EE international roaming: Costs, plans, and alternatives

Planning a trip abroad with your EE cellular plan? The provider offers multiple international roaming plans, allowing you to stay connected abroad. Follow along to learn more about the available options so that you can choose the one that suits you best.

Avoid excessive roaming fees

Don't get caught out by data roaming charges. Use local networks at local rates.

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What is EE international roaming?

EE roaming is what allows you to continue using your EE card when traveling abroad. It connects you to local mobile networks in the country you’re visiting, ensuring a solid connection. By using roaming, you’ll be able to use calls, texts, and data just as you would at home. Same conditions apply whether you’ve got an EE eSIM or a physical SIM card.

The price of roaming depends on the type of roaming you choose to use and which zone the country you’re visiting falls in. There are five zones: the EU roaming zone, which includes most of Europe, and Zones 1, 2, 3, and 4, each including different countries from around the world.

EE roaming zones

It’s important to know which roaming zone your travel destination belongs to. This determines the price for roaming passes and how much data, text, and messages you get with your roaming plan.

Now that you know what zone your destination belongs to, let’s take a look at what you can expect to pay for international roaming.

EE roaming options and prices

As we’ve already mentioned, there are several different roaming options with EE. Let’s take a closer look at each of them to help you decide which one’s best for you.

Travel pass

EE’s flexible roaming passes are the most popular for roaming abroad. Using them is pretty simple. You’ll receive a text message with a link to purchase the pass when you land in your destination. 

The most popular plans allow you to use your UK call, text, and data allowances abroad for an extra fee, while plans for the less-popular destinations have different limits. Let’s take a look at the prices and what you get for them, zone by zone.

• EU: £2.59/day or £15/week, to use your UK allowance in Europe.
• Zone 1: £5/day or £25/week to use your UK allowances in Zone 1 countries.
• Zone 2: £7.50/day or £37.50/week to use your UK allowances in Zone 2 countries.
• Zone 3: £7.50/day for unlimited calls and texts and 500 MB of data in Zone 3 countries.
• Zone 4: £15/day for 10 MB of data, calls come at an extra cost of £2.34/min, £0.76 for SMS, and £0.89 for MMS in Zone 4 countries. Some Zone 4 countries don’t offer any data at all.

The EE Europe Zone, Zone 1, and Zone 2 will cover a majority of the top travel destinations, and they have the best pricing. That said, Zone 3 and 4 are where it really falls off, both in terms of pricing and what the travel pass offers.

Monthly subscription

If you’re a frequent traveler, you may consider getting a monthly plan that already includes roaming. That way, you get free roaming abroad, but pay more for your plan every month.

Currently, EE’s Essentials Plus and All Rounder plans include EU roaming, while the Full Works plan includes EU and World roaming. The prices for these plans depend on your data limits and any offers that are available with EE at the time of getting the plan. 

When roaming is included in your plan, any data you use abroad counts toward your monthly data allowance. If you run out of data, you can buy roaming add-ons to get more. Doing so is exactly the same as buying a data add-on while in the UK.

Pay-as-you-go

If you don’t have roaming included in your plan and don’t buy a roaming pass, yet continue to use your service with data roaming turned on, you will be charged pay-as-you-go prices. This is typically the worst roaming option, as the roaming charges tend to be way more expensive than buying a dedicated plan.

The price for data roaming within the EU is £0.36/MB. So, if you calculate your data usage, you’ll see that something as simple as watching a movie on Netflix can cost you as much as £36 in roaming charges alone.

For destinations outside of the EU/EEA/Switzerland zone, you must buy data add-ons for internet access. All in all, it’s best to avoid pay-as-you-go roaming whenever possible and buy one of EE’s roaming products instead.

How do I activate international roaming with EE?

The process of activating international roaming depends on whether you’ve got roaming included in your monthly plan or if you’re going to buy a travel pass instead.

If roaming is included in your destination, all you need to do is turn on data roaming on your phone. After doing so, you’ll automatically get connected and will be able to use your cell service just as you would at home.

If roaming isn’t included in your plan, you will need to buy a travel pass first. As mentioned above, you should receive a text message from EE with a link to purchase the pass as soon as you arrive. Ideally, keep data roaming turned off and use the airport WiFi to buy the pass. That way, you’ll avoid any unnecessary roaming charges.

Once you’ve purchased the pass, simply turn data roaming on and enjoy using your phone freely.

Do I need to turn on data roaming for EE international plans?

Yes, if you want to use mobile data abroad, you will need to turn on data roaming on your phone. Make sure that you either have roaming included in your monthly plan or that you’ve purchased a travel pass before you turn on data roaming to avoid pay-as-you-go charges.

How to avoid EE data roaming costs

Don’t feel like paying extra to use your regular data allowance abroad? Travel eSIMs or travel SIM cards are the most popular way to stay connected without roaming. eSIMs are particularly convenient, as you can buy and activate them online, so you don’t have to wander about looking for a shop that sells travel SIMs.

To use an eSIM, simply buy an eSIM for international travel, activate it, and you will be able to use mobile internet abroad without digging into your regular data allowance.

Holafly: An affordable alternative for staying connected abroad

Looking for an eSIM you can rely on? Look no further than Holafly. All Holafly plans include unlimited data, 24/7 customer support, and hotspot sharing. This ensures that you’ll never lose connection, no matter how much data you use or where you go.

You can get your Holafly eSIM for as cheap as £1.29/day, depending on the destination and plan duration. Even the shortest plans start at £6/day, which beats paying a similar amount or even more just to use your regular monthly plan.

If you’re a digital nomad, frequent traveler, or simply going out for an extended trip abroad, Holafly Connect might be an even better option for you. It’s a pay-monthly eSIM subscription with coverage in 170+ destinations worldwide. Simply pick a plan that suits your needs, use it for as long as you need, and cancel when you’re done. No long-term commitments or cancellation fees included.

Avoid excessive roaming fees

Don't get caught out by data roaming charges. Use local networks at local rates.

Buy your eSIM

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Rokas Aniulis

Senior SEO copywriter

A senior SEO writer from Lithuania, combining my passion for writing and travel at Holafly. With years of experience in technical fields, I'm here to answer all of your questions about staying connected. I specialize in turning even the most complicated topics into something everyone can understand.

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