Best eSIM for Europe from UK vs Roaming (2026)
· Updated
What EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 charge to roam in Europe in 2026, what a one- or two-week trip costs, and when a Europe data eSIM is cheaper.
On EE, Vodafone or Three, using your UK plan in Europe costs about £2 to £2.75 a day, so a week away adds roughly £14 to £19 to your bill. A Europe data eSIM covering 33 countries starts from $1.79 (US dollars). On O2, EU roaming is still included up to 25GB, so you may not need an eSIM at all.
Get Europe eSIM — From $1.79This guide compares what each big UK network charges to roam in Europe, works out what a one- or two-week trip actually costs, and shows when a travel eSIM saves money and when it doesn't. Network charges were checked on each network's own website on 29 September 2026. eSIMYat prices on this page are read live from our catalogue and were last updated 2026-10-09.
Looking for a UK phone number rather than a travel plan? See our guide to the best pay-as-you-go eSIMs in the UK instead.
What UK networks charge to roam in Europe in 2026
Since the UK left the EU, three of the four big networks charge a daily fee to use your UK minutes, texts and data in Europe. The fee is added automatically on each day you use your phone abroad, unless your plan already includes European roaming or you have bought a pass.
| Network | Daily charge | Passes | Data you can use abroad | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE | From £2.72 a day | Roaming passes available | Depends on your plan | Some EE plans include EU roaming, so check yours in the EE app before you pay for anything. |
| Vodafone | £2.75 a day on Pay Monthly plans started on or after 11 August 2021 | 8-day pass £16; 15-day pass £21 | 25GB fair use on passes | Ireland, the Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway (Zone A) are included on all Pay Monthly plans. |
| Three | £2 a day if you joined or upgraded between 1 October 2021 and 17 December 2025; £2.75 a day if you joined on or after 18 December 2025 (charged from 1 April 2026) | Go Roam in Europe passes | Up to 12GB | No charge in the Republic of Ireland or the Isle of Man. |
| O2 | No daily charge | Data Bolt Ons if you run out | 25GB, or your UK allowance if that is smaller | The only one of the four with no daily EU fee. |
Plans taken out before these dates can have different terms. Older Vodafone Pay Monthly plans started before 11 August 2021, for example, keep the roaming they were sold with. Check your network app or contract before relying on the figures above; the sources are listed at the end of this guide.
What a week in Europe costs: roaming vs a travel eSIM
Daily charges look small until you multiply them. Here is what they add up to for the two most common UK holiday lengths, assuming you use your phone every day (maps, messages and boarding passes rarely take a day off):
| Network and tariff | 7 days | 14 days |
|---|---|---|
| EE (from £2.72 a day) | from £19.04 | from £38.08 |
| Vodafone with a pass | £16 (8-day pass) | £21 (15-day pass) |
| Vodafone at the daily rate (£2.75) | £19.25 | £38.50 |
| Three, joined before 18 December 2025 (£2 a day) | £14 | £28 |
| Three, joined from 18 December 2025 (£2.75 a day) | £19.25 | £38.50 |
| O2, within 25GB | £0 | £0 |
Those costs are per phone. A family of four on Three's newer tariff pays £77 in roaming for one week, because every line pays its own daily charge.
A Europe data eSIM from eSIMYat starts from $1.79, and the plan list shows each option's data allowance and validity, from 1-day passes to 30-day plans. At today's prices, a 30-day plan with enough data for a typical week or fortnight away costs less than a single week of daily roaming charges on EE, Three or Vodafone. The exception is very heavy use: at 20GB and above, a Vodafone 15-day pass can work out cheaper.
When roaming is the better deal
- You are on O2 and will stay under 25GB.
- You are on Vodafone and a £16 or £21 pass covers your trip, and you need a lot of data.
- You are going only to the Republic of Ireland on Three, or to Ireland, Iceland or Norway on a Vodafone Pay Monthly plan, where roaming is already included.
- You need to make and receive lots of ordinary phone calls on your UK number. Europe eSIMs are data-only.
When a travel eSIM is the better deal
- You are on EE or Three, or on Vodafone without a pass, and the trip is longer than a weekend.
- You are travelling as a family or group, and each phone would otherwise pay its own daily charge.
- You want a fixed cost. A prepaid eSIM cannot run up a bill: when the data is used up, it simply stops.
- Your contract is old and you are not sure what roaming it includes.
eSIMYat's Europe plans
Prices below are in US dollars and update automatically from our live catalogue; your bank converts them to pounds at checkout. Each figure is the cheapest plan on offer, so larger plans cost more.
| Where you are going | Plan | From |
|---|---|---|
| Most of Europe, including France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal | Europe, 33 countries | $1.79 |
| Europe plus Turkey | Europe, 34 countries | $1.26 |
| Turkey only | Turkey | $1.18 |
| Spain only | Spain | $1.51 |
| France only | France | $1.79 |
| Italy only | Italy | $1.51 |
| Greece only | Greece | $1.51 |
| Portugal only | Portugal | $1.51 |
If your trip stays in one country, compare the single-country plan with the Europe plan: either can be cheaper depending on how much data you need. If you are crossing borders, a regional plan saves you buying and installing a new eSIM in every country.
