Best SIM Only Deals for Roaming

Best SIM only deals for roaming

Using your mobile phone abroad can be expensive, with roaming costs varying greatly depending on where you are travelling.

Travelling outside Europe can be a bit of a minefield when it comes to roaming costs. But now, following the UK leaving the EU, providers all have different rules on roaming in the EU as well.

At usave.co.uk we have collated information on all the best roaming SIM only deals you can get, so you don't have to.

Best O2 SIM deals for roaming

O2 offer some of the best roaming deals in the UK right now. They are one of a small selection of network providers who do not charge extra for using your mobile phone in the EU.

O2 cover roaming in the Europe Zone as part of all their tariffs, meaning you can use your contract allowances in Europe without any additional charges.

One month O2 SIM roaming deals

UK Data	Monthly cost
5GB	£23	See deal
20GB	£26	See deal
50GB	£30	See deal
Unlimited	£36	See deal

12 month O2 SIM roaming deals

UK Data	Monthly cost
1GB	£12	See deal
5GB	£15	See deal
20GB	£18	See deal
100GB	£20	See deal
150GB	£22	See deal
Unlimited	£30	See deal

24 month O2 SIM roaming deals

UK Data	Monthly cost
5GB	£11	See deal
30GB	£15	See deal
150GB	£20	See deal
Unlimited	£26	See deal

Best Three SIM deals for roaming

Three offers all its customers access to its 'Go Roam' add-on, which comes as standard with any new contract with the network.

Go Roam allows you to use your call, text, and data allowance in 71 countries around the world.

It costs £2 per day in Europe, and £5 a day in other international destinations that is covered by it.

This is a good option if you travel outside Europe often, but it could get pricey quite quickly.

Three 1 month rolling SIMs

UK Data	Monthly cost
4GB	£19	See deal
12GB	£22	See deal
30GB	£24	See deal
Unlimited	£28	See deal

Three 12 month SIMs

UK Data	Monthly cost
1GB	£5	See deal
4GB	£6	See deal
8GB	£7	See deal
12GB	£8	See deal
30GB	£9	See deal
100GB	£12	See deal
Unlimited	£17	See deal

Three 24 month SIMs

UK Data	Monthly cost
1GB	£5	See deal
4GB	£6	See deal
8GB	£7	See deal
12GB	£8	See deal
30GB	£8	See deal
100GB	£12	See deal
Unlimited	£16	See deal

Best Vodafone SIM deals for roaming

Vodafone have various options when it comes to international roaming.

If you are looking to roam in Europe, if you take out an Unlimited data Xtra Airtime Plans with 4 Xtra benefits and a Limited data Xtra Airtime Plans with 4 Xtra benefits, you will get access to inclusive roaming across 51 destinations in Europe.

This means that you will be able to use your UK allowances across these countries without any extra costs incurred.

If you are wanting to go further with your phone, Vodafone's Unlimited data Xtra Airtime Plan with 4 Xtra benefits includes roaming in another 32 worldwide destinations.

Vodafone's Xtra plans cost a bit more than their standard plans, so if you only travel a couple of times a year it is probably worth just purchasing a European Roaming pass, which costs either £2 a day or £1 a day if you pay for 8 days or 15 days upfront.

Vodafone's Xtra plans

These plans come with roaming included as standard to countries listed here.

To view these plans, click here

Vodafone rolling 1 month SIMs

Roaming with the following plans will cost £1 to £2 per day in select destinations.

UK Data	Monthly cost
1GB	£24	See deal
5GB	£28	See deal
20GB	£33	See deal
Unlimited	£37	See deal

Vodafone 12 month SIMs

Roaming with the following plans will cost £1 to £2 per day in select destinations.

UK Data	Monthly cost
1GB	£12	See deal
5GB	£16	See deal
20GB	£21	See deal
Unlimited	£25	See deal

Vodafone 24 month SIMs

Roaming with the following plans will cost £1 to £2 per day in select destinations.

