Edinburgh on mobile data: from the airport tram to the Highlands
Edinburgh is compact and has no underground, so the usual problem of signal in metro tunnels does not exist here. What the phone does all day is tickets and live departures in the city, and then a day in the Highlands, where every network thins out.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in the United Kingdom?
- Yes. It connects to EE, 3 (5G).
- Price
- From 4,49 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,79 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: The United Kingdom is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in the United Kingdom. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Airport to Princes Street: tram or Airlink
Two public options leave from outside the terminal. The tram runs through Edinburgh Gateway, Murrayfield and Haymarket to the West End, Princes Street and St Andrew Square, and carries on to Leith and Newhaven. The Airlink 100 bus goes into the centre by road, also stopping at Haymarket. Taxis and ride apps pick up at the terminal too.
They are paid differently. On the tram you tap a contactless card or phone at the platform validator before boarding, and again when you get off. On the Airlink you tell the driver where you are going before you tap. If you prefer to buy ahead, the Bus & Tram app sells m-tickets that you activate before boarding; on the tram you scan the QR code at the stop shelter, and that is the moment you want data working.
Coming from London by train, LNER and Lumo arrive at Waverley, right between the Old Town and the New Town.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
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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.
No underground: buses, trams and one tap
- Lothian buses: tap your card or phone once when you board. No tap-off and no paper ticket.
- Trams: tap on at the platform before boarding and tap off when you leave.
- TapTapCap: daily and weekly caps apply to contactless taps, not to paper tickets.
- The Bus & Tram app shows live departures and disruption alerts next to the m-tickets.
With no metro, the city runs above ground and you are rarely out of reach of the street network. The thing to get right is the tapping: the cap follows the card or device you tap with, so use the same one all day. If you pay with the phone, keep it charged; a flat phone on the tram platform is a ticket you cannot show.
Glasgow, Stirling and a day in the glens
Glasgow Queen Street is under an hour from Waverley on the fastest ScotRail trains. The ScotRail app plans the journey and sells mTickets that download straight to the phone, so get the ticket before you reach the barriers.
The Highlands are different. Day tours to Glencoe, Loch Ness and the West Highlands spend hours on roads where coverage thins on every network. A UK parliamentary report based on Ofcom data counted large parts of Scotland's landmass with no mobile data signal, and the ski area at Glencoe only got 4G after a mast was carried up the mountain by helicopter. Before you leave Edinburgh, download the map of the route and save the tour's meeting point and your ticket home.
How much data, and when a UK pack is not enough
UK packs come in 3, 5, 10 and 20 GB. Three or four days in the city, with maps, tickets, messages and photos, fit in the 3 GB pack, which lasts 15 days. A week with a Highlands tour or a day in Glasgow is a 5 GB trip. If you drive round the north yourself, with navigation and music on for hours, take 10 GB. The plan starts when the phone first connects in the UK, so you can buy it weeks ahead, and you can top it up without reinstalling.
A UK pack only works in the UK. If Edinburgh is followed by Dublin or a flight to the continent, the Europe pack covers the UK, Ireland and 31 more countries on one eSIM. The full list is on the price page.
Do I need data for the tram from Edinburgh Airport?
Not if you pay by tapping a contactless card on and off at the platform. An m-ticket from the Bus & Tram app has to be activated before boarding, so that option is easier with data already working.
Is there a metro in Edinburgh?
No. The city runs on Lothian buses and one tram line from the airport to Newhaven, so there are no metro tunnels to lose signal in.
Will I have signal on a Highlands day tour?
In towns and along parts of the main roads, yes. In the glens it comes and goes on every network, so download the route and save your tickets before you leave Edinburgh.
Does a UK eSIM work in Dublin?
No. Ireland is another country, so the UK pack stops giving data there. For a trip with both, the Europe pack covers the UK and Ireland.
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 eSIMs for the UK