Which countries the 33-country plan covers
At the time of writing, the 33-country plan covers Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
It does not cover Turkey or the non-EU Balkans (Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia). For Turkey, choose the 34-country plan or a Turkey-only plan; our Turkey eSIM guide for UK travellers and Antalya guide cover the details. The plan page always shows the current country list, so check it before you buy.
Every Europe plan is data-only. WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Maps, banking apps and everything else that runs on mobile data work normally; ordinary calls and texts stay on your UK SIM.
How much data do you need?
A rough guide for one week away:
- Light use, such as maps, WhatsApp and email: 1 to 2GB.
- A typical holiday, adding social media, photo uploads and the odd video call: 3 to 5GB.
- Heavy use, such as streaming video or working remotely: 10GB or more.
Hotel, café and airport Wi-Fi stretch any plan further. Downloading offline maps and playlists at home before you leave is the easiest way to use less.
Keeping your UK number while you are away
A dual-SIM phone can keep your UK SIM active for calls and texts while the travel eSIM handles your data. There is one catch: on EE, Vodafone and Three, using your UK SIM abroad, even briefly, can trigger that day's roaming charge. To avoid paying twice:
- Set the travel eSIM as your phone's mobile data line.
- Turn off data roaming on your UK SIM, so apps cannot quietly use it in the background.
- Make calls over WhatsApp or FaceTime where you can, and check with your network how it treats calls and texts you receive abroad.
How to set up a Europe eSIM before you fly
- Check your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to your UK network. Our supported devices list covers iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel and more.
- Buy the plan at home. Your QR code arrives by email.
- Install it on Wi-Fi. On iPhone, go to Settings, Mobile Service, Add eSIM. On Samsung, go to Settings, Connections, SIM manager, Add eSIM; our Samsung install guide walks through each screen.
- Leave it switched off until you land. Validity normally starts when the eSIM first connects in a covered country, so check your plan's details.
- On arrival, switch mobile data to the eSIM and turn on data roaming for the eSIM line only.
New to eSIMs? What an eSIM is and how it works covers the basics in a few minutes.
Other Europe eSIMs worth comparing
eSIMYat is not the only option. Other providers UK travellers often compare:
- Airalo sells Eurolink regional plans with fixed amounts of data.
- Holafly sells unlimited-data plans priced by the number of days, which suit heavy users more than light ones. See our Holafly alternatives comparison.
- Nomad and Saily sell fixed-data regional plans, similar in structure to Airalo's. See our Nomad alternatives comparison.
Other providers change their prices often, so we do not quote them here. On the day you buy, compare three things: the price per GB for your trip length, whether every country on your route is included, and whether the validity covers your whole trip.
Our verdict
It depends on your network. On O2, use your included roaming and keep an eSIM in reserve in case you reach the 25GB limit. On Vodafone, compare the £16 and £21 passes with an eSIM plan of the size you need. On EE or Three, a Europe data eSIM from $1.79 is usually the cheaper way to stay connected for anything longer than a weekend, and a family saves one daily charge per phone.
See all Europe eSIM plans and current prices
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to use my phone in Europe on a UK network?
As of 29 September 2026: EE charges from £2.72 a day; Vodafone charges £2.75 a day on Pay Monthly plans started on or after 11 August 2021, or £16 for an 8-day pass; Three charges £2 or £2.75 a day depending on when you joined; O2 has no daily charge up to 25GB. Older plans can differ, so check your contract.
How much does a Europe eSIM from eSIMYat cost?
Plans for 33 European countries start from $1.79 in US dollars, with larger plans lasting up to 30 days. Prices are read live from our catalogue and were last checked 2026-10-09.
Does the eSIMYat Europe plan cover Turkey?
The 33-country plan does not cover Turkey. Choose the 34-country Europe plan, which adds Turkey (from $1.26), or a Turkey-only plan (from $1.18).
Can I keep my UK number while using a travel eSIM in Europe?
Yes. A dual-SIM phone keeps your UK SIM for calls and texts while the eSIM handles data. On EE, Vodafone and Three, using the UK SIM abroad can trigger that day's roaming charge, so turn off data roaming on the UK line.
Do I need a travel eSIM if I am on O2?
Often not. O2 includes Europe Zone roaming with no daily fee, up to 25GB or your UK allowance if that is smaller. An eSIM makes sense if you need more data than that, or if your older contract has different terms.
Sources
UK network charges were checked on 29 September 2026 on each network's own website: