Avoiding roaming charges outside the EU, step by step
Outside the EU and EEA there is no roam like at home: your operator decides what a megabyte costs, and data in particular can be expensive. The lowest bill comes from three habits: know your tariff for that country before you leave, keep data roaming off on your usual line unless you have chosen to pay for it, and never let your phone join a ship or plane network by accident.
See data prices by destinationLook up the price for that exact country
Roaming outside the EU is priced country by country, and operators group destinations into zones that rarely match a map. Before you fly, open your operator’s roaming page and find three things for your destination: whether it is included in your plan at all, whether there is a daily or weekly pass you can add, and what you pay per MB if you do nothing. Apple gives iPhone users the same advice: check with your carrier first, because some plans include certain countries and others sell travel passes you can buy ahead of time.
Neighbouring countries often sit in different zones. On the same plan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Morocco can be priced very differently, so look up every country on your route, not just the main one.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Turn off data roaming, not just mobile data
Data roaming is the switch that lets your line use data on a foreign network. With it off, your usual line still receives calls and texts but cannot run up a data bill abroad. On iPhone it is in Settings › Mobile Service (Mobile Data or Cellular on some versions) › Mobile Data Options › Data Roaming; with two lines, tap the line first. On a Google Pixel: Settings › Network & internet › SIMs › Roaming, and other Android phones have a similar switch in their SIM settings.
Do it before the plane lands, because phones start syncing the moment they find a network. Calls and texts are not affected by this switch, and outside the EU your operator sets their price too, so check those rates if you expect to call.
Background data is what drains the bill
Most surprise bills come not from what you did but from what the phone did on its own: photo backups, app updates, autoplaying video. If you do pay for some roaming data, Low Data Mode on iPhone, in the same Mobile Data Options menu, restricts background network use, and Data Saver on a Pixel, under Settings › Network & internet › Data Saver, lets most apps use background data only on Wi-Fi.
Maps are the other big one. In Google Maps you can download an area while you are still on Wi-Fi: search for the place, tap More, then Download offline map. Offline, you still get driving directions inside the downloaded area, but not public transport, walking or cycling routes, and no live traffic.
At sea and in the air there is no price cap
Ferries, cruise ships and many planes carry their own mobile network, linked by satellite. Your phone sees it as just another network, but BEREC, the body of EU telecom regulators, confirms that the roaming price caps do not apply there, EU plans included. If your plan is from the EU, your operator must send you a free text each time you connect to one and tell you how to keep off it, through your settings or flight mode.
The reliable fix is flight mode as soon as you leave the coast, with Wi-Fi switched back on if you have paid for the ship’s internet. In port you are on a land network again. Our guide to data on a Europe cruise covers what works when the ship docks and what does not at sea.
Border areas: the network chooses you
You do not have to cross a border to roam. Near one, your phone may connect to the stronger signal from the other side, and if that country is outside the EU, you pay its prices. BEREC calls this inadvertent roaming and expects operators to tell customers how to prevent it, starting with choosing the network by hand.
On iPhone, go to Mobile Service, tap your line, then Network Selection, and turn off Automatic; on a Pixel, open Settings › Network & internet › SIMs, tap the SIM and turn off Automatically select network. Then pick a network from the country you are actually in. Our roaming map shows the places in Europe where this catches people most often.
Use a local data plan for the trip itself
For more than a day or two of data, a plan bought for your destination usually beats paying roaming by the day. Apple lists the two usual routes: a local carrier’s SIM or eSIM, often with a local number and sometimes only sold with a passport, or a data eSIM from a worldwide provider that you can buy before you leave. Either way, your phone has to be unlocked.
A data eSIM such as Snoozim’s sits next to your usual SIM: data goes through the eSIM, your number stays on the phone for calls and texts, and WhatsApp keeps working with it. It installs from a QR code sent by email, only starts counting when it first connects at your destination, and can share its data with a laptop through the hotspot.
Is roaming in Switzerland or the UK charged like the rest of Europe?
Not by law. Both are outside the EU rules, so it depends on your operator: some include them in a Europe zone, others charge them as abroad.
If data roaming is off, can I still receive calls?
Yes, calls and texts keep working on your usual line. Outside the EU your operator sets their price too, so check its tariff before you rely on them.
Does flight mode stop all roaming charges?
Yes, it switches off the mobile connection completely. You can turn Wi-Fi back on and stay in flight mode.
What is the €50 limit people talk about?
For plans from the EU, operators must stop data by default once extra roaming charges reach close to €50 excluding VAT in a billing period, also outside the EU when the visited network allows real-time monitoring. It does not apply to plans from other countries.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See data prices by destination