Travelling to the UK this summer and worried about staying connected? Here are some Spanish phone companies that offer free roaming there.
If you’re British and going back to your home for the summer or are simply wanting to spend a cooler summer in the UK, you’ll be looking at several ways to make your holiday easier and cheaper.
One of the ways of doing this is to find a Spanish phone company that offers free roaming in the UK, so that you’re not paying every time you turn the internet on or make calls and you don’t have to worry about your phone bill racking up.
It’s important to be able to stay connected to contact friends and family, look up travel schedules and access transport tickets online.
Roaming: In which countries can I use my Spanish mobile without being charged?
When Brexit happened and the UK left the EU, several mobile carriers didn’t want to automatically stop including roaming for free in their rates, however, over the years, some operators have gradually withdrawn from this initiative.
Even as late as March this year, several companies such as Yoigo, MásMóvil, and Pepephone announced that users travelling to the United Kingdom will have to start paying. Now they must pay €1 per minute (plus a 50 cents call setup fee), whether making or receiving calls. Browsing also costs €2 per GB.
Therefore, it’s important to be able to find a carrier who will offer you free roaming. The ones that currently do are:
Vodafone Spain offers free roaming in the UK, Switzerland, Turkey, Gibraltar, Guam, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kosovo, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican until September 30th 2025.
Movistar, O2, Digi and Lowi also all offer free roaming in the UK.
Orange has free roaming only in Gibraltar, but not the rest of the UK.
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Keep in mind though, the only option with free roaming in the UK with a prepaid card is Vodafone. For the rest of the companies, you need a contract.
Other companies, such as Jazztel, offer data bundles that you can use for a limited time to browse the internet from the UK.
Thankfully there are several other ways you can get free roaming in the UK. These include:
eSIM cards
eSIMs are electronic cards that works exactly like a traditional SIM. The main difference is that you don’t need to physically insert the into your phone. You can activate it online and it functions virtually. This is one of the easiest ways to stay connected and buy specific packages.
There are several eSIM companies including HolaFly, Ubigi, GigSky and Better Roaming. This way you’ll be able to connect to the internet and make calls from the moment you land in the UK.
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Prepaid cards from British companies
One of the easiest and most affordable options is to buy a prepaid SIM card from a British mobile operator which includes data and calls. The main thing you need to know is that you’ll need an unlocked phone to use them.
