the next day.

That matters most on evening arrivals. Land in Spain at 10pm and check your messages on EE, and you pay for that day, then pay again as soon as the clock passes midnight: two daily charges for a couple of hours of use. Do the same on Vodafone and you get a rolling 24 hours for one charge. Identical behaviour, double the cost. If you are arriving late and can wait until morning, switching mobile data off until then is worth doing on any network with a midnight-to-midnight day.

Here is more of a breakdown of leading mobile providers and their EU roaming charges.

1pMobile Roaming

EU roaming is included on all 1pMobile plans across 46 destinations, including Switzerland, with a 14GB monthly data cap. Over the cap, data keeps charging at 1p a MB (around £10 per GB) from your credit balance, and no roaming pass is available. Pay as you go customers roam at the same 1p rates they pay at home. Worldwide roaming is available at chargeable per country rates. Read our full 1pMobile roaming guide.

Asda Mobile Roaming

While Asda Mobile allows bundle users to roam freely in 46 EU destinations with their included allowance, a 5GB cap applies, resulting in 10p/MB charges for exceeding data usage. Pay As You Go users face the standard 10p/MB roaming rate across the same EU destinations.

Chattr Roaming

Roaming is included on Chattr plans at no extra cost in 43 European destinations, with your UK allowance used abroad. Chattr does not publish a separate roaming fair use cap or over limit rate on its website, so confirm your allowance and any limits with Chattr directly before travelling, particularly for longer trips.

GiffGaff Roaming

GiffGaff plans let you use your allowance in the EU and selected destinations at no extra cost, mirroring your home usage. Pay-as-you-go users without a plan pay standard rates of 10p per MB for calls, texts, and data.

The roaming data cap is 5GB, and unusually it is counted per plan rather than per month or per trip, so it does not reset each month while a single plan runs. Exceeding it costs 10p per MB from your credit, or you can buy a travel data add-on in the app. Outside the EU there is no included allowance; you buy a per-country add-on instead. Roaming lasts up to 63 days, provided you have used giffgaff in the UK beforehand.

Read our full giffgaff roaming guide for add-on prices, worked costs, and the country list.

Honest Mobile Roaming

Honest Mobile takes a different approach to EU roaming from most networks. Instead of a flat data cap or a charge from day one, you get five free roaming days on every trip, with further days costing £2 each, and the free-day count resets every time you return to the UK. That makes frequent short trips effectively free, however many you take. The free days start the moment your phone connects abroad, so be aware of that on arrival.

On the 4GB and 10GB plans you can use your full UK allowance abroad; on the Unlimited plan, roaming data is capped at 20GB per calendar month. A fair usage policy limits roaming to around 60 days. Outside the EU, the Classic SIM uses daily roaming caps, and Honest's separate Smart SIM offers data-only roaming in over 180 countries on a curated list of apps. Honest runs on Three.

Read our full Honest Mobile roaming guide for worked costs, the Smart SIM detail, and how Honest compares.

iD Mobile Roaming

iD Mobile includes roaming as standard on every plan across 50 destinations covering the EU, EEA and beyond, which is more than any other UK network offers inclusively. There is nothing to activate and no daily charge.

The headline figure is a 30GB fair usage cap, but it is not currently in force. iD suspended it on 1 October 2024 and has not reinstated it, so every customer can use their full UK data allowance abroad at no extra cost until iD says otherwise. Worth knowing that iD's own roaming page still quotes the 30GB limit while its fair usage policy explains the suspension, so do not be alarmed if you see the two figures contradict each other.

If the cap does return, the mechanics are worth understanding. Once you pass 30GB you pay a £3 per GB surcharge for the rest of your allowance, and beyond that the standard out-of-plan rate of 10p per MB applies, which works out at £102.40 per gigabyte. A £45 roaming spend cap sits over the top of all of it, so on the surcharge rate your data stops after roughly 15GB of overage rather than running up an open-ended bill. You can ask iD to lift that cap, though for most travellers it is the safety net rather than the obstacle. The Republic of Ireland is exempt from the fair usage policy entirely.

The 50 destinations are split into Band 1 and Band 2. In Band 1, which covers 46 of them, you can call or text the UK, the country you are in, and any other Band 1 destination using your inclusive allowances. Band 2 covers Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Macedonia, where you can only call or text the UK or the destination you are in. Calls to anywhere outside these bands are charged at international rates.

