o2 travel abroad

Home » Reviews » O2 » O2 Travel

When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

• This funds the production of our content, keeping the website free for everyone to use.
• You'll always get the same price (or better) than if you went direct.

Learn more about how Ken's Tech Tips is funded →

O2 Travel International Roaming Review: Countries, Speeds & Fair Usage

On O2, you can use your mobile phone abroad at no extra cost in up to 75 destinations, depending on your price plan.

The countries in which you’re able to use the O2 Travel offer depends on the price plan you have. On O2’s Pay As You Go plans, you’ll have access to international roaming at no extra cost in 43 European destinations. This increases to 48 destinations on Pay Monthly plans, and to 75 destinations on Pay Monthly Plus (and on regular Pay Monthly plans if you’re living in a Virgin Media household ).

In this article, we’ll review the O2 Travel offer including the countries where you’re able to use it and how much it will cost. We’ll also look at data speeds when abroad, the fair usage policy on O2 Travel and alternative roaming offers from other networks. Finally, we’ll look at how you can keep your current phone number if you’re moving to O2 to take advantage of their O2 Travel offer.

• 1.1 O2 Europe Zone Countries
• 1.2 O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Countries
• 1.3 O2 Travel Countries
• 2 Roaming Speeds
• 3.1 Within Europe
• 3.2 Outside Europe
• 4 Keeping Your Phone Number
• 5 More Information

What is O2 Travel?

On most O2 price plans, it’s possible to use your mobile phone abroad when travelling to other countries. The destinations that are included within the O2 Travel offer depend on the type of price plan you have:

For customers with an O2 mobile broadband plan , the O2 Travel offer isn’t currently available. This is because international roaming is not available on O2’s mobile broadband service.

O2 Europe Zone Countries

The following destinations are part of O2’s European roaming zone (locations marked with a † are only available on Pay Monthly plans) :

• Canary Islands
• Czech Republic
• French Guiana
• Isle of Man†
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Martin
• Switzerland†
• Vatican City

† If you’re an O2 Pay As You Go customer, inclusive roaming is not available in 5 European destinations (Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Switzerland). Instead, you’ll need to pay £1.99/day for up to 100MB of data in these countries.

Within Europe, you’re able to use your inclusive minutes and texts to contact any other number within O2’s Europe Zone. Your usage of European roaming is subject to the fair usage policy described here : the most important being that it should only be used “for periodic travel, like holidays or short breaks”. If you use your mobile phone abroad for 63 days or more in any four-month period, O2 reserves the right to apply a regulated surcharge to your usage (currently 3.3p/minute, 1p/text and £3.50/GB).

You’ll be able to use up to 25GB data per month when abroad (or less if your normal UK data allowance is less than 25GB).

On O2’s Pay As You Go plans including Big Bundles , roaming is not included in Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco or Switzerland. In these places, you can pay £1.99/day for 100MB of data.

O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Countries

Within O2’s Travel Inclusive Zone countries, you’ll get unlimited minutes, texts and data when abroad in the following destinations:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

There’s traffic management applied when you’re abroad, so your download speeds could be slowed down, depending on your usage.

O2 Travel Countries

You can use the £6 per day O2 Travel offer in all of the following destinations:

• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Costa Rica*
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador*
• Madagascar*
• Netherlands Antilles
• New Zealand*
• Saint Lucia
• South Africa
• St Kitts & Nevis
• St Vincent & the Grenadines
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turks & Caicos islands
• United Arab Emirates
• United States*

* This country is also part of the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone offer. If your tariff includes this offer, you won’t need to pay the £4.99/day charge.

To opt-in to the O2 Travel offer, text TRAVEL to 23336. It can take up to 24 hours for O2 Travel to be enabled on your account so it’s best to opt-in before departing on your trip. To opt-out of the offer and to pay O2’s standard international roaming rates instead, text NOTRAVEL to 23336.

The £6 per day O2 Travel offer isn’t available to customers on O2 Pay As You Go .

Roaming Speeds

According to their terms and conditions , there’s now a download speed limit of 2Mbps when you’re travelling abroad in other countries. This has applied from June 2022.

The 2Mbps speed limit should be enough for most day-to-day use such as browsing the web, sending messages and using social media. It’s also enough for things like maps and for listening to music. If you’re streaming online video, it should be possible to stream in standard-definition. However, it won’t be possible to stream in HD quality.

Fair Usage Policy

O2 has a fair usage policy for their O2 Travel international roaming service. The fair usage policy depends on whether you’re travelling to another European country or to a country outside of Europe.

Within Europe

According to O2’s terms and conditions , a surcharge may be applied for your usage if you spend more 63 days abroad in Europe over a rolling 4-month period. If you exceed the 63-day limit, O2 should give you the opportunity to demonstrate prevailing use in the UK. They should also give you two weeks notice before a surcharge is applied at a rate of 3.3p/minute, 1p/text and £4.50/GB of data.

Outside Europe

• The download speeds available for file transfer, online gaming, peer-to-peer downloads and network backup services is restricted. According to O2, these services “may not work with O2 Travel”.
• Audio and video streaming optimisation are in use. This may reduce the quality of your streaming content when abroad.
• The use of tethering and personal hotspot is not permitted in O2 Travel countries. This means you’re unable to share your data connection with other devices.
• When using O2 Travel outside Europe, your SIM card can only be used inside a smartphone.

