Roaming in India: Costs, plans, and alternatives

Roaming in India means using your UK home provider plan and UK mobile while traveling across the country to make calls, send texts, and use data.. However, whether you’re on a pay-monthly or pay-as-you-go plan, roaming can get quite expensive if you go over your allowance or fall back on standard roaming rates.

This guide covers everything you need to know about roaming in India: roaming plans and charges from UK mobile providers, tips to avoid high roaming fees, and the best digital alternative – an unlimited data travel eSIM. 

Peace of mind before you fly

Set up your eSIM before travel and get unlimited data on arrival.

Buy an eSIM for India

Roaming costs and plans in India

India roaming costs vary depending on your UK network provider and whether you have a roaming-inclusive monthly plan, plan to add a roaming pass/add-on, or stick to standard roaming rates. 

If you’re on a roaming-inclusive monthly plan, you may be able to roam “for free” in India at no extra charges. However, these plans do cost more per month. 

If not on a roaming-inclusive plan, you can expect to pay around £5 to £8 GBP per day for a roaming pass or add-on.

Three roaming in India

If Three is your home provider, you have three options to use your phone and mobile internet in India:

1. If you’re on Three’s Value or Complete plans: you can use your UK allowance in India (and other world destinations) for up to 28 days at no extra cost – given that you’ve registered for these plans before 22 June 2025. Check out our Three international roaming guide for more information. 
2. Buy a Go Roam Around the World Extra pass: Choose between 3-14 days for £17.50 to £84.
3. Pay a £7 daily roaming charge to unlock calls, texts, and up to 12 GB of your UK data allowance.

If you’re not equipped with any of these options, standard roaming charges will apply:   £1 per MB, £1.40 per voice minute, and 35p per text. 

Vodafone UK roaming in India

While Vodafone’s international roaming services do offer roaming-inclusive pay monthly plans, India is not an eligible destination. When roaming in India with Vodafone, you have two options: 

1. Pay a daily roaming charge of £7.86 on top of your existing plan for calls, texts, and up to 25GB of data (£6 a day if you bought your plan before 11 August 2021)
2. Pay standard pay-as-you-go charges: 60p per minute, 8p per text, and 12p per MB. 
3. Get an Extra data roaming add-on as a Pay-as-you-go Plus customer. 

O2 roaming in India

When roaming with O2 in India, you have three options: 

1. If you’re on a Volt, Plus, or Ultimate plan, you can add a Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt-on to use your existing UK allowances in India at no extra cost. 
2. Get a travel pass for £7 a day to unlock unlimited minutes, texts, and data (at fair use limits).  
3. Pay standard roaming rates:  £3 per voice minute, £1 per text, and £6-13 for 1 GB to 5 GB data roaming bundles. 

Check out our O2 international roaming guide for more information. 

EE roaming in India

EE’s international roaming services offer two roaming-inclusive monthly plans (Full Works and Max), however, India is not an eligible destination. Your other two options are:  

1. Purchase a roaming add-on to use your phone in India:  £7.50/day or £37.50/week to use your UK allowances in Zone 2 countries.
2. Pay standard roaming charges: £1.20 per minute and 60p per text. You will not have access to mobile data without a roaming pass. 

Lyca roaming in India

As a Lyca user, you have two options to roam in India: 

1. Purchase a roaming pass: 7-day pass including 500 MB for £5 or 14-day pass including 1.5 GB for £10
2. Pay Lyca’s standard roaming rates: £1.70 per minute and 48p per SMS. 

Lyca also offers a global roaming SIM and Lyca eSIM for both pay-as-you-go and pay monthly customers to use their phones abroad. Check out their website for more information. 

Lebara roaming in India

With Lebara, you get inclusive roaming for India and can use your UK plan allowance (up to 30 GB) at no extra cost with a SIM-only deal. You have a total of three options: 

1. Purchase from a variety SIM-only deals with 12-month plans or only 30 days offering 5 GB to unlimited data, unlimited UK minutes, texts, and 100 international minutes 
2. Buy a roaming add-on for 8 days, including 2 GB, 50 minutes, and texts for £5, or 15 days, including 5 GB, 100 minutes, and texts for £10
3. Settle for pay-as-you-go rates: £93 per GB, outgoing calls from 25p-£1.99/minute, outgoing texts from 19p-49p/text.

Holafly eSIM for India – a smarter India roaming alternative 

Avoid unexpected roaming charges and stay connected with Holafly’s eSIM for India. Instead of worrying about roaming passes, data allowances, or inadvertent roaming, Holafly offers unlimited data plans and daily hotspot allowances to connect other devices. Stream, browse, and use data-heavy apps without worrying about hitting data usage limits. 

Here are some more key benefits of Holafly’s eSIMs: 

• Strong local networks – connect to reliable coverage across India 
• 24/7 customer support – get assistance anytime during your trip 
• Flexible plans – match your eSIM to the length of your holiday and never pay for more than you need. 

Setting up and activating an eSIM is also quick and easy, and you’ll have unlimited data ready to go in minutes. 

How to avoid roaming charges in India

Even though limited UK mobile providers offer free roaming in India, you can still avoid high roaming charges and even opt for an alternative way to stay connected. 

• Turn data roaming off whenever you’re not using your phone or before landing to prevent inadvertent roaming and unexpected charges.  
• Use public WiFi whenever possible in hotels, cafes, and airports. However, be cautious of security issues when browsing on public WiFi. 
• Buy a local India SIM card and pay local, affordable rates to stay connected. You will have to swap your physical SIM card, however, and temporarily lose access to your original number. 
• Consider using messaging apps like WhatsApp to make calls and send texts instead of settling for separate call/text allowances. 
• Use a pocket WiFi device to connect multiple devices or travelers. A pocket WiFi for India is a good solution for large traveling groups. An even better alternative to avoid carrying and charging an extra device is Holafly Plans – the digital version of pocket WiFi. 

If you’re still on the fence about roaming in India, consider Holafly’s digital solution. An eSIM for India offers more flexibility, unlimited data, and no hidden roaming charges compared to standard roaming charges. 

India roaming vs. eSIM for India

Before you decide between roaming in India and an eSIM, it’s worth comparing them side by side. 

Switching to a travel eSIM for India is the best solution for travelers who want unlimited data, no hidden charges, and peace of mind on their trip. 

An eSIM you can rely on

Join over 10 million Holafly customers and get connected with our trusted, global services.

Buy an eSIM for India

Traveling elsewhere? Check out our roaming guides on:

• Roaming in Indonesia
• Roaming in Singapore
• Roaming in Japan
• Roaming in Malaysia
• Roaming in Thailand

Plans that may interest you

eSIM India

From

$9.90

USD

eSIM Asia

From

$3.79

USD

Mahnoor Bangush

SEO Content Writer

Born and raised in Queens, New York, I'm a Psychology graduate with a passion for writing that I've been nurturing since 2019. Over the years, I've enjoyed creating meaningful content across various niches, including sports, hospitality, and career development. At Holafly, I focus on crafting useful and inspiring pieces to make your adventures more effortless. One of the best perks of this role? Creating travel content always seems to inspire my next vacation destination!

Read full bio

Related reading