For travel beyond the 50 inclusive destinations, iD's Roam Beyond data add-ons cover a further 50 countries, starting at £5 for 2GB over one day, £20 for 10GB over five days, or £35 for 20GB over ten days. These are added straight to your plan with no separate eSIM to install, and buying one before you fly avoids out-of-plan charges on landing.

Lebara Roaming

Lebara prioritises international connections, reflected in its generous roaming approach. Enjoy utilising your plan's data allowance within the EU and India at no additional cost, with a reasonable 30GB cap on Unlimited plans. While venturing beyond the EU, charges remain accessible:

• Calls: £1.49 - £3.49 per minute to make, 99p to £1.49 to receive.
• Texts: 49p each.
• Data: 9p per MB, capped at £42 to prevent excessive charges.

Additional pay-as-you-go data allowance might be needed outside the EU. Overall, Lebara balances affordability with decent flexibility for international travellers.

Lycamobile Roaming

As of the 17th July 2023, all current LycaMobile plans come with EU Roaming included as standard.

On plans with a set data allowance you can use up to 12GB a month whilst travelling within the EU (applicable countries listed below) If your data allowance is less than 12GB then this is your EU Data Roaming limit.

Unlimited plans have a EU Data Roaming limit of 35GB.

All plans have up to 2000 minutes and 2000 texts, again less if your limit is less than 2000.

Countries in LycaMobile’s EU Roaming Zone include:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Sky Mobile Roaming

No Sky Mobile plan includes free roaming as standard. Instead, Roaming Passport Plus charges £2 a day to use your UK data, minutes, texts, and Piggybank data in 120 destinations, expanded from 55 in May 2026, covering the EU plus long-haul spots including the USA, Thailand, and Australia. The pass activates automatically once you make a call, send a text, or use more than 10MB of data in a day, so background app refresh on a stopover can trigger the £2 charge before your phone leaves your pocket.

Roaming data is capped at 25GB per billing cycle under Sky's fair usage policy, with use beyond that charged on a per GB basis. One trap worth knowing: even with the pass active, calls and texts to local numbers in the country you are visiting cost extra, as the pass covers calls and texts back to the UK. WhatsApp calls are included, which is the cheap workaround for booking that local restaurant.

From 20 July 2026, Sky VIP Diamond customers, meaning those who have been with Sky for more than 15 years, get those same 120 destinations at no extra cost rather than £2 a day. It applies on any Sky Mobile data plan rather than only premium tariffs, and the same 25GB fair usage limit applies. It is a loyalty reward rather than something you can buy into, so it is worth checking your VIP tier if you are a long-standing Sky customer, but it should not influence which network you choose. Read our full report on Sky's free global roaming for Diamond VIP customers.

SMARTY Roaming

All SMARTY plans include free EU roaming with up to 12GB of data per month, or your monthly allowance if that is lower than 12GB. If your plan includes minutes and texts, you can use these as you would at home. The Republic of Ireland is exempt from the 12GB cap, where you get your full allowance.

When you reach 12GB you are not cut off: on plans of 12GB or less you can buy a data add-on, and on plans above 12GB an EU Roaming Pass unlocks your full allowance for one or three days. An automatic £45 monthly spend cap protects against bill shock. You can roam for up to 60 consecutive days at a time, so keep this in mind for longer trips.

Read our full SMARTY roaming guide for add-on prices, worked costs, and the destinations that sit outside the inclusive zone.

Spusu Roaming

All Spusu plans include free EU roaming, with the data allowance scaling by plan tier from 3GB up to 20GB, plus 500 roaming minutes and 500 texts. Spusu also extended free roaming to Ukraine and Moldova from January 2026, and cut roaming data to £2 per GB in several non-EU destinations including the US and Turkey.

Read our full Spusu roaming guide for the allowance tiers, worked costs, and how Spusu compares.

TalkMobile Roaming

Talkmobile offers free roaming in 44 European destinations, allowing you to leverage your existing plan allowance for calls, texts, and data. However, significant distinctions exist based on your sign-up date:

• Joined before 14 March 2023 (and not upgraded since): You benefit from a 15GB fair usage policy for EU roaming.
• Joined or upgraded on/after 14 March 2023: A reduced limit of 5GB per month applies for EU roaming.

Exceeding your allocated data incurs charges. Consider purchasing a Euro Holiday Booster, starting at £2.25 per day for 15GB, to manage your usage.

Are you travelling beyond Europe? Remember that your regular allowance doesn't apply. Out-of-plan rates based on international zones determine your costs.