Keeping Your Phone Number

If you’re joining O2 to take advantage of their O2 Travel offer, it’s a straightforward process to keep your current phone number .

To do so, ask your current mobile network to provide you with a PAC Code . You can get this through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075.

Once you’ve received the PAC Code from your old network, order your new mobile phone or SIM card from the O2 website. When it arrives, you can provide the PAC Code to O2 by submitting it through this online form . Your phone number transfer will then be scheduled by O2, normally for the next working day.

For a step-by-step guide on moving your phone number to O2 , please select your current mobile network from the drop down menu below:

Select your current mobile network:

Your current mobile network... BT Mobile EE giffgaff O2 Sky Mobile Three Virgin Mobile Vodafone 1pMobile ASDA Mobile Honest Mobile iD Mobile Lebara Mobile Lycamobile Orange Plusnet Mobile Smarty Superdrug Mobile Talk Home Talkmobile TalkTalk Mobile Tesco Mobile T-Mobile Vectone Mobile VOXI

   More Options

More Information

For more information about O2 Travel, please see O2’s official website .

Related Articles

Your Comments

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. You can add your own comment here .

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Please let me know by e-mail when there is a reply to my message.

• News & Views
• Innovation Hub
• Responsible Business

Clear and confusion free roaming with Virgin Media O2

Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2

A year and a half ago Virgin Media O2 proudly became the odd one out by not following the other major mobile networks in reintroducing EU roaming fees. All O2 and Virgin Mobile customers travelling to Europe have continued, and will continue, to roam like home regardless of whether rules and laws have changed post-Brexit.

In the current economic climate and with summer holiday season upon us, many families will be flocking to popular European destinations for a well-earned break.  Worrying about whether you can afford to use a phone while away is bonkers, and our research has shown that a quarter of Brits don’t realise they may need to pay additional mobile charges while roaming in Europe. To ease some of this pain, last year we helped save our customers an estimated £3 million per week in EU roaming charges.

Yesterday, Ofcom proposed new rules to ensure any applicable roaming charges are made clear to consumers when they head abroad. We believe that it’s important for consumers to have clear and transparent information about roaming and will continue to send alerts to our customers when they first touchdown in another country, at multiple points when they near their airtime limit and again when they reach it.

Some commentators have pointed out that we have a data ‘fair usage’ cap on roaming. We do, and we’ve never hidden this. This is the case with all operators, and it’s designed to stop abuse of roaming by a tiny minority who might be living abroad for an extended period. The key difference with Virgin Media O2 is that any of our customers with consumer contracts won’t be charged a thing up to their standard UK data limit, or the 25GB cap if their data plan is higher than that when visiting Europe – no other mobile network can say the same.

Now I realise this is an industry full of jargon, so understandably some people will worry about hitting that 25GB limit. Let me break it down. This is a hefty amount of data. It’s equivalent to 595 hours of WhatsApp voice calls, streaming more than 6,000 songs or using Google Maps while driving for 208 days straight.

I know a mobile phone is an essential item when at home or abroad, but the reality is 99% of people will never get close to that 25GB limit. And for those that do, they will receive a clear message before they get to that point outlining their options and any charges that could apply.

Beyond Europe, we have O2 Travel Inclusive Zone included at no extra cost in all Plus Plans and Volt bundles which allows millions of our customers to enjoy unlimited data, texts and calls in 27 international destinations as well as in Europe. A full list of international destinations can be found here . For those without this included in their plan, we offer an O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 a day, providing unlimited services in 63 destinations across the globe. The countries included are listed here .

For anyone about to head off on holiday who isn’t an O2 or Virgin Mobile customer, we recently teamed up with Roman (Roam On) Kemp to provide a few tips that might help you avoid some of the holiday turbulence caused by EU roaming charges. Of course, for a first-class roaming experience O2 is your best destination.

Let’s keep on roaming on.

Subscribe for Alerts

• Financial results
• Press releases

By completing this form, you agree to Virgin Media O2 using your details for the intended purpose.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

More articles

Press release

27 June 2024

Customers can get the best of O2’s services with “Ultimate Plan”, including benefits worth over £1,000.  Ultimate Plan provides a suite of…

20 June 2024

Jenni Minto, the MSP for Argyll and Bute, welcomed Virgin Media O2’s multi-million pound investment in the area during a visit to…

18 June 2024

Full-fibre broadband with top speeds of 2Gbps now available to more than 25,000 additional homes and businesses in Lowestoft Lowestoft residents can…

(anything related to Virgin Media specific services)

(anything related to O2 specific services)

• | » Cookie Policy
• » Store locator

What's on at The O2 and the O2 Academy venues?

Exclusive offers with Priority Moments and Priority Tickets to the O2.

Get cash for your mobile and help the environment.

Back up your names and numbers with Bluebook.

Sign up to great offers from our chosen partners.

How we keep you connected, and future innovations.

