Roaming: Using Your Phone Abroad

Roaming is when your phone uses a foreign mobile network to make calls, send texts and access data when you’re outside the UK.

The foreign network charges us for providing service to your phone, and we may pass some or all of those costs on to you — though for many destinations, especially within the EU, roaming is included at no extra cost.

When you travel to any EU country (plus a selection of other European destinations like Switzerland, Iceland and Norway), you can use your plan like you would at home:

• Up to 5 GB of your plan’s data allowance included per month while in the EU
• Calls and texts to UK numbers use your plan’s allowance
• Calls and texts within the country you’re visiting use your UK allowance too

There are no extra charges while you stay within the fair usage limits.

For destinations outside the EU — such as the USA, Australia, Thailand, or Mexico — standard Pay As You Go roaming rates apply.

Charges vary by country but tend to be significantly higher than UK rates. Data in particular can be very expensive without a travel add-on.

Always check the rates for your destination before travelling, and consider a travel bundle to cap your costs.

EU roaming has a fair usage policy to prevent permanent roaming (using an EU country as your main network).

If you spend most of your time abroad, we may contact you to discuss usage. For normal holidays and business trips, you’ll never notice this policy.

Data has a specific fair usage cap of 5 GB per month while in the EU. Once you exceed this, additional data is charged at a small per-MB rate.

For non-EU destinations, we offer travel add-ons that give you a bundle of data, minutes and texts at a flat price.

Popular add-ons cover regions like the USA, Canada, Australia and the Middle East. You can buy them from your online account before or during your trip.

Travel add-ons typically last 7, 14 or 30 days and offer substantial savings compared to standard roaming rates.

Roaming is switched off on new SIMs by default. You can enable it in two places:

Turning roaming off is a good way to avoid unexpected charges if you’re travelling through a non-EU country briefly (e.g. in transit through an airport).

• Use Wi-Fi whenever possible — in hotels, cafés, airports, etc.
• Download maps, music and videos before you travel.
• Use messaging apps (WhatsApp, Signal) instead of SMS for communication.
• Buy a travel add-on if going outside the EU.
• Check your usage daily via the app to catch any unexpected charges early.

Roaming is much simpler than it used to be, especially within the EU where it’s essentially free.

For destinations further afield, a bit of planning and a travel add-on can keep costs under control. Always check the rules for your destination before you go — a minute of research can save you a lot of money.