UK Data	Monthly cost
1GB	£11	See deal
5GB	£15	See deal
60GB	£18	See deal
120GB	£20	See deal
200GB	£23	See deal
Unlimited	£25	See deal

Network roaming comparison

We've put together a network-by-network guide to discover some of the best roaming policies available. Take a look at the following comparisons of roaming policies, broken down into the big four (EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone) and MVNOs:

Big four roaming policies

Network roaming scheme	Applied to	Destinations covered	Fair usage
O2 Europe Zone Usage	All customers on new pay monthly plans	47 Europe Zone	10GB. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period
O2 Full Travel Bolt-On	Select plans	75 worldwide	10GB. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period
Vodafone Roam Free	All customers on new pay monthly plans	48 destinations	None. Spending up to 2 months in roaming zone over 4-month period
Vodafone Roam Further	All customers on new pay monthly plans (except Basics)	104 destinations	25GB. Spending up to 2 months in roaming zone over 4-month period
EE Max Plan Roaming	All 4GEE Max Plan	53 destinations	15GB. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period.
Three Feel at Home	All Advanced plans	71 destinations	12GB. Can spend up to 2 months in roaming zone over 12-month rolling contract period

MVNO roaming policies

All information supplied above was correct at the time of writing (16/09/2020).

Network roaming scheme	Applied to	Destinations covered	Fair usage
iD Mobile Roam Like at Home	All customers on pay monthly plans	50 destinations	Only applies to certain customers. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period
Tesco Mobile Home from Home	All customers on PAYG or pay monthly plans	48 Europe Zone and 6 others	12GB. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period
Sky Roaming Passport	All customers on pay monthly plans	36 Europe Zone	None
SMARTY Roaming	All customers	35 destinations	N/A
Plusnet Mobile Roam Like at Home	All customers on PAYG or pay monthly plans	52 Europe Zone	15GB. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period
BT Roam Like at Home	All customers on pay monthly plans	47 destinations	15GB. Spending up to 60 days in roaming zone over 120-day period

Best EE SIM only deals for roaming

All EE pay monthly and pay-as-you-go customers get inclusive roaming to 48 European countries as part of their allowance. EE also has 4GEE Max plans for new or upgrading customers allowing them to use their regular monthly allowance in 53 destinations.

The 4G Multi-SIM deal costs £25 per month for 12 months, giving you 40GB of data and unlimited texts and calls, and 4G roaming.

See more EE deals here.

Best Sky Mobile SIM deals for roaming

Sky Mobile customers on any plan can use their regular allowances in 36 European countries for no extra cost with their Roaming Passport scheme.

You can also sign up to the Roaming Passport Plus add-on to add 12 more destinations to your UK allowance. You will pay a daily charge, but it will mean you can roam in locations such as Hong Kong, the USA and South Africa.

See more Sky Mobile deals here.

Best iD Mobile SIM deals for roaming

All iD Mobile customers qualify for inclusive roaming in 50 destinations, mostly in Europe. Their roaming deals are some of the cheapest, starting from just £5 per month, however they don’t have very good coverage beyond Europe. If you are planning on travelling further afield, to the USA or Canada, and may other destinations, then one of the bigger providers may offer a better solution to your needs.

If you are staying close to home and are worried about cost, then iD Mobile could be the best option. They have a deal which gives you 1GB of data for just £5 per month in a flexible contract.

See more iD Mobile deals here.

FAQs

How does roaming work?

If you are travelling within the EU, you can continue to use your phone as normal. For all other countries you will have to text or go online to inform your network provider that you wish to use roaming. It’s always best to work out what roaming you will need with your network provider before you travel.

Can I switch roaming on and off?

Yes, many smartphones allow you to switch roaming on and off in the mobile data section of your settings.

Last reviewed: 22 July 2022

Next review: 22 August 2022

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