International Roaming

Roaming in Turkey: Costs, plans, and alternatives

Planning a trip to Turkey? Learn everything you need to know about roaming in Turkey, including costs, plans, allowances, and alternatives to consider.

Turkey is one of the most popular travel destinations for those seeking sunshine, culture, and natural landscapes. However, with it being outside of the EU, data roaming in Turkey isn’t included in most roaming-inclusive phone plans. Thankfully, many providers offer paid roaming options for Turkey, allowing you to get data at an extra cost.

Follow along as we take a look at who offers roaming in Turkey, how much it costs, and introduce you to some alternatives to consider, including Holafly’s eSIM for Turkey.

In this article

Roaming charges in Turkey

The price of roaming in Turkey depends on the cell service provider and whether you have an inclusive roaming plan, or if you need to buy a roaming pass or even use pay-as-you-go roaming.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular providers to offer data roaming in Turkey and how much it costs.

O2 roaming in Turkey

If you are using O2 as your provider in the UK, there are several ways to get O2 international roaming in Turkey.

All Ultimate pay-monthly plans include Travel Inclusive Zone Ultimate roaming, which includes Turkey. So, if you have an Ultimate plan with O2, you can roam at no extra cost.
All other plans can get an O2 Travel Bolt-On for £7 a day, which brings you unlimited data, texts, and unlimited minutes in Turkey for 24 hours.
If you don’t get a Travel Bolt-On, you can pay £9 to £29 for 1 GB to 5 GB of data in Turkey. Calls are charged at £3/minute, texts are charged at £1/text.
If you’re on a pay-as-you-go plan, you can use roaming at £7.20 per MB, £2 per minute of calls, and £0.50 per text.

Roaming-inclusive plans and the Travel Bolt-On offer a fairly affordable way to use your phone in Turkey. Meanwhile, any pay-as-you-go options can quickly run up unexpected roaming charges if you’re not aware of the costs.

EE roaming in Turkey

Turkey falls into EE roaming zone 1, which means there are several ways to get EE roaming in Turkey.

If you have a Full Works plan or if you have Roaming Inclusive Extras added to your monthly plan, you can enjoy your UK data allowance, calls, and texts in Turkey at no extra cost.
If roaming isn’t included in your plan, you can get a roaming pass instead. It costs £5 for 24 hours or £25 for 7 days and gives you access to your regular monthly allowance of calls, texts, and data while in Turkey.

There are no pay-as-you-go data roaming options available, so you’ll have to buy a roaming pass or an inclusive roaming plan for data usage. If you don’t, you can still make calls at £1.80 per minute and send texts for £0.60 per text.

Vodafone UK roaming in Turkey

Vodafone classifies roaming countries into five groups: Zones A, B, C, D, and the rest of the World destinations. Turkey belongs to Zone C. Let’s take a look at the Vodafone UK roaming costs in Turkey, depending on the plan you have.

If you have an Unlimited Max Global Roam plan, you can use up to 25 GB of data, as well as your regular allowance of calls and texts in Turkey at no extra cost.
Other pay-monthly customers can use a roaming pass for £7.86 a day to get up to 25 GB of data and access to their regular allowance of calls and texts.
If you don’t get a roaming pass, you’ll be subject to pay-as-you-go rates of £0.12 per MB, £0.60 per minute of calls, and £0.08 per text.
If you’re on a prepaid plan, you’ll need to buy a Roaming Extra to use your phone abroad. The options are £17 for 2 GB, 100 minutes, and 100 texts for 8 days or £27 for 4 GB, 200 minutes, and 200 texts for 15 days.

Verizon roaming in Turkey

As one of the biggest cell service providers in the US, Verizon offers its customers a way to use their phones in Turkey. While there are no roaming-inclusive plans that cover Turkey, you can get a TravelPass or use pay-as-you-go rates for international roaming with Verizon.

The Verizon TravelPass costs $12/day and gets you unlimited texts, calls, and data. The 5G data has a fair use limit of 5 GB per day, after which your connection is slowed down to 3G.
Pay-as-you-go rates in Turkey are $1.79/minute, $0.50/text, and $2.05/MB, making it by far the more expensive option than TravelPass, unless you barely use your phone at all.

