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Vodafone UK roaming: Costs, plans, and alternatives
Vodafone UK roaming allows you to use your regular mobile plan abroad. Learn all about roaming costs, zones, and alternatives here.
Looking to travel abroad with your Vodafone UK mobile plan? Vodafone has plenty of international roaming options that allow you to stay connected pretty much anywhere you go. But is it the best choice for you? Follow along to learn all you need to know about Vodafone roaming plans, pricing, coverage, and alternatives to consider.
Avoid excessive roaming fees
Don't get caught out by data roaming charges. Use local networks at local rates.
What is Vodafone UK roaming?
Vodafone roaming allows you to use your Vodafone eSIM or SIM card abroad. You’ll be automatically connected to a local network in your destination whenever you cross an international border. This allows you to have solid connection quality wherever you go, but it comes at an additional cost, which depends on your plan and the destination you visit.
Vodafone UK roaming zones
Vodafone’s roaming zones differ for pay-as-you-go and monthly customers. Each zone has unique pricing for roaming services, so it’s a good idea to check which zone your destination belongs to before you start roaming. Before we dive into the roaming costs, let’s take a look at what each roaming zone covers.
| Pay-monthly zones | Countries covered |
|---|---|
| Euro Roam Zone A | Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Iceland, and Norway |
| Euro Roam Zone B | Aland Islands, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus (except Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France (including Corsica), French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Italy, Jersey, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City |
| Global Roam Zone A | Same as Euro Roam Zone A |
| Global Roam Zone B | Same as Euro Roam Zone B |
| Global Roam Zone C | Albania, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Mexico, Montserrat, Mozambique, New Zealand, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and North Cyprus, Turks and Caicos, United States of America |
| Zone D | Afghanistan, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bonaire, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Ukraine, UAE (United Arab Emirates), inc. Dubai, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam. |
| Rest of the World Zone 1 | Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (People’s Republic), French Polynesia, Gabon, Guam, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Madagascar, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Tahiti, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia. |
| Rest of the World Zone 2 | Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe. |
| Rest of the World Zone 3 | Burundi, Libya, Mali, Namibia, Nepal, Sao Tome, Tunisia. |
| Rest of the World Zone 4 | Angola, Belize, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Greenland, Lebanon, New Caledonia, Saint Helena, Somalia, Syria, Timor Leste. |
| Pay-as-you-go zones | Countries covered |
|---|---|
| Zone B | Aland Islands, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus except Northern Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France (including Corsica), French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City. |
| Around the World | Albania, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Samoa, Serbia, Singapore, Sint Maarten, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos, Ukraine, United States of America, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Vietnam. |
| Rest of the World | Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Peoples Republic), French Polynesia, Gabon, Guam, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Afghanistan, Andorra, Aruba, Bahrain, Barbados, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Chile, Curacao, Guatemala, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saba, Saudi Arabia, Sint Eustatius, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tonga, Uzbekistan. |
| Additional destinations | Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Greenland, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Syria, Timor Leste, Tunisia, Zimbabwe. |
Vodafone UK roaming plans and prices
Your roaming options with Vodafone depend on the type of plan you have and the country you plan to visit. Overall, they can be split into monthly plans, roaming passes, and pay-as-you-go roaming. Let’s take a closer look at each of these options.
Pay monthly
If you travel frequently, Vodafone offers monthly mobile plans that include international roaming. By choosing these plans, you don’t have to pay extra for roaming abroad, but you pay more for your plan every month. These plans allow you to access your monthly allowance of calls, texts, and data in any of the included destinations.
There are two monthly plan options available: Unlimited Max Global Roam, which includes international roaming in 83 worldwide destinations, and Unlimited Max Euro Roam, which includes roaming in 51 European destinations. Depending on the plan, expect to pay £3.50-5 more for a roaming-inclusive plan than an identical plan without roaming.
It’s also worth noting that the plans only include roaming in Euro Roam and Global Roam zones. If you’re travelling to a destination in Zone D or one of the Rest of the World zones, you’ll have to get a roaming pass for an additional price.
Roaming pass
If you have a Vodafone Basics plan or any other monthly plan that doesn’t cover roaming, you can get a roaming pass instead. The price of the roaming pass depends on your destination and the length of your visit. For monthly plans, you pay the pass cost to call, text, and use data from your regular allowance while abroad.
