Land in the UK. Leave the roaming bill behind.
Brexit took Britain out of Europe's roam-like-at-home zone, and most EU carriers now charge for UK data again — the rest of the world always did. Buy the plan at home, install it over Wi-Fi, and switch flight mode off at the gate with the internet already working.
WELCOME Up to 50% off your first eSIM — code WELCOME- Working when you land
- No roaming bill to come home to
- Installed at home over Wi-Fi
Three steps, all of them at home
- 01
Get the app
UK eSIM is free on the App Store and Google Play.
- 02
Pick the plan that fits the trip
Fixed bundles from light use to heavy — with more sizes in between than most sellers carry — or an unlimited plan with a daily full-speed allowance if you would rather not count at all.
- 03
Scan the code once
Scan the QR code once and the eSIM installs itself. It waits alongside your usual SIM, dormant, until the plane touches down.
Buy it, install it, watch what is left
Every step stays on the phone: pick a plan, install it, watch the balance tick down, top up without a second install. No website login to set up beforehand.
Built for visitors, not residents
- Delivered inside the app
- Your own line stays switched on
- No shop, no plastic
- Awake on landing
- One price, paid up front
- Support that answers in your language
Where it works, and where it will not
The plan runs on a national UK network. LTE and 5G in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, along the motorways and main railway lines between them, and in most towns — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the one plan. In those places the phone behaves the way it does at home.
The rest is worth knowing before you go. Coverage thins in the Scottish Highlands and on the islands, in rural Wales, and across stretches of the Lake District and the moors — in places to nothing at all. Deep sections of the London Underground are still being wired for mobile signal, so expect gaps between stations on some lines. No eSIM changes any of that, and no SIM bought in a London supermarket changes it either. It is a question of where the masts are, not of what is in your phone, and any plan that promises you full bars in Glen Coe is promising something it does not control.
Before the Highlands, the Lakes or the coast path
Download the map for the whole route offline while you still have signal — and the campsite, bothy or trailhead with it. Tell someone which route you are taking and when you expect to be back. In the hills, treat a live connection as luck rather than as the plan — the eSIM picks the network back up on its own once you are in range again.
- 1
- install, before you leave home
- 5G · LTE
- where the network reaches
- 0
- shop queues on your first morning
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up before departure.
What is an eSIM?
A SIM built into the phone's own hardware rather than a card in a tray. You install a plan by scanning a QR code, and whatever plastic SIM you already carry does not move.
Does my phone support eSIM?
Most phones sold since 2018: iPhone XS and newer, Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and most current Android models. The phone also has to be carrier-unlocked. Every iPhone sold in the United States since the 14 has no SIM tray at all — worth knowing if you are flying in from the States — which says how ordinary this has become. Our setup guides show where to check on your model.
When should I install it?
At home, over Wi-Fi, a day or two before you fly. Installing it does not start the clock — validity only begins once the eSIM makes its first connection to a UK network. Do it early and you skip fumbling with airport Wi-Fi and a luggage trolley at the same time.
Do I keep my own number?
Yes. The eSIM is data-only, so your home line stays active for your number, your SMS codes and your messaging accounts. Point mobile data at the eSIM and leave the rest alone. What you do not get is a UK number — see below for the handful of situations where that matters.
How fast is it?
It runs on a UK-wide network: LTE across most of its footprint, 5G in the cities and larger towns. That covers maps, video calls, an evening of streaming when the hotel Wi-Fi drops out, and tethering a laptop for work.
Do I have to take my physical SIM out?
No — both lines stay live together. The setting that actually matters is which line handles mobile data: point that at the eSIM, then turn data roaming off on your home line so it does not quietly rack up charges in the background.
Flying to the UK?
Install the plan before you go, and land with the internet already working.
Free app · Paid once, before departure · Data-only, alongside your own SIM