Within the EU your usual mobile plan works at home prices. Once the trip goes to Turkey, Egypt, the US or onto a ship, data can get expensive fast, and for UK travellers the EU itself is no longer automatically covered. A travel eSIM is often the cheaper option. Here is where roaming costs nothing extra, where it gets costly and what a one-week eSIM package costs.
Where roaming costs nothing extra
The EU's roam like at home rule means calls, texts and data in another EU country are billed as if you were at home. The EU's Your Europe portal lists where it applies: all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine. The underlying Regulation (EU) 2022/612 runs until 2032.
The rule protects customers of EU operators. UK networks are no longer bound by it, so what Europe costs on a UK plan depends entirely on your provider's terms. The same goes for US and Canadian plans. If you travel on one of them, check the roaming charges in your account before you go.
For EU customers there are two limits. Operators may apply a fair use policy, so someone living abroad permanently on a home SIM can face surcharges. And on very large or unlimited data plans there may be a cap on how much data you can use abroad at the domestic price. Above that cap a surcharge is allowed, but it is limited by law: at most EUR 1.30 per gigabyte in 2025 and at most EUR 1 from 2027.
Where it gets expensive
Outside those countries there are no legal price caps. Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the US are not part of the rule for EU customers, even if some operators choose to add individual countries to their plans. What a megabyte costs there is up to each operator, usually set by country group and often sold as a daily or weekly pass.
There is one safeguard for EU customers. According to Your Europe your operator must apply a cut-off when you roam: once you reach EUR 50 of extra charges, or a limit you have chosen, you are told and data stops until you agree to continue. Take care on cruises and planes. If the connection runs via satellite rather than a land-based network, the EU rules no longer apply and there is no price cap at all.
What a travel eSIM is
An eSIM is a digital mobile profile that you install by QR code or app. Your normal SIM stays in place, so you can still be reached on your own number, while data runs over the travel profile. You need a phone that supports eSIM and is not locked to one network. Most travel eSIMs are data only, so calls go through messaging apps. If someone rings your own number while you are abroad and you answer, your home operator's roaming rates still apply, so it pays to keep longer conversations to messaging apps.
What eSIM packages cost (10 October 2026)
| Country | Package | Price at Airalo |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 3 days, unlimited data | EUR 10.50 |
| Turkey | 7 days, unlimited data | EUR 22.50 |
| Turkey | 15 days, unlimited data | EUR 36.00 |
| United States | 7 days, unlimited data | EUR 23.00 |
| Egypt | 7 days, unlimited data | EUR 29.50 |
Sources: Airalo's country pages for Turkey, the United States and Egypt, checked on 10 October 2026 with prices shown in euros. Prices change, and fixed-data packages are sold alongside the unlimited ones. With unlimited packages, read the terms to see whether speed is reduced after a certain amount of data.
Worked example: a week in Turkey for two
Two people spend seven days in Antalya and want maps, messaging and a little video on the go.
- Two travel eSIMs: 2 times EUR 22.50 equals EUR 45 for the whole week, with no need to watch usage.
- One eSIM shared as a hotspot with the second phone: EUR 22.50, provided the package allows tethering.
- No package, home SIM only: the cost depends entirely on your operator's rates. For EU customers the cut-off kicks in at EUR 50 of extra charges per contract, so EUR 100 for two, unless someone lifts it.
Before buying, look in your operator's app. Some sell their own weekly passes for Turkey or the US. If that pass is cheaper than the eSIM, it is the simpler choice because there is nothing to install.
Travel eSIM providers
On tripprice you will find several eSIM providers with vouchers and cashback, including Airalo, Saily and Yesim. Packages differ in length, data allowance, the local network used and whether hotspot use is allowed. A note on Turkey: Yesim states on its Turkey page that its app and website may be hard to reach there because of local regulations, and recommends buying and installing the eSIM before you travel. That is sensible advice for any eSIM.
Step by step
- Check whether your destination is covered by your plan. For EU customers travelling in the EU there is usually nothing to do.
- If not, look up in your operator's account what data costs there and whether a pass exists.
- Check in your phone's settings that it supports eSIM.
- Compare the pass with an eSIM package of the same length, per person.
- Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and switch it on only at your destination. Turn off data roaming for your home SIM.
- On ferries, ships and planes turn off mobile data or use flight mode unless you have bought a package for satellite connections.