For European destinations, you’d be charged £2.57 a day to use your existing balance of calls, texts, and up to 25 GB of data. You can also get an 8-day roaming pass for £15 or a 15-day roaming pass for £20, both of which cover 47 European destinations.
For a majority of Global Roam and Zone D destinations, you’ll be charged £7.86 a day to use your existing balance of calls, texts, and up to 25 GB of data.
For the Rest of the World destination zones 1, 2, and 3, you can buy data packs ranging from 50 MB to 1 GB of data. These cost anywhere from £6 to £60, depending on the destination and how much data you get. There are roaming passes available for the Rest of the World zone 4.
Pay-as-you-go customers need a roaming extra to use their Vodafone card abroad. Instead of gaining access to your monthly balance of calls, texts, and data abroad, you have separate costs for international calls, texts, and data. These prices vary significantly depending on your destination and how much data, minutes, and texts you decide to buy.
Pay-as-you-go roaming
What happens if you don’t have roaming included in your plan and don’t get a roaming pass? For a majority of destinations in the Euro Roam, Global Roam, and Zone D countries, you’ll automatically be charged the daily roaming fee if you try to use mobile data, make calls, or send messages.
That said, countries in the Rest of the World zone have pay-as-you-go roaming rates that can quickly run up a massive phone bill. You don’t even need to actively do much, as you’d also have to pay for accepting an incoming call from UK or other countries. Let’s take a look at the prices for using your phone in one of these destinations:
| Calls | Texts | Data | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of the World Zone 1 | 60p per minute | 8p per text | 12p per MB |
| Rest of the World Zone 2 | £1.20 per minute | 30p per text | 60p per MB |
| Rest of the World Zone 3 | £2.40 per minute | 60p per text | £1.20 per MB |
| Rest of the World Zone 4 | £2.40 per minute | 60p per text | £1.20 per MB, not available in some destinations |
If you regularly use data-heavy apps, such as video streaming or social media apps, you can end up paying more for your roaming than you will for the rest of your holiday. That’s why pay-as-you-go roaming should usually be avoided, and it’s a better idea to get a roaming pass or consider other alternatives instead.
How to activate international roaming with Vodafone UK
There are several things you need to consider before you turn on data roaming on your Vodafone plan. Is roaming at your destination included in your monthly plan? If yes, simply turn on data roaming through your phone settings and enjoy using your UK allowance abroad.
If roaming isn’t included in your plan, roaming comes at an extra cost. For a majority of destinations, you will be automatically charged a fixed fee ranging from £2.57 to £7.86 a day whenever you activate roaming. However, you can also buy a roaming pass for 8 or 15 days, which is often the cheaper option.
If you’re travelling to any of the Rest of the World zones, make sure to get a roaming pass before you turn on data roaming, send texts, or make international calls while roaming. You can do so through your Vodafone account online or by texting a dedicated plan code to 40506. Inadvertent or accidental roaming without a pass will result in higher pay-as-you-go fees.
Once you’ve got your roaming package set up, all you have to do is turn on data roaming on your phone and enjoy staying connected.
How to avoid Vodafone UK roaming charges?
Roaming-inclusive plans increase your monthly bills, and you don’t feel like paying for a daily roaming fee or pass just to access your regular monthly allowance? Millions of travelers have switched to using an eSIM for international travel thanks to the price, convenience, and ease of use that eSIMs offer.
You can buy, set up, and activate your eSIM within minutes from the comfort of your couch. All you need is internet access for a few minutes while you set up your eSIM. Oftentimes, using an eSIM will be cheaper than roaming with Vodafone, and you won’t be digging into your monthly allowance while you’re at it.
Stay connected abroad with Holafly
Don’t want to constantly monitor your data usage abroad? All Holafly eSIM plans, as well as 24/7 customer support and hotspot sharing, which all but ensures that you’ll never lose connection, no matter where you go or how much data you use.
The prices typically range from £1.29 to £6 a day, depending on your destination and the duration of your plan. That’s cheaper than most Vodafone roaming options, all while keeping your UK allowance intact.
If you’re a frequent traveller or digital nomad, Holafly Connect might be an even better option for you. It’s a pay-monthly eSIM subscription with coverage in 170+ destinations. Simply pick a plan that suits your needs, enjoy steady mobile internet access almost anywhere in the world, and cancel whenever you no longer need it. No long-term commitments or cancellation fees needed.
Avoid excessive roaming fees
Don't get caught out by data roaming charges. Use local networks at local rates.
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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.
