How to use your phone abroad without roaming charges

Summary

The simplest way to avoid roaming charges is to use a travel eSIM or a backup eSIM with international data included. Honest Mobile's Smart SIM gives you unlimited data on 500+ essential apps in 180+ countries, including WhatsApp, Google Maps and Uber, for a flat fee from £3.75/month. No surprise bills. No daily roaming fees. No faff.

If you've ever come home from a trip to find a phone bill that makes your eyes water, you're not alone. International roaming charges are one of the oldest tricks in the big network playbook: high fees, little warning, and a confusing mess of add-ons that rarely do what you expect.

The good news is that staying connected abroad doesn't have to cost a fortune. Here's exactly what your options are, what actually works, and how to stop paying over the odds for data when you travel.

What are roaming charges?

When you use your phone outside your network's coverage area, it connects to a local network instead. Your home network pays that local network to carry your data and calls, then passes those costs on to you, usually with a healthy markup. That's roaming.

Until 2020, UK travellers in the EU were protected by regulations that kept roaming costs down. Brexit ended that. Since January 2021, UK networks have been free to set their own roaming rates, and most of the big ones have brought charges back. As of 2025, EE charges from £2.59 a day for roaming. Three charges £2 a day in Europe and £5 a day beyond it. Vodafone applies zone-based charges depending on your destination. O2 is the one major network that still offers free EU roaming, up to a 25GB fair-use cap.

Outside Europe, charges climb sharply. Most networks apply per-MB rates or expensive day passes in long-haul destinations. That's where most travellers get stung.

Before you travel: phone settings that help

A few quick settings can protect you from accidental charges, especially the kind that rack up while you're still on the runway.

• Turn off data roaming

  On iPhone: Settings, Mobile Data, Data Roaming, Off. On Android: Settings, Connections, Mobile Networks, Data Roaming, Off. Your phone won't connect to foreign networks unless you deliberately switch it back on.

• Turn off automatic app updates and background refresh Apps that update silently in the background can guzzle data without you noticing. Switch updates to Wi-Fi only before you leave.

• Download what you need offline

  Google Maps lets you download areas for offline use. Spotify, Apple Music and most podcast apps have offline modes. Get what you need before you board.

• Set a spend cap

  Most UK networks let you set a data limit so charges stop at a set amount. Worth doing as a safety net even if you're planning to avoid roaming altogether.

These won't replace a proper connectivity solution, but they'll stop any nasty surprises while you're sorting one out.

How to avoid expensive phone bills when travelling

There are five main approaches. Each has trade-offs.

1. Turn roaming off and use Wi-Fi

Free, but means constant WiFi-hunting. Airports, hotels and cafés help, and Wi-Fi calling through WhatsApp or FaceTime means you can still make calls and send messages without touching data. The downside: you're disconnected the moment you leave your WiFi spot.

2. Buy a local SIM at your destination

Good value, especially for longer stays. The downsides: you need a new SIM for every country, your number changes while you're there, and it doesn't work well if you're moving across multiple countries in one trip.

3. Add a roaming bolt-on from your network

Convenient, but the costs add up fast. We're talking more than £5 a day outside of Europe – that's £35 for a week away. For occasional travel, it can work. For frequent flyers, you're constantly paying over the odds.

4. Use a travel eSIM like Airalo or Holafly

More convenient than a physical SIM. You buy a data plan before you go, activate it on your phone, and you're connected on arrival. The catch: most travel eSIMs are sold per trip and per country, so if you travel regularly you're constantly buying new ones, managing data allowances, and paying for data you might not use.

5. Use a permanent backup eSIM with global coverage

This is the approach that's changed things for frequent travellers. A permanent backup eSIM like Honest Mobile's Smart SIM sits alongside your main SIM and gives you unlimited data on 500+ essential apps in 180+ countries for a flat fee. No new eSIM to buy before each trip. No managing data caps. Just connectivity that's already there when you land.