Tesco Mobile Roaming

Tesco's Home From Home benefit continues, with no plans to introduce EU roaming fees. You can use your UK data, minutes, and texts at no extra cost in 48 destinations across the EU and beyond, with no separate roaming data cap (normal fair use applies). Customers who took a Clubcard Price deal between September 2024 and September 2025 keep the benefit for their minimum contract period, and Tesco will give at least 30 days' notice of any change. Outside the 48 Home From Home destinations, data is £5 per MB, with a default £40 spending cap that bars further use until you lift it.

Compare Tesco Mobile SIM only deals

Three Roaming

Three's roaming, called Go Roam, covers over 160 destinations, but what you pay depends heavily on when you joined or last upgraded. Customers who joined before 1 October 2021 and have not upgraded since keep free roaming. On plans taken out from 22 June 2025, Value plans include free roaming in 49 European destinations and Complete plans extend it to over 160 worldwide destinations.

Everyone else pays a daily roaming charge to unlock their allowance abroad. The charge depends on where you go, not when you joined: £2.75 a day in Go Roam in Europe destinations, or £8 a day for Around the World and Around the World Extra destinations, both from 1 April 2026 and rising annually. A 12GB monthly fair use cap applies to all pay monthly customers (9GB on pay as you go). For unlimited data, a Data Passport gives 24 hours of unlimited data in 89 destinations for £7. The Republic of Ireland and Isle of Man are excluded from the daily charge.

Read our full Three roaming guide for the three roaming eras explained, worked costs, and how Three compares.

Vodafone Roaming

Vodafone divides the world into zones for roaming charges.

Zones:

• A: Europe (Ireland, Isle of Man, Iceland, Norway) - Free roaming for all plans.
• B: Most European countries - Included in selected Pay Monthly plans with 52 or 84 inclusive destinations, otherwise a £2.75 daily charge covering calls, texts and up to 25GB of data. An 8-day European Roaming pass costs £16 and a 15-day pass £21, both covering 52 destinations.
• C: Other destinations (e.g., Australia, South Africa) - Included in some Xtra Plans, otherwise £6-£6.85 daily charge.
• D: Remote destinations - Pay per megabyte, minute, or text.
• Around the World: Pay As You Go zone - Similar to Zone C charges.
• Rest of the World: Pay per megabyte, minute, or text for both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go.

Vodafone's daily charge runs for 24 hours from the moment roaming is detected rather than resetting at midnight, which works in your favour on late arrivals. A 25GB fair usage cap applies, with data beyond it charged at £3.84 per gigabyte. It is wise to check your plan for specific roaming inclusions before you travel, and you can use the Vodafone Roaming Charge Checker tool for detailed costs for your destination. Pay As You Go customers have a different zone structure and pay per use outside Zone A.

Voxi Roaming

Europe Zone (Zone B) roaming requires a purchased pass:

• Passes available: 1 day, two days, eight days, 15 days.
• Pass cost: £2.25 - £15 (increases with duration).

Pass inclusions:

• Up to 20GB of data (whichever is less than your plan allowance).
• Unlimited texts (including MMS).
• Unlimited minutes.

Important notes:

• Pass duration starts from purchase, not first use.
• Without a pass, roaming is unavailable (except for receiving calls/texts).
• Passes are only valid in Voxi's Europe Zone.

Alternative options:

• Zone A (UK, Ireland, etc.): Roaming is included in all plans; no pass is needed.
• Travel outside Europe Zone: Consider Voxi Global Roaming Extras with separate costs and allowances.

Roaming FAQs

Can mobile network providers change their data roaming prices at any time?

Mobile providers must notify you at least 30 days before any changes to your data roaming charges. Most networks also apply a scheduled annual increase to out-of-bundle and roaming charges on 31 March, so it is worth rechecking your network's daily rate each spring even if nothing else about your plan has changed.

Do calls from the UK to the EU count as roaming data?

Calls from the UK to the EU are classed as international calls and don't count as data roaming. Data roaming is when you leave the UK and use your phone in another country.

How do I find out what my mobile provider's roaming charges are?

For the most accurate and up-to-date information on roaming charges specific to your plan and destination, visiting your mobile provider's website or contacting their customer service department for help is highly recommended.

Is there a difference between mobile data and data roaming?

When you travel internationally and use your phone to access the internet, browse social media, or navigate with maps, you engage in data roaming. This means your phone connects to a local network outside your home country to provide internet access. Your phone uses mobile data to make calls, send texts and access the internet.