Working with people and protecting the planet

• Pay Monthly phones
• Pay & Go phones
• Upgrade your phone
• Phone Accessories
• Great deals
• Pay Monthly tariffs
• Simplicity - sim only
• Pay & Go tariffs
• Renew your contract
• Pay Monthly Bolt Ons
• Pay & Go Bolt Ons
• International calls
• Home broadband
• Mobile broadband
• Data Plans for iPad 2
• Other ways to top up
• Top up abroad
• Top-Up online
• Priority Moments
• Mobile insurance
• Tablet insurance
• Travel insurance
• Coming Soon
• Reviews & guides
• UK coverage
• Pay monthly
• Pay & Go
• Mobile phone tariffs
• Other phones…
• Mobile phone guides
• Phone insurance
• Home Broadband
• Mobile Broadband
• O2 Connection Manager
• Wi-Fi hotspot locator
• Internet on your phone
• Email on your phone
• Picture messaging
• O2 Top-up Surprises
• 1. Unblock your mobile
• 2. View your bill online
• 3. Keep your mobile number
• 4. Lost or stolen mobiles
• 5. My O2 iPhone app
• International & travel
• O2 customer forums
• Child protection
• Access for all
• Find an O2 store
• Swap my sim
• View bill / balance
• Upgrade / renew
• Top up your Pay & Go phone
• O2 Family Bolt On members
• Update personal details
• Change package
• Manage your O2 Wallet
• O2 Calendar
• blueroom - event priorities
• Bluebook - contacts backup
• Your picture messages
• Get My O2 on your phone
• Link/view your o2.co.uk accounts
• Your Business account

O2 International for Business

You're in: O2 home / International / Travelling Abroad

Going abroad? Passport. Toothbrush. Phone.

How much does it cost to use my phone abroad, i’m travelling to….

Show all countries

I'd like to call and text...

I'd like to call and text the....

Country Code +44

• Pay Monthly View standard rates and Bolt Ons
• Pay As You Go View standard rates and Bolt Ons

Choose a country from the list

• Media centre
• Store locator

Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

O2 takes on Three ‘Feel at Home’ with cheap roaming in 27 more countries

Stepping up its fight with Three, O2 has announced that it’s adding 27 more countries to its list of destinations you’ll be able to use your phone without receiving any additional charges. 

The additions bring the total number of countries you can roam to to 75, including the 48 countries O2 originally offered access to as part of its ‘O2 Europe Zone’.

This 75 total is four more than what’s offered in Three’s competing ‘Feel at Home’ package, which currently covers 71 international destinations.

However, while Three’s service gives you exactly the same allowances as your regular pay monthly plan (which is especially good for those lucky enough to still have unlimited data), O2’s service limits you to 120 minutes and 120 texts a day. O2 has confirmed to us that there’s no upper limit on the amount of data you can use.

You can gain access to the roaming allowance by ensuring that your plan includes the ‘O2 Travel’ bolt-on, which is included with certain O2 Refresh tariffs and can otherwise be added separately.

Related: Best smartphone 2018

A more flexible tariff

In addition to the increase in roaming destinations, O2 is also introducing a range of flexible tariffs, which will allow you to change your allowances on a month-to-month basis.

So the next time a Pokémon Go-style craze sweeps the nation, the small amount of data included in your regular plan shouldn’t prevent you from taking part in all the mayhem.

At a minimum you’ll have to stick on each tariff for a month, but that’s still a large increase in flexibility compared to what O2 previously offered.

Between these developments and Three’s roaming plans, it’s great to see competition between mobile operators leading to some really useful services. We’ll be interested to see how Vodafone and EE respond to the offers.

How important is international roaming to you? Let us know @TrustedReviews

After a stint specialising in TVs and audio gear, Jon moved to Trusted Reviews to broaden his horizons and start covering everything that the world of technology has to offer. So while he still has al…

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

We use cookies and similar technologies. You can use the settings below to accept all cookies (which we recommend to give you the best experience) or to enable specific categories of cookies as explained below. Find out more by reading our Cookie Policy .

Select cookie preferences

• Performance
• Functionality
• Account Overview

Popular Search Terms

• Samsung Galaxy deals
• iPhone deals
• SIM Only deals
• Credit Cards
• Pay as you Go
• Uswitch.com >
• Mobiles >
• Guides >

O2 international roaming FAQ

Staying connected while travelling abroad can be tricky and often costly. However, O2 has one of the most extensive international roaming policies of the UK's major networks – helping them to make the most of their mobile services while overseas.

EU roaming without charges

One of the standout features of O2's international roaming policy is its commitment to providing EU roaming without additional charges. Currently, O2 is the only major network operator that has continued to offer EU roaming without fees for data, calls, and texts up to 25GB. This means customers can use their mobile phones just like they would in the UK when travelling to any of the 48 destinations within O2's Europe Zone.

Those 48 destinations are:

Canary Islands

Czech Republic

French Guiana

Isle of Man

Liechtenstein

Netherlands

Saint Barthelemy

Saint Martin

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Vatican City

O2 Fair Usage Limit

To ensure international roaming remains fair for all users, O2 has implemented a Fair Usage Limit (FUP). This limit is designed to prevent continuous and excessive use of services outside the UK in its Europe Zone. 

Customers can use O2's services for periodic travel, such as holidays or short breaks. However, if you use O2’s services outside the UK in the Europe Zone for 63 or more days within any four-month period – and cannot demonstrate significant use or presence in the UK – charges may apply after two weeks. The charges for Pay Monthly customers include £3.50/GB for data, 3.3p/minute for calls, and 1p/text.

