Ken's Tech Tips

Depending on your network, it can cost up to £2.59 per day to use your phone in Spain. We review the best SIM cards for using your mobile phone in Spain.

Spain continues to be the top destination for British holidaymakers, with more than 18 million Brits visiting every year. Whether you’re there to enjoy the food and culture, or there to enjoy the seaside resorts in the Canary Islands and along the Costa del Sol, you’ll probably want to use your mobile phone whilst you’re there.

On most major UK networks, European roaming charges have now returned. This means it can cost up to £2.59 per day to use your UK SIM card in Spain. This can add an extra £18 to your phone bill for a one-week trip or an extra £36 for a two-week trip. Thankfully, it’s possible to side-step these charges by getting a £2.50 SIM card with inclusive roaming in Spain. Alternatively, you can get a local SIM card on arrival in Spain, with plans available from €10 per month.

In this article, we’ll look at the multiple ways to use your mobile phone in Spain. We’ll compare the costs of roaming on a UK SIM card and review the best UK plans for roaming in Spain. We’ll also look at how you can get a local SIM card in Spain and the coverage that’ll be available on it.

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giffgaff offers a range of flexible SIM-only plans. Find out about their Pay As You Go plans, monthly rolling, and SIM-only contracts.

In the UK, giffgaff now offers a range of SIM-only and mobile phone deals, with the flexibility to change your plan from month to month. You’ll get 4G & 5G coverage from O2, along with inclusive EU roaming (up to 5GB per month in the EU).

At present, giffgaff’s best value plans include 25GB data for £10 and 100GB data for £15 when you take an 18-month contract. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a one-month rolling plan without the long-term commitment, you can get 20GB data for £10. It’s also possible to use giffgaff on a Pay As You Go basis, with no monthly fee.

In this article, we’ll review the giffgaff mobile network. We’ll start by looking at the plans available, including giffgaff’s 18-month ‘good contracts’, the one-month rolling ‘golden goodybags’ and Pay As You Go ‘goodybag’ bundles. We’ll then look at some of the features you’ll get included on giffgaff, and how you can keep your current phone number when you switch to them.

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You can use a normal mobile phone SIM card in other devices like tablets, 4G routers, mobile broadband dongles & other connected devices.

Until 2018, you had to buy a special mobile broadband SIM card if you wanted to use it inside a tablet, 4G router, or mobile broadband dongle. This also used to apply to IoT (internet-of-things) devices such as cameras, alarms and GPS trackers.

Nowadays, it’s no longer the case that you’ll need to buy a special type of SIM card. You can just use a normal mobile phone SIM card in most devices (with only a couple of exceptions). This includes using a regular mobile phone SIM card inside a tablet, 4G router, or mobile broadband dongle.

In this article, we’ll look at the best value SIM cards for use in a tablet, 4G router or mobile broadband device. We’ll also look at the legislation around this issue in the UK and the restrictions that still apply when you use your SIM card in certain devices.

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On some UK networks, you’ll pay up to £2.59/day to use your mobile phone in Europe. Find out how much your mobile network charges for EU roaming.

If you’re travelling to another European country (including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain or Portugal), you might need to pay an additional fee for using your mobile phone abroad. Depending on your mobile network, it can cost you up to £2.59 per day to use your mobile phone in Europe.

In this article, we’ll look at the costs of using your mobile phone abroad in Europe, along with the coverage available and the fair usage limit on data. We’ll also look at the best SIM cards for European roaming, allowing you to use your mobile phone in Europe from just £2.50 per month.

Best EU Roaming SIM Card:	Lyca Mobile UK (UK-based SIM or eSIM)
Recommended Plan:	£2.50 for 5GB data & unlimited minutes
Inclusive Features:	Pay just £2.50 for one month’s usage. Cancel any time. Call, text & browse in the EU at no extra cost. Get instant delivery with eSIM & use it alongside your current SIM. A physical SIM is also available for non-eSIM compatible phones.
Compatibility:	Works with most unlocked smartphones (including iPhone & Android)
Free SIM Card:	Get Lyca Mobile UK SIM (£2.50 per month) →

EU Roaming: By Mobile Network

As of April 2025, most of the major UK mobile networks will charge you extra for using your mobile phone in Europe.

Depending on your UK mobile network, you could be charged up to £2.59 per day when you use your mobile phone in Europe. This is equivalent to an extra £18 if you’re travelling abroad to Europe for one week.

Some UK mobile networks continue to offer free European roaming. For instance, you can get another UK SIM card from as little as £2.50 with inclusive roaming in the EU. This could save you money on your trip abroad, and it’d be a cheaper alternative to paying a daily fee to your current mobile network.

