Ken's Tech Tips

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 September 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 Offer ends 30th Sep	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 Offer ends 30th Sep	30GB 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 Offer ends 30th Sep	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 Offer ends 30th Sep	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 Offer ends 30th Sep	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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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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Lyca Mobile offers unlimited data plans from £12.50 per month for the first month. You’ll get 4G & 5G coverage from EE.

If you’re looking for an unlimited data plan where you don’t need to worry about running out of data mid-month, Lyca Mobile now offers unlimited data for just £12.50 per month for the first month. There’s no contract, no credit check, and you’ll get 4G & 5G coverage on the EE network.

Get unlimited data for £12.50 →

In this article, we’ll look at Lyca Mobile’s unlimited data plans, including the best offers that are currently available. We’ll also look at their fair usage limits, the download speeds you can expect on Lyca Mobile, and the coverage available.

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EE now offers cheaper No Frills mobile plans with a ‘basic’ download speed of up to 10Mbps.

If you’re looking for a cheaper way to get a mobile plan from EE, it’s now possible to get a ‘No Frills’ SIM-only deal from £27 per month. Some of the latest deals available include unlimited data for £27 per month and unlimited data for £27 per month.

You’ll get access to EE’s 4G and 5G network when you choose a No Frills plan. However, the maximum download speed available will be capped at 10Mbps. This should be enough for most things you’d need to do on your phone, although online video streaming will be limited to Full HD quality. The No Frills plans also exclude Data Gifting, Stay Connected Data and Inclusive Extras.

In this article, we’ll look at EE’s No Frills plans, including the latest deals available and how you can get them. We’ll also look at the key limitations and restrictions when you choose a No Frills plan and how you can keep your existing phone number when you move to EE.

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EE offers Subscription Packs from £10 per month on Pay As You Go. You’ll get 4G coverage with download speeds of up to 25Mbps, Data Rollover & Free Boosts.

In the UK, EE currently offers Subscription Packs from £10 per month. Available on a Pay As You Go basis with no contract and no credit check, the 30-day packs give you 4G coverage from EE and a maximum download speed of 25Mbps. You can also benefit from data rollover, along with a Free Boost every 2 months.

At present, you can get 8GB of data on EE’s £10 Subscription Pack. This increases to 25GB data for £15, 50GB data for £20, and 125GB data for £30.

If you want access to faster download speeds (more than 25Mbps), you’ll need to choose an EE Pay Monthly SIM card instead. Alternatively, there are 5G-ready Pay As You Go deals from 1pMobile who offer 4G & 5G coverage on the EE network.

In this article, we’ll review EE’s Pay As You Go service including the Subscription Pack bundles and how they compare to those available on other networks. We’ll also look at the coverage available and how you can keep your current phone number when you switch to EE.

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