Roaming limits for O2 tariffs

The roaming limits differ based on the customer's monthly data allowance:

Tariffs with more than 25GB of monthly data: Customers with a UK monthly data allowance exceeding 25GB will have a roaming limit of 25GB within the Europe Zone. Once the limit is reached, customers can still use data, but they will be charged £3.50 per additional gigabyte until they return to the UK, use up their UK data allowance, or reach their next bill cycle.

Tariffs with 25GB or less of monthly data: These tariffs are not subject to the 25GB roaming limit within the Europe Zone. However, customers who exhaust their UK data allowance while roaming abroad will need to purchase a data Bolt On to continue using data. 

What's included and not included

O2's international roaming policy includes making calls and sending texts within the Europe Zone (excluding the UK), receiving calls and texts in the Europe Zone, and using your monthly data allowance while in the Europe Zone. 

However, it does not include making calls or sending texts from the UK to countries outside of the UK, making calls or sending texts to premium rate numbers, directory service numbers, and some non-geographic numbers. 

Additionally, mobile broadband tariffs are only valid for use within the UK, and mobile data usage while on a cruise ship is subject to separate charges.

O2 Travel Inclusive Zone and O2 Travel Bolt On

For travellers seeking even more extensive coverage and flexibility, O2 offers a couple of options:

1. O2 Travel Inclusive Zone

If you have a O2 Travel Inclusive Zone included in your tariff, you're in luck. This feature provides you with unlimited minutes, texts, and data roaming privileges in 27 destinations worldwide. Among the covered locations are popular destinations like the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, ensuring that you stay connected without worry during your international adventures. The full list of destinations included in the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone can be found here.  

2. O2 Travel Bolt On

If O2 Travel Inclusive Zone isn't part of your current plan you can still enjoy communication while abroad by adding the O2 Travel Bolt On to your account. For £6 per day Bolt On grants you unlimited minutes, texts, and data roaming access in 63 destinations worldwide. To explore the full list of destinations covered by the O2 Travel Bolt On, follow this link .

3. Virgin Media O2’s Volt

If you have a Virgin Media broadband connection and an O2 mobile contract, you can access the Inclusive Zone at no extra cost in all Plus Plans and Volt bundles which allows you unlimited data, texts and calls in 27 international destinations as well as in Europe. 

In the event that you're not eligible for O2 Travel Inclusive Zone and haven't opted for the O2 Travel Bolt On, or you find yourself roaming in a destination not encompassed by these services, O2's standard roaming rates will apply.

Read more...

Best network for roaming 2024 - Uswitch

All networks have their own packages for those going away either on holiday or business. Here's we break them down & find the best.

What are mobile roaming and data roaming charges? - Uswitch

Using your phone while travelling overseas can result in some pretty serious charges if you're not careful. Here's what you need to know about mobile roaming and data roaming charges.

EU roaming charges explained - Uswitch

Since Brexit, UK networks have slowly begun reintroducing EU roaming charges. If you want to have access to data, calls and text during your next trip overseas, here's what you'll be charged.

To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more

• Mobile networks

O2 roaming charges explained: Everything you need to know before your trip to Europe

Avoid hefty roaming costs by learning all about the changes O2 has made to its Europe Zone package

Roaming charges in Europe are back, with several mobile networks announcing big changes – many of which are already active, including at O2. Since the UK left the European Union in January 2021, UK phone operators have been allowed to reintroduce roaming charges as the Brexit trade deal did not explicitly rule them out. Previously, the EU’s ‘Roam Like at Home’ initiative had banned mobile networks from charging users extra in fellow member states.

No one wants to see a massive phone bill following a dreamy trip abroad, so it’s best to be clued up on all the intricacies of these changes before you jet off. Below we’ve set out everything that has changed in O2’s roaming policy, so you can enjoy your holiday and use your data, minutes and text allowance with confidence.

READ NEXT: All about roaming data and the best network providers for you

O2 roaming charges: What is changing?

Thankfully for O2 customers, going on holiday in Europe should not cost much extra – if anything at all – as the phone provider has kept its ‘Europe Zone’ package live following Brexit.

The only catch is that since 2 August 2021, customers who have a monthly data allowance of over 25GB will now have a limit of 25GB when in Europe. You can still use your data above the 25GB mark, but there will be an additional charge of £3.50 per GB extra that is used within the ‘Europe Zone’. Previously, there were no additional costs.

If you are nearing the 25GB limit, O2 has stated that you will receive a text message to let you know, as well as another once you reach it.

This all means that your data (up to 25GB), minutes and text allowances will work just like they do in the UK. You can receive and make calls and texts at no extra cost. For those travelling abroad on a Pay As You Go deal, charges and allowances under O2 will also work as if you are in the UK.

Browse O2 phone contracts

O2 roaming charges: What countries does this apply to?

The O2 Europe Zone includes the following destinations: Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City.

READ NEXT: Best pay as you go SIM deals

O2 roaming charges: What is not included?

While you can make calls and send texts to any country in the Europe Zone (including the UK) as normal when travelling abroad, if you are still in the UK and want to call or text someone outside the UK there will be an additional cost. The price will depend on the country but for most European nations calls will be around £0.19 per minute on both monthly contracts and Pay As You Go deals. Standard SMS texts to European regions are £0.06 per text. For other international regions, calls could increase in price to as much as £3.00 per minute, so it is best to read up on your specific destination on the O2 website .

O2 roaming explained for international & EU countries

You can roam and use O2 within most countries around the world.