AT&T roaming in Turkey

With AT&T international roaming, you have several options for staying connected in Turkey:

Get an International Day Pass for $12/day to access your regular allowance of calls, texts, and data while in Turkey.
If you’re on a prepaid plan, get a Travel Add-On for $35, which gives you unlimited calls, texts, and 5 GB of data for 7 days.
If you don’t get a day pass, you’ll be charged pay-per-use rates, which are $2.05/MB, $2/minute, and $0.50/text, making it the most expensive option of all for most users.

T-Mobile Turkey roaming

T-Mobile is one of the very few US providers to offer roaming-inclusive plans that offer coverage in Turkey. If your plan doesn’t cover Turkey, you can use a roaming pass or pay-as-you-go rates.

Turkey roaming is included in Experience More, Experience Beyond, and Go5G plans.
International roaming passes range from $5 for 512 MB of data for 24 hours to $50 for 15 GB of data for 30 days.
If you’re not covered by your plan or a roaming pass, you’ll be charged $0.25 per minute of calls and $0.01 per MB of data used while abroad.

Enjoy unlimited data for less with Holafly

If international roaming with your regular cell service provider seems too expensive, Holafly offers a reliable connection in Turkey for a fraction of the cost. The Holafly eSIM for Turkey costs from $1.55 to $3.90 per day, depending on the duration of your plan. This plan provides you with unlimited data and 24/7 customer support, ensuring you stay connected at all times.

Holafly works with all eSIM-compatible phones. You can simply buy a plan that matches the duration of your stay, activate it in minutes, and enjoy near-instant connectivity.

Planning an extended stay abroad? Holafly Plans is an eSIM subscription with near-global coverage, allowing you to travel across international borders without worrying about staying connected. Plans start at $49.90/month and don’t require any long-term commitments, allowing you to use the subscription for as long as needed and cancel at any time.

How to avoid accidental roaming charges in Turkey?

Roaming costs in Turkey can quickly run up a massive phone bill if you’re not careful and don’t research your options. Here are some key considerations to help you avoid high roaming costs when traveling.

Get a travel pass: If roaming isn’t included in your monthly plan and you want to use your regular SIM card abroad, get a travel pass. It puts a fixed cost on your phone usage in Turkey, so you’ll avoid any unexpected charges.
Use a travel eSIM: Many travelers nowadays use travel eSIMs for mobile internet in Turkey. It’s usually cheaper than roaming with your regular plan and offers a quick and convenient way to get online.
Get a travel SIM: Don’t have an eSIM-compatible phone? You can get a tourist SIM card in Turkey instead. These cards are readily available at all international airports in the country, as well as most convenience stores and cell service provider shops.
Rent a pocket WiFi device: If you’re traveling in a group, renting a pocket WiFi in Turkey can be a good option. It’s more expensive and less convenient than using an eSIM, but it allows you to keep multiple people connected at all times, and you can split the costs within the group.
Use free WiFi: While free WiFi should never be your only option for staying online, it can help if you’re experiencing connectivity problems or simply need internet for a short amount of time. Public hotspots are available at most hotels, cafes, and restaurants in Turkey.

Holafly eSIM vs. Turkey roaming

Still not sure what to pick? Let’s take a quick look at how most roaming options compare to Holafly’s eSIM for Turkey.

	Holafly eSIM	Turkey roaming
Price range	$1.55 to $3.90/day	$7 to $12 /day for a roaming pass
Data sharing	Yes	Depends on the provider
Unlimited data	Yes	Depends on the provider
Calls/texts	No	Yes
24/7 support	Yes	No

Simply put, if calls and texts are not a priority, Holafly eSIMs offer a cheaper, yet just as reliable way to get data in Turkey. On top of that, Holafly offers 24/7 customer support, while most cell service providers limit their support times to office hours. This means that you can get help anytime if things go wrong with minimal interruptions to your holiday.

If you’re planning a trip to Turkey, it’s helpful to compare roaming options in the wider region.

FAQ About Data Roaming in Turkey

Is Turkey included in EU roaming?

Since Turkey isn’t an EU country, most providers don’t include the country in their EU roaming coverage.

Which networks offer free roaming in Turkey?

O2, EE, and Vodafone UK offer roaming-inclusive plans that cover roaming in Turkey. However, these plans cost more per month, which means you still have to pay extra. No network includes roaming in Turkey by default.

How much does roaming in Turkey cost for US travelers?

If you’re traveling to Turkey from the US with your regular SIM card, expect to pay around $12/day for an international roaming pass. Alternatively, you can get an eSIM from Holafly, starting at just $3.90/day for unlimited data.

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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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