eSIM for the United Kingdom
For a week in the UK, 2,90 € with 1 GB is more than enough. For two, 4,90 € with 3 GB. It runs on O2, EE and 3, with coverage across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And the thing almost nobody checks before flying: since Brexit, the UK is no longer covered by law under European roaming, so your Spanish tariff may not work there.
Updated on
You land at Stansted at half past eleven at night. The last bus to London leaves in twenty minutes from a stop you can't see, the ticket is in an email that won't load and the transport app is stuck spinning. At that moment it hardly matters what your contract says: either you have data or you don't.
First things first: your tariff may not work there
Until 2020, the UK sat inside the European roaming regulation and your Spanish tariff worked just like at home. On leaving the European Union it stopped being bound by it, and since then each Spanish operator decides on its own whether to keep the UK in its European zone or to charge it as a destination outside it.
Some keep it, some don't, and it varies with the specific tariff you're on. Don't rely on what your operator did three years ago or on what happened to a friend: check your customer area before you fly.
We don't publish what each Spanish operator does here because it changes over time and by tariff, and a stale fact on this page would be worse than saying nothing. The check takes you two minutes: search for “roaming” in your operator's app and see which zone the UK is in.
How many GB you need
The UK is a city trip: maps, public transport, looking places up and messaging. All of that uses very little. What eats data is video, and on a four or five-day trip that usually waits for the hotel.
| Plan | Price | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days · 1 GB | 2,90 € | A long weekend or a one-week break |
| 15 days · 3 GB | 4,90 € | Two weeks, or a road trip around Scotland |
| 30 days · 5 GB | 5,90 € | A month, or a short language course |
| 30 days · 10 GB | 8,90 € | Two people sharing, or heavy use |
| 30 days · 20 GB | 14,90 € | A long stay, or working from there |
For a three or four-day break, the 7-day plan with 1 GB at 2,90 € is more than enough. Don't overbuy: the days are a validity limit, not an allowance you have to use up.
Which networks it uses
O2, EE and 3, with 4G and 5G. That's three of the country's four operators, so coverage reaches England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the Highlands and on some Scottish islands the signal is patchy, and that happens with any card: the network there is the same for everyone.
Install it before you fly
- Buy and get the QR by email, instantly.
- Install it at home, on Wi-Fi. Installing needs a connection; activating doesn't.
- When you land, switch on the eSIM's data line.
- Turn off data roaming on your Spanish SIM, unless you've checked that the UK is included in your tariff.
Is there still free roaming in the UK?
Not by European law: Brexit took the UK out of the roaming regulation. Each Spanish operator decides whether to keep it in its European zone voluntarily, and not all of them do, nor on every tariff. Check your customer area before you travel.
Does the eSIM also work in Ireland?
No. Ireland is a different country and is still in the European Union; the UK plan doesn't cover it. If you're visiting both, look at the regional Europe plan, which includes the two.
Does it work in Scotland and Wales?
Yes, the plan covers the whole of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In rural parts of the Highlands coverage is patchy for every operator.
Does it give me a British number?
No. The plans are data only. Your Spanish number stays active for calls and WhatsApp, because the eSIM comes in as a second line and your usual SIM stays in.
See the plans for the United Kingdom
Something off, or a price changed? Write to ayuda@zasesim.com and we'll fix it. Data when you land.