You can use your regular allowance for free within 48 European countries, with a data fair usage policy of 25GB per month.

With selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans, you also get the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, which allows you to use unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 27 international destinations outside the EU.

Alternatively, all O2 mobile customers can get the O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 per day, which gives you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 63 international destinations outside the EU.

What's the best O2 SIM for roaming?

O2 eu roaming - after brexit, o2 travel inclusive zone bolt on, o2 travel bolt on, what’s the difference between the o2 travel bolt on and o2 travel inclusive zone bolt on, does o2 have a fair usage policy when roaming, will i be charged if i exceed my allowance when roaming with o2, can i get 5g when roaming with o2, can i roam for free in the eu with o2, how can i setup my phone to roam with o2, will i be charged if i go over my allowance when roaming with o2, can i tether to another device when roaming with o2, how can i get the o2 travel bolt on.

You can use your allowance for free within the EU with all O2 SIMs .

You can find the cheapest O2 SIM Only deals by using our comparison tools. O2 SIMs will work with all phones, including the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 15 .

With O2 Europe Zone, you can continue to roam for free and use your allowance within the EU.

O2 Europe Zone is included with all plans at no additional cost.

O2 are one of the few networks which will not introduce charges for roaming within the EU after Brexit .

In accordance with the fair usage policy, if your regular allowance is greater than 25GB, you cannot exceed 25GB per month when roaming in the EU.

If you go over your regular allowance, or you exceed the fair usage policy of 25GB per month, you will be charged £3.50 for each additional GB you use when roaming in the EU.

You must also be considered a permanent UK resident. You cannot roam within qualifying European countries for excessive or consecutive periods at a time.

You can use your allowance for free within 48 European destinations:

• Canary Islands
• Czech Republic
• French Guiana
• Isle of Man
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Martin
• Switzerland
• Vatican City

With the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you will get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts within 27 international countries.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is included at no additional cost with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It is not included with any 30 day SIM only plans or pay as you go plans.

If your plan doesn't include the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, you can choose it as your O2 Extra with the following plans:

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, excessive usage may see your data speeds temporarily restricted.

The following 27 international countries are covered by the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

If you’re not eligible for the free O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you cannot pay for it. However, you can purchase the similar O2 Travel Bolt On, which covers 63 international destinations for £6 per day. See below for more information.

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available for £6 per day, and covers 63 international destinations.

Similar to the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 or by enabling it via your O2 account.

The £6 daily fee will automatically be charged when you use mobile data, make a call or send a text message. Using Wi-Fi or receiving calls and texts will not trigger the charge.

The moment the charge is triggered, you'll have access for 24 hours, until the trigger resets. There are no limits on the amount of consecutive days you can trigger the Bolt On.

It is important to note you must enable the O2 Travel Bolt On before you use data, make a call or send a text. If you don't enable the Bolt On, you won't be charged the £6 daily fee - instead, you will be charged at a standard roaming rate, which can be expensive.

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

The O2 Travel Bolt On works in the following 63 destinations:

• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Dominican Republic
• Netherlands Antilles
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• South Africa
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks & Caicos
• United Arab Emirates

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is free with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It works in 27 international countries. You cannot buy the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On if you are not eligible for free, however you can choose it as an O2 Extra with select tariffs.

On the other hand, the O2 Travel Bolt On is available to all pay monthly customers for £6 per day and works in 63 international destinations.

Both Bolt Ons give you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, the O2 Travel Bolt On comes with a 2Mbps speed limit.

If you’re using your allowance for free within O2’s Europe Zone, you cannot exceed 25GB data per month if your regular allowance is greater than this amount. If you go over this limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your allowance resets during the next month.

In addition, you cannot roam within the O2 Europe Zone for more than 63 days within a 4 month period - the offer is not intended for extended holidays. If O2 thinks you are abusing the free EU roaming policy, you will be given a 2 week notice, before a surcharge is applied:

The surcharge will be dropped when you return and stay in the UK for a reasonable time.

For the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, there is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use, however O2 states they may implement a temporary speed limit if your usage is deemed excessive. The O2 Travel Bolt On does not have a fair usage policy, however there is a permanent 2Mbps speed limit in place at all times.

If you exceed your data allowance or go over the 25GB limit when roaming for free in the Europe Zone, you will be charged £3.50 per GB, until your plan resets during the next month.

If you don't have an roaming Bolt On when travelling outside of Europe, or you're not in an eligible country, you will charged at a standard out of plan rate.

The out of plan rate is typically expensive, and varies between countries. For full charges, see O2 roaming rates

The following shows the O2 out of plan rates within a few international destinations.

No, 5G is only available within the UK with O2 . The maximum signal you can get when roaming with O2 is 4G.

Yes, all O2 customers can use their regular allowance for free with O2 Europe Zone, covering 48 European destinations.

Before roaming with O2 , you must enable roaming in your phone’s settings.

For Android users:

• Go to Settings
• Go to Connections -> Mobile networks -> Roaming
• Enable Data roaming

For iPhone users:

• Go to Mobile data -> Mobile Data Options
• Enable Data Roaming

If you're roaming in the EU and go over your data allowance or the 25GB limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your plan resets at the next month.

Yes, you can tether to as many devices as you like when roaming with O2 . Any regular data limitations that apply when roaming will also apply when tethering while roaming.

