Technology guide

Avoid big mobile bills when travelling abroad

Check your roaming terms, choose between your own plan, an add-on or a travel eSIM, and set your phone so you return home without a nasty bill.

Estimated time: 20–40 minutesUpdated: 2 October 2026

Use this guide a week or so before any trip outside the UK, including Europe, cruises and ferries. Have your phone, your mobile account login and your travel dates and destinations ready.

Step by step

  1. Check what your plan includes abroad

    Log into your mobile account or app and find the roaming or travel section for each country you will visit. Note whether roaming is included, charged per day, or not available, and whether any fair use limit applies. Rules and charges differ by network, plan and destination and change often, so check the current terms rather than relying on a past trip.

Members

The rest of this guide is for members

The rest of this guide – the remaining steps, a ready-to-use checklist, practical tips and fixes for common problems – is for members. Membership unlocks every ABCDayZ guide.

£3.99 for 1 month or £29 for 12 months. One payment, no automatic renewal.

Unlock all guides

Already a member on another device? Open your personal access link. Bought Programming with AI? Your first month is included.