Roaming outside the EU: what Europe’s big carriers charge in 2026

Inside the EU, roaming is easy: your plan works at home prices. Step outside it, to Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, the US, Egypt or Thailand, and every carrier makes its own rules. One customer pays nothing extra in Istanbul while another, on a different network, pays €12 for a single megabyte. This guide shows what the big carriers in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK charge for mobile data in six popular destinations outside the EU, based on their own price lists in October 2026. Prices change often, sometimes monthly, so treat these as a snapshot and check your own carrier's roaming page before you travel.

Where EU roaming applies, and where it stops

The EU's "roam like at home" rules cover the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and since January 2026 Moldova and Ukraine. Everywhere else, including Switzerland, the UK, Turkey, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican, is up to your carrier. Some include these countries anyway; many don't.

The Western Balkans may be next. The European Commission proposed talks on extending EU roaming there in February 2026, and EU governments approved them in June 2026. Nothing is in force yet, and each country must first adopt the EU's roaming rules. Our guide to where EU roaming actually stops covers the edge cases, from cruise ships to border areas.

Your safety net: the €50 cut-off

EU rules still protect you outside the EU. Under the EU Roaming Regulation, your carrier must stop your mobile data by default once roaming charges reach about €50 a month before VAT, unless you've chosen a different limit, and it has to warn you as you get close. With VAT, carriers usually show this as around €60, or the same amount in your own currency. Outside the EU, it only works where the foreign network reports your usage in real time. If it doesn't, your carrier must text you when you arrive to say the limit isn't available. It also covers the onboard networks on ships and planes, but those charge far more than normal roaming, so turn data roaming off on board.

It's a safety net, not a plan. At per-megabyte rates, €50 can disappear in minutes, and then your data simply stops until you buy a pass or raise the limit.

What the carriers charge, country by country

Prices below are for mobile data on standard plans, from each carrier's own price list in October 2026 unless marked. "Included" means the destination uses your plan's normal allowance. Euro prices include VAT. We've left out prices we couldn't confirm.

Spain

Italy

France

Germany

The Netherlands

Poland

The UK, for comparison

Since Brexit, UK carriers are free to charge for roaming in the EU, and most of the big ones do, so the EU itself counts as "abroad" for many UK travelers.

What a week actually costs

The same trip can cost nothing extra or a lot, depending purely on your carrier. Take a week in Turkey with about 5 GB of data:

• Included: Vodafone Spain (on its current promotion) and Vodafone Netherlands add no charge, and Free in France counts it against your 35 GB.
• A daily pass: Vodafone Germany's EasyTravel is €7.99 a day automatically, or €21.99 if you book the week in advance, Orange Spain €9 for each day you use data, and Orange Poland 15 zł a day.
• Pay per megabyte: at Movistar's €12.10 per MB, you'd hit the roughly €60 cut-off after about 5 MB, a few minutes of browsing.

Thailand and Egypt usually cost more than Turkey or the US, and Switzerland is the biggest lottery, since some carriers treat it like the EU and others don't. Our Switzerland guide covers that one in detail.

How to avoid a surprise bill

• Find your destination on your carrier's roaming page before you travel, and check whether it's included, on a daily pass or charged per megabyte.
• Find out whether a daily pass switches on automatically, and what it costs per day.
• Turn off data roaming on your home SIM if your destination isn't included. You'll still get calls and texts if your plan allows them.
• Or use a travel eSIM for data. You install it before you fly, pay once for the data you choose, and keep your home SIM for calls. Weighing the options? See eSIM vs local SIM vs roaming.

Get a travel eSIM for 200+ destinations in under a minute.

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