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available with all pay monthly plans for £6 per day. You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 . Alternatively, you can purchase the Bolt On through your O2 account.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is available for free on selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only contracts and Volt plans. You may also choose it for free as an O2 Extra, with eligible plans.

Both Bolt Ons come with unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, they each cover different destinations.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Where is the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone? Phone provider’s data policy explained

Share this with

We’ve all been there – the plane lands, you whip out your phone and then feel a moment of panic over whether to turn on data roaming.

Let alone agonising over how much it will cost to call home.

Depending on your contract, and your network, using your phone on holiday can be just the same as at home – or very pricey.

It’s all got so much more complicated since Brexit , as some companies reintroduced roaming charges .

The trick is to get clued up and sorted before you go, so there are no unexpected surprises.

Because when you’re hitting the beach for some much-needed R&R , fretting about your phone bill will just pile on the stress.

So if you’re on the O2 network, what’s included – and what isn’t?

Here’s what you need to know.

Is O2 free in Europe?

In its Europe Zone, O2 contracts work as they do in the UK – so you’ll get the same number of minutes, texts and the same data allowance (up to a limit of 25GB). You can use this for up to 63 days in any four-month period – more than this will trigger a ‘fair usage’ text and after that you could be charged £3.50 per GB for data, 3.3p per minute for calls and 1p per text.

If your data allowance is more than 25GB in the UK, it will be capped at that level in Europe – you can use more, but you’ll have to pay for it.

The Europe Zone also applies to pay-as-you-go – data will come out of your allowance or be charged as it would in the UK.

Note that a handful of Europe Zone destinations on pay-as-you-go are slightly different: in Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco or Switzerland, you can buy a travel bolt-on £1.99 for 100MB of data, texts are 1p and calls within these countries or back to the UK for 4p a minute.

Countries in the O2 Europe roaming zone are:

• Canary Islands
• Cyprus* (excluding Northern Cyprus)
• Czech Republic
• French Guiana
• Isle of Man
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Martin
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City  

What’s the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone?

The ‘Travel Inclusive Zone’ is a list of 27 countries outside of the Europe Zone.

Countries in the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone are:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

Who can get the Travel Inclusive zone?

It’s offered as a bolt-on on certain O2 Selected Plus Plans (including pay monthly and 12 and 24-month sim-only) to cover unlimited minutes, texts and data roaming in these areas (with no cap on the data).

It’s not available on 30-day sim-only tariffs or on pay-as-you-go.

What about outside the Travel Inclusive zone?

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

If you’re travelling outside of the Europe Zone and do not have the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, then if you’re on pay monthly you can buy the the O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 a day which gives unlimited minutes, texts and data in selected destinations.

O2 has a dedicated page where you can check to see if the country you’re visiting is covered. You can add the bolt-on by texting TRAVELON to 21300.

For pay as you go, it’s not offered, so you’ll be charged international roaming rates outside of the Europe Zone.

Your Daily Horoscope

Daily horoscope today: June 28, 2024 astrological predictions for your star sign

You can check international roaming rates on O2’s dedicated page – in the US, for example, data is a whopping £7.20 per MB on pay-as-you-go, and calls cost £2 a minute to make and receive.

MORE : List of WhatsApp changes in 2023 – from Chat lock to message edits

MORE : What you can and can’t pack in your hand luggage – from liquids to gadgets

MORE : Rhodes, rest and relax: The Greek island that saved me from burnout

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below

Get need-to-know travel news, inspiration and advice from Metro every week.

Sign up here....

Privacy Policy

To the red-haired guy with bright blue eyes on the delayed 5.27pm to…

Just wanted to tell the sexy man who walks up King’s Road, Birmingham…

Enter your birthday for your free daily horoscope sent straight to your inbox!

Get us in your feed

• Phone Deals
• Phone Hacks & How Tos
• Phone Reviews
• Phone Best Picks
• Tablet News
• Tablet Deals
• Tablet Hacks & How Tos
• Tablet Reviews
• Tablet Best Picks
• Wearable Tech News
• Wearable Tech Deals
• Wearable Tech Hacks & How Tos
• Wearable Tech Reviews
• Wearable Tech Best Picks
• Home Tech News
• Home Tech Deals
• Home Tech Hacks & How Tos
• Home Tech Reviews
• Home Tech Best Picks
• Streaming News
• Streaming Deals
• Streaming Hacks & How Tos
• Streaming Reviews
• Streaming Best Picks
• Smart Answers
• Amazon Prime Day
• Phenomenal Phones
• Top Tablets
• Superb Smartwatches
• Amazing Air Fryers
• Versatile Vacuums
• Elite Electric Toothbrushes

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence .

How does roaming work on O2?

Before you jump on a plane or a ferry, it pays to know exactly what the score is when you use your O2 (or Virgin Mobile) SIM in a country other than the UK. Do calls, text and data come out of your allowances or will you be slapped with a hefty bill just for checking Facebook?

We’ve got all the answers you need.

Can I roam on my O2 SIM?

Yes. But whether or not you’ll be charged depends upon where you’re going, how you pay and also which tariff you’re on.

O2 Travel is what you need to use your calls, text and data abroad, and you can log into your O2 account to see whether you have it as part of your package. Alternatively, dial 202 on your phone and just ask the customer service team.

