How to avoid expensive roaming charges on your next holiday – UK Times

We all know the story of the friend who landed in a foreign country, turned on their phone and racked up a massive data bill almost immediately. It’s especially common when travelling outside of the EU, but even a short hop into Europe can incur a daily mobile data fee.

The answer used to be buying a new SIM card from a kiosk at the airport. Or you’d try to survive the entire trip by jumping between public wifi networks, never quite trusting their security every time you hand over your email address.

Thankfully, all of this can now be avoided with an eSIM. You might have heard about eSIMs, or how some smartphones can work with two SIM cards at once. While this technology was once a niche feature pursued by frequent business travellers, today it’s entirely likely your phone supports eSIMS. And with a company like Airalo, it’s never been easier to load one up and side step those scary roaming charges.

So whether you’re exploring the streets of Tokyo or cafes of Paris, an Airalo eSIM can keep you connected to your loved ones back home – and to your favourite social networks – from just £3.50.

New and existing customers can save 10 per cent on any Airalo eSIM when using code ‘THEINDEPENDENT’ at checkout

Stay connected with an Airalo eSIM

Launched in 2019, Airalo was the world’s first eSIM platform, and with over 20 million users it’s now also the biggest. The service enables seamless mobile connectivity across over 200 destinations worldwide. Plus, since it’s all done in the app, there’s no need to swap plastic SIM cards when travelling from one country to another. Airalo acts as an invisible layer between your phone and the local mobile networks, allowing you to focus on your trip instead of swapping SIM cards and hunting for wifi.

To ensure you’re connected on your next trip abroad, download the Airalo app, find the country you’re travelling to, then pick how much data you want. You might just need a couple of gigabytes for a weekend away, a larger data package for a whole week, or go for an unlimited deal that gives you as much data as you need for your entire holiday. You don’t need to think about running into a data limit – and, crucially, since the payment is made up front, there’ll be no more worrying about racking up a massive roaming bill by mistake.

Check your phone is compatible with eSIMs before picking a data plan, and remember to install your Airalo eSIM before leaving your home country.

How much Airalo eSIMS cost

Prices for Airalo eSIMs start at £3.50 for three days of access to 1GB of data. Using a trip to the United States as an example, seven days of access to 5GB is £10.50, or 10GB is £17, and 50GB for 30 days is £32.50. Unlimited data starts at £9 for three days, rising to £21 for a week and £53.50 for a whole month.

Other countries where Airalo eSIMs start at £3.50 include Thailand, Japan, UAE, Spain, Morocco, India, France, China, Australia and South Africa, among many others. Or, if you’re travelling to several countries during one trip, you can pick up a regional eSIM that covers Europe from £4, Asia from £3.50, North America from £5.50 or Africa from £15. A global eSIM that works across 166 countries and mobile networks starts at €8 (£6.93) for seven days of access to 1GB.

Save 10 per cent on your next Airalo eSIM by using code ‘THEINDEPENDENT’ at checkout

Join Airalo users worldwide

Airalo customers travel the world with their eSIMs. The top destination for British customers in 2025 was the United States, where Airalo use was up 38 per cent on the previous year. Thailand was the second most popular destination, up over 90 per cent on the year before, and Turkey was third.

Airalo eSIM use by British customers more than doubled in Morocco last year, and was up by 93 per cent in Spain, 84 per cent in France and 72 per cent in the United Arab Emirates.

Travelling today relies more than ever on live access to maps, media, banking, tickets and flight information. With an eSIM from Airalo you can stay connected to all of these services, plus your all-important social media, for a fraction of those pricey roaming charges.

Save 10 per cent on your next Airalo eSIM by using code ‘THEINDEPENDENT’ at checkout