EE international roaming: costs and the eSIM alternative

Short answer: Keep EE roaming for a day or two, or where your plan already includes the country. For a longer trip, a travel eSIM for data costs a fraction of the daily fees, and your EE SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts.

If you are a EE customer heading abroad, the question is whether to pay EE’s roaming or buy a travel eSIM for data and keep your EE SIM for calls. Here is what EE charges as it describes it in 2026, when it is worth keeping, and how the two sit together in one phone.

What EE charges for international roaming

EE brought back roaming charges in Europe for plans sold since 2022: a daily charge of around £2.50 lets you use your UK allowance in the EU, and a Roam Abroad add-on covers it monthly on some plans. Outside Europe EE sells day passes for selected countries, from about £6 a day, and charges per megabyte where there is no pass. Older plans from before 2022 may still include EU roaming; check yours.

Prices change and differ by plan, so check your own plan on the carrier’s site or app before you fly; the shape of the offer (a daily fee, slow included data, or per-megabyte rates) is what matters when you compare.

When to keep EE roaming on

Keep EE roaming on for a few days in Europe if your plan still includes it, or if you need calls and texts on your UK number more than data.

When a travel eSIM is the better buy

• Any trip of more than a few days: a prepaid plan for the country costs less than a week of daily fees.
• Data for maps, video calls and a laptop hotspot: travel eSIM plans run at full 4G or 5G speed on local networks.
• Several countries in one trip: one regional eSIM covers Europe, Asia or the Gulf without a new fee at each border.
• Keeping your number: the EE SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts; the eSIM carries the data.

Two weeks in the United States on EE day passes is about £6 to £8 a day, £84 to £112 in all. A ONE eSIM United States plan with 10 GB for 30 days costs a fraction of that on AT&T or T-Mobile’s network.

Using a travel eSIM alongside EE

1. Check the phone is unlocked. Phones sold by EE since December 2021 are unlocked; older ones can be unlocked free from the EE app or account after a request. A locked phone cannot use another eSIM, so check first.
2. Buy the plan for your destination and install it on Wi-Fi at home; the eSIM appears as a second line.
3. Set the travel eSIM as the mobile data line and turn data roaming on for that line only. Keep data roaming off on the EE line, so no daily fee is triggered by a background update.
4. Leave the EE line on for calls and texts if you want to be reachable; receiving texts abroad is usually free, calls may not be.
5. When you land, the eSIM connects to a local network and the plan starts. Your home number keeps working for calls.

FAQ: roaming with EE and a travel eSIM

• Will EE charge me if I only use the eSIM for data? No, as long as data roaming is off on the EE line. A daily fee is triggered by the EE line using data, calls or texts abroad; with its data roaming off, only incoming texts and calls can reach it, and those are what your plan says they are.
• Can I keep my EE number while using the eSIM? Yes. The eSIM is data only and sits next to your EE SIM; calls and texts to your number still arrive on the EE line.
• Does the travel eSIM work on a EE phone? If the phone is unlocked and supports eSIM, yes; every iPhone since the XS and most Android flagships do. A phone still locked to EE will refuse the eSIM until it is unlocked.