To opt into O2 Travel, sign in to My O2 and then add the O2 Travel Bolt On. It doesn’t cost anything to do this: you will only be charged if you trigger the Bolt On by making a call, sending a text or using data in a country that’s outside of the Europe Zone .

Despite having removed them in 2017, following Brexit, three of the big four UK carriers reintroduced roaming charges across the EU. However, on 10 January 2022, Virgin Media O2 ‘s Chief Commercial Officer for Mobile, Gareth Turpin, confirmed that “we [Virgin Media O2] will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe for customers on O2 or Virgin Mobile.”

This means O2 (and Virgin Mobile) customers are in the best position, in terms of European roaming charges are concerned, as they don’t have really worry about them.

Note: Don’t forget to enable data roaming in your phone’s settings, otherwise, your apps and browsers will tell you there’s no internet connection.

Roaming in Europe

If you’re heading to Europe, great news. You don’t need to worry as your phone will work just like it does in the UK. Any calls or texts you make will come out of your normal allowance, and the same goes for data from your bundle.

Just check O2’s Europe Zone to make sure your destination country is included.

If you’re on a pay-as-you-go bundle, check out the included countries here (the list is different to the Pay Monthly list). Note that Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Switzerland are excluded for PAYG customers. You can get 100MB of data for these destinations for £1.99 per day.

Also, note that using mobile data on a cruise ship isn’t covered, but you should be able to use the ship’s own Wi-Fi. Making and receiving calls on a ship costs £2 a minute, and sending each text costs 50p.

Roaming outside Europe

If you have a tariff that gives you free O2 Travel in the Inclusive Zone, the following countries are included and you won’t be charged for calls, texts or data as long as you don’t go over your usual allowance:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

If you don’t have free O2 Travel on your tariff, then you’ll need to opt into O2 Travel (you can also do this by texting O2TRAVEL to 23336) before you head abroad.

You’ll be charged £4.99 per day, but only on the days that you ‘trigger’ the Bolt On. That means the first call you make, text you send or data you use will start O2 Travel for that day, which runs from midnight to midnight based on the capital city of the country you’re in.

What does O2 Travel include?

For your £4.99 per day, which you’ll be billed if you’re not eligible for the ‘Inclusive Zone’ or Europe, you get 120 minutes, 120 text and unlimited data.

O2 says there’s no cap on data at all, but that “speeds may vary” which, reading between the lines, means you’ll see a slow-down in your connection speed if you’re using more than the amount in O2’s fair use policy.

Is O2 good value for roaming?

Considering EE, Three and Vodafone have all reintroduced roaming charges – even within Europe – since Brexit went into effect, Virgin Media O2’s decision to abstain from reintroducing them is a huge win for customers; especially those who like to travel and are likely to find themselves hopping around Europe.

If you’re off to a destination where you can’t use your allowances, you might be able to get a better deal than the £4.99 per day charge for O2 Travel.

Pop into a phone shop – or pre-book online – and pick up a local pre-pay SIM when you arrive at your destination. This is often a way to use your phone – especially mobile data – for a much-reduced cost. Some operators even sell ‘tourist SIMs’ for exactly this reason. Do your research before you go and you could save a lot.

There are disadvantages of doing this, including the fact that people won’t be able to call you on your normal number while you’re using a different SIM. Of course, if you have a dual-SIM phone, then that’s not an issue, but do watch out if you intend to keep your O2 SIM in a phone, so people can contact you, as you might be charged for receiving calls and texts if you’re outside of the inclusive zones.

If you have SIMs with other operators, check out our other guides:

• What you need to know about roaming on EE
• What you need to know about roaming on Vodafone
• What you need to know about roaming on Three

Author: Jim Martin , Executive Editor, Tech Advisor

Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.

Recent stories by Jim Martin:

• Lab-tested: These Android antivirus apps will protect your phone from malware
• How to tell if your phone is fast charging
• How to make your own iPhone ringtone from a song for free

• Phone Finder

Testing Airalo and Yesim travel eSIMs in London

• Post your comment
• Comments (32)

Michail 30 March 2024

Airalo Yesim Other

Traveling is synonymous with planning, and for us here at GSMArena, that also includes figuring out how to deal with roaming fees when we step abroad, as we need an uninterrupted internet connection at all times.

With embedded-SIM (eSIM) support now widely available on phones, tablets, and smartwatches, picking up a travel data plan is a quick and easy process, and we got the chance to test out travel eSIM plans from Airalo and Yesim during a week-long trip to London.

The convenience of downloading a travel eSIM plan and then having instant mobile data as soon as you get off the plane is a great way to kick off any trip. Not having to deal with unreliable hotel and public Wi-Fi networks is another bonus.

Activating an eSIM is a straightforward process but there are some pitfalls that you may encounter. We’ll try to cover the whole process from selecting and buying a travel eSIM to actually using one in this article.

Setup process

The very first step you need to take is to make sure that your device supports eSIM. You can use our database to see if your device has eSIM. These are all of the smartphones with eSIM support from our database. We also have a list for tablets here .

Airalo supports 200+ countries and regions, while Yesim covers 160+ countries. Both services offer local eSIMs for visiting specific countries, regional eSIMs for visiting multiple countries in the same region or continent, and global eSIM profiles, which are the most expensive but cover all of the supported countries in case you are traveling between continents in a short span. There are no contractual obligations here as both services are pay-as-you-go.

