Best SIM Only Deals for Roaming

SIM only deals for roaming

Using your mobile phone abroad can be expensive, with roaming costs varying greatly depending on where you are travelling. In recent years, changes to European regulation mean that you can now use your UK mobile contract normally if you’re travelling in an EU country.  However, most networks don’t have inclusive roaming for countries outside of the EU. Read our useful guide to find out what SIM only roaming mobile deals each of the networks have on offer and find the one suitable to you.

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 O2 SIM only deals for roaming

All O2 customers who pay monthly or are business customers qualify for O2’s Europe Zone roaming which covers 49 European destinations. Those customers within these categories who signed up for plans with large data allowances (4GB or more) also qualify for the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt-On roaming in the Europe Zone and a further 27 locations, such as the USA and Australia. Each day in these destinations, customers are allowed 120 texts, 120 minutes and 150MB of data.

If you’re not on an eligible plan you can add the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt-On roaming for £4.99 per day to your current plan. 

If you’re travelling for a longer period of time it may be worth getting a SIM-only deal. O2 have a 12-month SIM deal where you pay just £15 per month for unlimited calls and texts, and 5GB of data in around 75 destinations.

See more O2 deals here

Best Three SIM deals for roaming

Three customers on their advanced plans qualify for Three’s ‘Feel at Home’ offer. This means they can use their normal allowance of calls, texts and minutes in 71 locations without paying extra.

Three’s Essential Plans include a ‘Go Roam’ scheme which allows you to use your normal allowance around European countries.

If you are on one of Three’s more basic plans, then they do have Euro Internet Pass available for certain destinations at just £5 per day.

See more Three deals here

Best Vodafone SIM deals for roaming

Vodafone customers have a number of options when it comes to roaming. Vodafone’s ‘Roam-Free’ lets you use your regular monthly allowance of calls, texts and data in 48 European countries without paying extra. ‘Roam Further’ allows you to use your daily allowance in 104 countries worldwide, although you will have to pay £6 per day.

Vodafone currently also have a Global Roaming Plus scheme for their Red Entertainment customers. This lets customers use their regular allowance in 77 destinations.

See more Vodafone deals here.

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. 

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: 23 November 2021

Next review: 23 December 2021