The following table shows the cost of EU roaming on each UK network, along with the coverage available and the fair usage limit for data:

Network	European Roaming Cost	Roaming Coverage	Fair Use Limit For Data
ASDA Mobile	No extra cost	4G & 5G	5GB per month
BT Mobile	No extra cost	4G	15GB per month
EE	£2.59 per day1	4G & 5G	50GB per month
giffgaff	No extra cost	4G	5GB per month
Honest Mobile	£2 per day (5 days free per trip)	4G	20GB per month
iD Mobile	No extra cost	4G	Plan dependent – check here
Lebara Mobile	No extra cost	4G	30GB per month
Lyca Mobile	No extra cost	4G	Plan dependent – check here
O2	No extra cost	4G & 5G	25GB per month
SMARTY	No extra cost	4G	12GB per month
Spusu	No extra cost	4G	Plan dependent – check here
Sky Mobile	£2 per day	4G	–
Talkmobile	No extra cost	4G & 5G	5GB per month
Tesco Mobile	No extra cost2	4G	–
Three	£2 per day3	4G	12GB per month
Vodafone	£2.57 per day4	4G & 5G	25GB per month
VOXI	£1.13 – £2.45 per day5	4G & 5G	20GB per month

When you use your mobile phone in Europe, this will be subject to a fair use limit, depending on the plan and mobile network you have. Each month, you’ll be able to use up to your UK plan allowance or up to the fair use limit, whichever is lower. Over a 4-month period, you’ll also need to spend the majority of your time inside the UK (this is normally measured as 61 days over a rolling 120-day period).

Notes:

1. EE: On EE, you’ll pay £2.59 per day to use your mobile phone in Europe, unless you plan comes with inclusive EU roaming.
2. Tesco Mobile: Tesco Mobile is planning to introduce charges for roaming in Europe from 2026. This applies to all customers who joined or upgraded after the 16th June 2022.
3. Three: On Three, you’ll pay £2 per day to use your mobile phone in Europe. This is unless your Three Pay Monthly plan started on or before the 30th September 2021 (if this is the case, you’ll benefit from inclusive roaming in Europe). You’ll also get inclusive roaming on Three’s Value and Complete Pay Monthly plans.
4. Vodafone: On Vodafone, you’ll pay £2.57 per day to use your mobile phone in Europe. This is unless you have a Pay Monthly plan with 4 Xtra benefits, or a Pay Monthly plan taken before the 11th August 2021.
5. VOXI: On VOXI, you’ll normally pay £2.45 per day to use your mobile phone in Europe. However, you can reduce this to as little as £1.13 per day when you buy a VOXI European Roaming Pass.

Best SIM Cards For European Roaming

If your mobile network charges you extra for European roaming, it might sometimes be worth getting a different SIM card for your trip abroad. To give an example, if your mobile network charges you £2 per day, you’ll normally need to pay £14 for a 7-day trip to Europe. This will go up to £28 for a 2-week trip and £60 for a 1-month trip.

As an alternative, consider getting a one-month rolling plan from Lyca Mobile UK. You can get one from as little as £2.50 per month for the first month, with an inclusive allowance for roaming in the EU:

Network	Data	Monthly Cost
EE coverage 1,000 UK mins 1,000 UK texts 100 intl mins	5GB data 5GB data in EU	£2.50 for 1 month, then £5 per month No contract	See deal
EE coverage Unlimited UK mins Unlimited UK texts 100 intl mins	25GB data 12GB data in EU	£5.00 for 1 month, then £10 per month No contract	See deal
EE coverage Unlimited UK mins Unlimited UK texts 100 intl mins	50GB data 12GB data in EU	£7.50 for 1 month, then £15 per month No contract	See deal
EE coverage Unlimited UK mins Unlimited UK texts 100 intl mins	100GB data 12GB data in EU	£10.00 for 1 month, then £20 per month No contract	See deal
EE coverage Unlimited UK mins Unlimited UK texts 100 intl mins	Unlimited data 35GB data in EU	£12.50 for 1 month, then £25 per month No contract	See deal

All of the Lyca Mobile plans are available on a one-month rolling basis. This means you can change or cancel your plan at any time. There are also two ways to get your plan from Lyca Mobile:

• Get an eSIM for instant online delivery & the ability to dual-SIM. If you have an eSIM-compatible phone (such as the iPhone 11, Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and newer devices), it’s best to get a Lyca Mobile eSIM. With the eSIM option, you simply need to scan a QR code with your phone and you’re ready to save money on your trip abroad. In addition, you’ll be able to use the Lyca Mobile eSIM alongside your current SIM card through dual-SIM functionality with eSIM.
• Get a physical SIM card in the post. If you choose a physical SIM card, this will be sent out to you through the post. This means it may take a couple of days for your SIM card to arrive. A physical SIM card will work inside any unlocked smartphone (there’s no need to have an eSIM-ready phone).