Validity for the travel eSIMs varies by country and plan, ranging from 7 to 365 days. The lowest amount of data you can buy on Airalo is 1GB while the limit for most countries is 20GB. Yesim plans start at 3GB and top out at 20GB. The more expensive plans have longer validity, so keep that in mind.

One area where Yesim holds an advantage is the unlimited data packages, which are on the more expensive side but will serve you without any data cap, which is great if you plan to download large files and hotspot data to other devices.

Most of the Airalo and Yesim plans don’t include texts or calls, though both services offer virtual international numbers, which allow you to receive incoming texts for account activations. You can get a valid virtual number from Yesim for the US, Netherlands, Canada, or Israel for the equivalent of $2.75 per month or $33/year.

Airalo’s Discover+ Global eSIM plan (supported in 125 countries) includes a valid Austrian phone number that can be used to send and receive texts and calls. Calls and texts on that plan are fixed, with the cheapest plan offering 10 mins of calls and 10 SMS messages.

The setup process for Airalo and Yesim is quite similar - you select and purchase your eSIM plan from their websites or via their respective apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Once you’ve successfully purchased your plan, it will appear inside the app. You can then go through the guided setup process to activate your eSIM. This involves scanning the QR code which was sent to your account. Once scanned, you’ll automatically transfer to the setup page within the settings menu. You can also enter the activation codes manually if you prefer.

It’s advisable to activate your travel eSIM before your trip, which will spare you the hassle of dealing with the setup process when you land at your destination. Having a stable internet connection during the setup process is important, and you should obviously not switch off your phone during this time. The setup process will then ask you to assign a default SIM for calls and data where you can enable the new travel eSIM for the latter.

Another crucial step here is to activate the data roaming option for the new eSIM profile. Failing to do so will prevent the travel eSIM from automatically connecting to networks at your destination.

If you encounter any issues during the setup and installation process, both services have support chats to help you out with any potential issues.

We tested both Airalo and Yesim in London on the O2 network with 5G connectivity. We followed the onscreen activation instructions and installed both eSIMs on two iPhone 15 Pros prior to our arrival. Once we touched down in London, our phones automatically connected to the O2 network, and we had mobile data.

We purchased 5GB data plans on both services, with the Yesim plan holding 15-day validity while the Airalo plan was valid for 30 days. Each plan cost us the equivalent of $12 after applying a promo code.

In our experience, both services worked well for basic social media, navigation and music streaming. Less demanding tasks like using Google Maps navigation, search queries, and instant messaging worked without any issues.

Some data-heavy video apps like Instagram and TikTok would take a few seconds to refresh at times, but that has more to do with the actual network coverage from the local carrier, which in our case was O2. When network connectivity was on point, everything worked just fine.

We also tested both Airalo and Yesim plans as hotspots, which proved reliable, especially if your hotel Wi-Fi is slow.

We carried out our initial network speed test at Stansted Airport, located 68 km outside of Central London. Coverage here wasn’t the best, as we got 12.6 Mbps download and 1.01 Mbps upload speeds on Yesim. Our Airalo eSIM managed 9.27 Mbps download and 0.15 Mbps upload speed at the same location. Both services were rated as suitable for 1080p video max resolution by Ookla Speedtest.

Once we got to Central London, our network speeds were noticeably better as we achieved peaks of 87.9 Mbps download and 21.4 Mbps upload on both eSIMs. That’s more than good enough for 4K video streaming, online gaming, and anything else you could want from a mobile internet connection.

Travel eSIMs are reliable, easy to set up services that help you evade overpaying for roaming fees when traveling abroad. Airalo and Yesim are two of the leading providers in this field and served us well during a week-long trip to London.

Whether it was navigating the city sights with Google Maps, ordering food, or doomscrolling on social media, both services got us uninterrupted connectivity as soon as we landed on UK soil. They also come with well-optimized apps with easy-to-follow setup instructions.

Network speeds and coverage will depend on the local carriers that have deals with Airalo and Yesim. Having the ability to buy an eSIM plan for almost any country with a few clicks and knowing that you’ll have mobile data on arrival is great peace of mind.

One of the downsides to traveling eSIMs is their pricing, which is usually higher than that of local data plans from established carriers. You cannot switch eSIM profiles between devices like you can with a physical SIM card, and most of the plans are mobile data only, so you don't get calls or text messages.

With that being said, we can recommend both Airalo and Yesim for your next trip abroad. Both apps offer great service and an easy-to-follow installation process, and they are valuable tools for frequent travelers.

If you want to try out Airalo or Yesim , you can use our code GSMARENA for a 10% discount on your first purchase.

We may get a commission from qualifying sales.

Reader comments

• 06 Apr 2024

Me using a 7 year old phone in 2024, and it still serves me well

Airalo register was almost impossible and tricky for me. I got rejected wih stupid security procedures while doing setup. They ask too much info, and if you fail youre stuck. Instead i decided to go with InstaBridge. Its easier to install and setup. ...

• 01 Apr 2024

It doesn't really matter since network performance would be a function of the host network and not the eSIM provider or MVNO. Kind of pointless to test here.

• Read all comments

Home News Reviews Compare Coverage Glossary FAQ RSS feed Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram

© 2000-2024 GSMArena.com Mobile version Android app Tools Contact us Merch store Privacy Terms of use Change Ad Consent Do not sell my data