The bottom line on cost: EE charges £2.47 per day to roam in Europe. That's over £17 for a week away every single trip. Smart SIM works out at £3.75 a month on our annual plan for the whole year, everywhere.

How much does it really cost to use your phone abroad?

Roaming in Europe is expensive enough. Outside Europe, the costs get harder to predict and easier to lose track of. Here's what the major UK networks charge, as of 2025:

Outside of Europe, costs tend to rise sharply. Smart SIM, on the other hand, charges the same flat fee and gives you unlimited data on 500+ essential apps wherever you are.

Smart SIM vs Airalo: what's the difference?

Both are eSIM solutions. Both avoid the hassle of a physical SIM swap. But they're built for different things.

Airalo is a marketplace of local data eSIMs. You choose a country or region, buy a data plan, and activate it for that trip. It's a good solution for occasional travellers who want data for a single destination.

Smart SIM is a permanent backup eSIM that works in 180+ countries. Rather than selling data by the gigabyte, it gives you unlimited data on 500+ essential apps including WhatsApp calls and messages, Google Maps, ChatGPT, Uber, Monzo and Booking.com, for a flat monthly or annual fee. There's no plan to buy before each trip. It's already active.

If you travel multiple times a year to multiple countries, Smart SIM works out significantly cheaper and much less effort. If you need to stream video or browse freely while abroad, a local data eSIM gives you that open access, but you'll pay for it.

Smart SIM vs Holafly

Holafly is another popular travel eSIM with unlimited data for a fixed period. It's well-suited to a single-destination trip where you need broad data access. Smart SIM isn't unlimited in the same way. It covers specific apps rather than all internet traffic, but for most travellers those apps cover everything that matters when you're away: maps, messages, ride-hailing and payments. And it works the same in every country, every trip, without buying anything new.

What's the best eSIM for international travel?

For frequent travellers visiting multiple countries, the best eSIM is one that works everywhere without a new purchase for each trip. Honest Mobile's Smart SIM covers 180+ countries, costs from £3.75/month, and includes the apps most travellers actually need: maps, messaging, ride-hailing and banking.

The best eSIM depends on how you travel. Here's a quick way to think about it:

• One trip a year, one country: a local eSIM from Airalo or Holafly is probably enough.

• Multiple trips a year, multiple countries: a permanent backup eSIM like Smart SIM saves money and admin.

• Need to stream and browse everything: you'll want a local data eSIM with unlimited data, though costs add up fast.

• Need reliable access to essential apps in every country: Smart SIM is built exactly for this.

What apps does Smart SIM cover abroad?

Smart SIM includes 500+ apps. The ones most travellers reach for first:

• WhatsApp calls and messages (not video)

• Google Maps

• ChatGPT

• Uber and local ride-hailing apps

• Monzo and major banking apps

• Booking.com

• Basic web search

It doesn't include social media, streaming or open web browsing. For those, you'd use Wi-Fi or your main SIM's roaming add-on. But for most people, the 500+ included apps cover everything that actually matters when you're moving through airports, navigating a new city, or trying to let someone know your flight's been delayed.

How does Smart SIM work alongside your main SIM?

Smart SIM works as a backup eSIM. It sits on your phone alongside your main SIM (any network, any contract), ready when you need it.

In the UK, you can switch in a few taps when your main SIM loses signal to use essential apps on EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

Abroad, we recommend turning off your main SIM and using Smart SIM only to avoid racking up roaming charges. This will give you unlimited data on 500+ essential apps on hundreds of networks worldwide. All from just £3.75 a month with no extra fees.

Smart SIM doesn't replace your main SIM. You keep your number, your plan, everything. It's there as a safety net when you lose signal at home or go abroad.

How much does Smart SIM cost?

Smart SIM costs £10/month or £45/year (that works out at just £3.75/month). There are no hidden charges, no per-country fees, and no data caps on the 500+ supported essential apps. There's also a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it without any risk.

Stop paying for roaming. Start travelling with Smart SIM.

From £3.75/month. Works in 180+ countries. 14-day money-back guarantee.

Get Smart SIM