Roaming in Europe this winter: £0 on O2, Tesco and giffgaff, £2.75 a day on Three

A week in Europe can cost a Three customer £19.25 in daily roaming charges, or £77 for a family of four, while O2, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff and SMARTY customers pay nothing extra within their limits. If you're off to a Christmas market, a ski trip or family abroad this winter, check your network's rules before you go. We read each network's own roaming page on 8 November 2026.

At a glance

Network	Europe cost	Data you can use	Outside Europe
O2	No extra charge in 40+ Europe Zone destinations	Up to 25GB	Inclusive in 27 destinations on Volt and Plus plans, 75 on Ultimate; otherwise the O2 Travel Bolt On at £7 a day in selected destinations
Tesco Mobile	No extra cost in 48 Home From Home destinations	Your UK allowance, then standard rates	Standard rates
giffgaff	Free with any plan in 37 EU zone destinations	Up to 5GB	Travel data add-ons from £4, lasting 30 days
SMARTY	No extra fees in the EU	Up to 12GB a month	Pay as you go with "Out of plan" add-ons
Three	£2 or £2.75 a day, depending on when you joined	Up to 12GB	£5 to £8 a day in Go Roam Around the World destinations
Vodafone	Depends on your plan; use Vodafone's roaming checker	Up to 25GB on pay monthly	Inclusive in up to 84 destinations on some plans

EE's roaming page didn't load for us without a browser, so we couldn't confirm its charges and have left it out. EE customers should check their own plan in the EE app before travelling.

Worked example: a family's week in France

Take a family of four, each with their own phone, spending seven days in France. Each phone uses its UK allowance every day.

Network	The sum	Total for the week
Three, joined on or after 18 December 2025	4 phones × 7 days × £2.75	£77.00
Three, joined between 1 October 2021 and 17 December 2025	4 phones × 7 days × £2	£56.00
O2, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff or SMARTY	No daily charge within the data limits	£0

Even for one person, seven days on Three's newer daily charge is 7 × £2.75 = £19.25. Three also sells Go Roam in Europe passes, which it says can give you up to 2 days roaming free, so check whether you have any before you pay daily.

O2: the biggest free allowance

O2 says it's the only major network that isn't bringing back EU roaming charges, for up to 25GB. In its Europe Zone of 40+ destinations, you can call, text and use data as you would in the UK, subject to that roaming limit. Volt customers and those on a Plus Plan also get inclusive roaming in 27 destinations outside Europe, and Ultimate Plan customers in 75. Pay monthly customers elsewhere can add the O2 Travel Bolt On for £7 a day in selected destinations.

Tesco Mobile and SMARTY: free, with limits

Tesco Mobile lets you use your UK data, minutes and texts at no extra cost in 48 Home From Home destinations across the EU and beyond. If you run out of your UK allowance, you pay its standard rates, the same as at home.

SMARTY plan calls and texts work as at home in the EU, with no extra fees. Its fair use limit lets you use up to 12GB of your monthly data allowance there. Outside the EU, you need "Out of plan" add-ons in your account, or calls, texts and data won't work.

giffgaff: free, but only 5GB of data

Every giffgaff plan includes unlimited calls and texts and up to 5GB of data in its 37-country EU zone. If you need more, or you're going further, travel data add-ons cost from £4 for 1GB, 5GB or 10GB and last 30 days. They're available for 61 countries. Without a plan, pay as you go roaming costs from 20p a MB, £1 a minute and 30p a text.

Three: a daily charge in Europe

Three's Go Roam in Europe covers 49 destinations and lets you use up to 12GB of your data. Unless roaming is built into your plan or you have a pass, you pay a daily charge to unlock your allowance for 24 hours.

• Joined or upgraded between 1 October 2021 and 17 December 2025: £2 a day.
• Joined or upgraded from 1 June 2025 on a SIM Only 24-month Lite plan with 25GB or 120GB: £2 a day.
• Joined or upgraded on or after 18 December 2025: £2.75 a day, charged from 1 April 2026 and subject to annual price rises.

In Three's 22 Go Roam Around the World destinations, the daily charge is £7, £5 on the Lite plans, or £8 for customers who joined on or after 18 December 2025. Joined before October 2021? Three says to check its price guide.

Vodafone: check your plan

Vodafone's pay monthly plans have a 25GB roaming fair use limit. Once you go over it, Vodafone says you'll pay £3.84 a GB until your next bill date or until you're back in the UK. Some plans include roaming in up to 84 destinations. On others, you add an Extra or pay a daily charge, which Vodafone shows through its roaming charge checker rather than on the page. Pay as you go customers need to top up at least £5, or buy a Big Value Bundle, for the SIM to work abroad.

Where the others have the edge

• O2 has the biggest free data allowance in Europe at 25GB, so it suits heavy data users.
• Tesco Mobile has the most free destinations of the networks we checked, at 48.
• giffgaff is free in Europe on every plan and has travel data add-ons from £4 for 24 places outside it, including Switzerland.
• Three only charges on the days you use your phone abroad, so it costs nothing extra if you rarely travel.
• A travel eSIM, from sellers such as Sim Local or WorldSIM, lets you buy data for your destination before you go, if your phone supports eSIM. Compare the price with your network's daily charge.

Our verdict

If you travel to Europe more than once or twice a year, a network with free EU roaming will save you money. O2 is best for heavy data users, Tesco Mobile for the widest spread of free destinations, and giffgaff or SMARTY for low monthly prices. If you're on Three and joined after 18 December 2025, a week away costs £19.25 a phone, so for a family, either look at passes or turn data off and use Wi-Fi. Whatever your network, check that your exact destination is in its zone, especially Switzerland.

FAQs

Are 0800 numbers free from abroad? Not always. giffgaff says UK freephone 080 numbers are chargeable while you're overseas, but most companies have a +44 number you can call instead, which is covered by your plan.

What about ferries and cruise ships? Maritime networks aren't covered. giffgaff, for example, charges £1 a minute for calls, 30p a text and £5 a MB of data on them. Turn data off on board.

Can I roam for months? No. Vodafone, for example, says you might be charged if you roam for more than 62 days, or use your phone abroad more than in the UK over four months.

How do I avoid bill shock? Set a spend cap or bill limit, and make sure it's high enough to cover any passes. Three warns that a cap set to zero can stop you roaming at all.

Ways to save

If you're thinking of switching, giffgaff has 40GB for £8 a month on its 18-month plan until 4 December 2026, and students can get 100GB for £10 a month for 12 months. Vodafone has extra unlimited data SIM-only plans from £16 a month for Vodafone Together customers.

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Sources: O2, using your phone abroad, 8 Nov 2026, Tesco Mobile, roaming, 8 Nov 2026, giffgaff, roaming, 8 Nov 2026, SMARTY, roaming and international, 8 Nov 2026, Three, Go Roam, 8 Nov 2026, Vodafone, global roaming, 8 Nov 2026

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