European Roaming Destinations

Most European roaming offers will work in the following EU destinations:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Israel
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Republic of Ireland
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

In some cases, you may also be able to use the offer in Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Switzerland. However, these additional destinations can vary on a network-by-network basis so you should check the exact destinations covered by your network.

More Information

For more information about the costs of using your mobile phone abroad, please refer to mobile network’s official website. You can also read our in-depth guide to international roaming.

Lyca Mobile’s AloTurka plans come with inclusive roaming in Turkey & the EU. You’ll also get 50 international minutes to Turkey.

In the UK, Lyca Mobile offers AloTurka Pay As You Go plans. Designed for customers who are travelling abroad to Turkey, you’ll get an allowance of data that can be used at no extra cost when you’re travelling to Turkey & the EU.

At present, you’ll pay £15 per month for Lyca Mobile’s AloTurka S plan. This comes with unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 15GB data (of which up to 5GB can be used abroad in Turkey & the EU). You’ll also get 50 international minutes for calling Turkey.

In this article, we’ll look at the AloTurka plans from Lyca Mobile, including the latest AloTurka deals and what you’ll get included on each one.

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Sky Glass is the streaming TV from Sky. You can watch up to 180 channels and access more than 20 apps on the Sky Glass TV.

If you’re looking for a new television that has Sky’s technology built-in, you can now get the Sky Glass TV.

Sky Glass is an internet-connected television that gives you access to up to 180 channels over WiFi. You can also use more than 20 different apps and streaming services on Sky Glass, with no need for a satellite dish or set-top box.

All Sky Glass customers now start off with the Sky Entertainment & Netflix pack, which gives you access to more than 150 live TV channels. For extra channels, you can then add a range of other packs such as Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, TNT Sports and Sky Kids.

See Sky Glass TV Channel List →

In this article, we’ll look at the Sky Glass TV and the channels that are available on Sky Glass. We’ll also look at the optional channel pack add-ons and the apps available for Sky Glass.

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giffgaff now offers 18-month SIM-only deals, giving you more data and the flexibility to change your plan at any time. Find out how their contracts work.

In the UK, giffgaff now offers flexible 18-month contracts as an alternative to their one-month rolling Pay As You Go plans. You can get more data on the 18-month plans with a fixed allowance such as 6GB data for £8, 25GB data for £10, or 40GB data for £15. You can also benefit from the flexibility to change your plan over time, with fairer early termination fees and no credit checks, unlike most other SIM-only contract providers.

In this article, we’ll look at giffgaff’s new 18-month contracts and how they differ from the SIM-only contracts available from other providers in the market. We’ll also look at some of the features available on giffgaff’s new SIM-only plans, including 5G coverage from O2 and EU roaming at no extra cost.

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The Ultra HD & Dolby Atmos pack is available for £6 per month extra on Sky Stream and Sky Glass. Find out what you can watch in 4K Ultra HD quality.

In the UK, Sky TV customers with a Sky Stream box or Sky Glass TV can now add the Ultra HD & Dolby Atmos pack for an extra £6 per month. This gives you access to ultra high-definition 4K content from Sky including shows, documentaries, sports, films and more (dependent on your subscription). You’ll also get 10-bit HDR and Dolby Atmos surround sound on selected shows.

In this article, we’ll look at the Ultra HD & Dolby Atmos pack from Sky and what you’re able to watch if you pay for the upgrade. We’ll also look at the best Sky TV deals with Ultra HD & Dolby Atmos surround sound included.

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Sky Kids is available for £6 per month extra on Sky Stream and Sky Glass. Find out what’s included on the Sky Kids pack and whether it’s worth the money.

In the UK, Sky currently offers the Sky Kids pack as an optional add-on for customers taking the Sky Stream box or Sky Glass TV.

Sky Kids gives you 9 additional kids TV channels for an extra £6 per month on a 31-day rolling basis. You’ll also get the Sky Kids app for games and on-demand shows that you can watch on a smartphone or tablet.

In this article, we’ll look at the Sky Kids pack and what you’ll get included with it. We’ll also ask whether the Sky Kids pack is worth the extra money, before comparing the best Sky TV deals with Sky Kids.

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