Coming back from holiday to find an inflated mobile bill is a common problem for travellers. High daily roaming charges and hidden costs from automatic updates can significantly increase the amount you end up paying. Lee Dobson, founder of the global eSIM comparison service All Things eSIM, suggests a few simple steps that can noticeably cut your costs.
First, it is worth carefully checking your operator’s roaming policy. In your mobile network app, look for the ‘roaming’ section and check whether EU roaming is included in your plan, what the daily charge is if it is not, and what fair use data limit applies. Dobson gives the example that in 2026, among the major UK operators, only O2 still offers free EU roaming for most customers with a 25 GB cap, while EE, Three and Vodafone charge a daily fee of around £2–2.75, and outside Europe the rates are even higher.
The second tip is to set your own spending cap. Under UK law, operators are required to limit overseas mobile data charges to £45 a month and to send alerts when you reach 80% and 100% of that amount. However, users can lower this threshold themselves in the app or in their online account on the operator’s website, right down to zero, to avoid any unexpected charges, or leave only a small buffer for emergencies.
The third step is to compare your operator’s tariffs with travel eSIM offers. These eSIMs are digital SIM cards that are downloaded directly to your smartphone or tablet before the trip and connect to a local network once you arrive. Dobson recommends calculating the total cost of daily roaming bundles for the whole trip and comparing it with the price of an eSIM. For example, a daily bundle at £2.50 may be acceptable for a short weekend break, but over two weeks that already comes to £35 before any extra data use, whereas an eSIM often costs £5–20 for a week or longer and allows you to keep your UK number active for calls and texts while using a cheaper data plan.
The fourth tip concerns choosing the eSIM itself. There are many providers on the market, and it is important not to focus solely on the headline price. You need to take into account the cost per gigabyte, how long the bundle lasts, and which local network it actually uses in your destination country, as coverage can vary. Dobson notes that most tourists overestimate how much internet they need, so it is more cost-effective to start with a smaller bundle and top it up online if necessary.
The fifth recommendation is to download everything you need in advance before you travel. This includes offline maps, translation apps, boarding passes, as well as music or series for the journey. According to Dobson, this helps avoid a large chunk of data use that typically occurs immediately after landing.
The sixth step is to switch off background data and automatic updates. A significant share of unwanted charges comes from app updates, automatic photo backups to the cloud and background app refresh. Before you leave, it is worth adjusting your smartphone settings and, to be completely safe, you can switch off data roaming altogether and only turn it on when you genuinely need it.
The seventh tip is to make maximum use of Wi-Fi abroad. In your phone settings, you can enable Wi-Fi calling so you can make calls and send SMS to UK numbers over free networks in hotels, cafés or restaurants. Calls and messages via services such as WhatsApp, FaceTime or Microsoft Teams also do not incur additional mobile charges. For greater security when using public networks, Dobson recommends installing a VPN, which helps protect your privacy online.
The eighth recommendation is to watch out for accidental roaming. In border regions, your phone may automatically connect to a network in a neighbouring country with higher tariffs. Dobson cites Corfu as an example, where devices sometimes pick up a signal from Albania. In addition, some popular tourist destinations, including Switzerland, Turkey, Andorra and Monaco, are not part of the EU roaming zones, so before you travel it is worth checking the terms of your plan and not relying on automatic coverage.