Phone checklist before you travel abroad from the UK
In short
Before you travel, run this phone checklist at home on Wi-Fi: eight checks, from your network’s roaming terms to the text you should get when you land. Buying, installing and starting the plan’s days are three separate steps. On most of our plans the days start on the eSIM’s first connection at your destination, not when you buy or install it, so installing early uses no days on those plans; a few plans start on installation instead, so check the activation rule shown on your plan before you install. The install window is 365 days on almost all our plans.
Information verified on 24 October 2026 at the official sources listed below. This is not immigration or legal advice; check GOV.UK and the official website of your destination before you travel. How we check information.
On this page
This site is not affiliated with any of the networks mentioned here; we sell eSIMs. How we compare
You may not need an eSIM at all. Ireland is included on all 15 UK networks, and ten include Europe on some or all current plans. Step 1 checks yours.
What is the checklist, in order?
Eight steps, in this order, the night before you fly or earlier. Each step links the page that covers it in full, with menu paths and sources checked on 24 October 2026.
- Check whether your network already covers the trip. Find your network on the roaming guides: if roaming is included where you are going, turn Data Roaming on for the UK line and you may not need an eSIM. Some networks add a step of their own, such as EE’s ROAMING text to 150 or a VOXI pass.
- Check that your phone takes an eSIM and is unlocked. Dial *#06#: an EID line means the phone has an eSIM. On an iPhone, Settings → General → About shows “No SIM Restrictions” next to Network provider Lock (Apple); on a Samsung or a Pixel, ask the network that sold you the phone. Details: eSIM compatible phones.
- Buy and install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi. Apple says the iPhone must be on Wi-Fi to download it, bar some eSIM-only models in some countries (Apple). Check that it shows as a new line before you leave the house: how to install an eSIM.
- Choose the data line and set Data Roaming. Select the travel eSIM for mobile data, the night before or as soon as you land, and turn Data Roaming on for it if your order e-mail says so. The UK line is your choice on an iPhone or a Pixel; Samsung has one switch. Menu paths: data roaming settings.
- Keep the UK line switched on, and test it. Our regional plans are data only and have no number, so bank texts still come to your UK SIM or eSIM. With the travel eSIM on data, ask someone to text your UK number: keep your UK number.
- Keep the order e-mail to hand. Beside the QR code it holds the manual details for a failed scan, the Data Roaming instruction and the order number we ask for. If you bought it for someone else and added their address, the same e-mail went to them. Never delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted eSIM usually cannot be installed twice from the same code.
- On landing, read your network’s free text. See the next section.
- No data after landing? Run the no signal checks first, then message us on WhatsApp with your order number and phone model.
Menus can differ by model and software version, so each linked page prints its paths with the date we checked them. Anything not on this list is in the help pages.
What should I look for when I land?
A free text from your UK network. Since 1 October 2024, Ofcom’s General Condition C3.15 has required every UK network to send one when your phone connects abroad, unless you opted out (checked on 24 October 2026, Ofcom).
The message must say whether the destination is in your plan, the price per minute, text and GB, and when any recurring charge starts and ends. If it arrives, your UK line is connected and receiving texts abroad. What each part means: data roaming explained.
Your travel eSIM works separately, and on most of our plans its validity starts on its first connection at your destination. If you kept mobile data on the UK line for the journey, switch it to the travel eSIM now. No connection? Go to step 8.
Which settings matter on each line?
Two settings, and they are separate: which line carries mobile data, and whether Data Roaming is on for each line. Set the travel eSIM as the data line, then set roaming per line (checked on 24 October 2026, Apple).
| Travel eSIM line | UK line | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile data | Selected as the data line | Not selected |
| Data Roaming | On, as your order e-mail says | Your choice; off stops mobile data on this line |
| Calls and texts | Data-only plans: none | Stay on the UK number |
Data Roaming off on the UK line stops mobile data, not every charge. On EE, Vodafone and Sky, a call you make or a text you send on the UK line can still start a charged day. Each network’s rule is in the table on our dual SIM page.
Samsung’s UK guide shows one Data Roaming switch, not one per line, so “Your choice” in the table does not apply there. Set the switch as your order e-mail says and keep Mobile data on the travel eSIM.
Going to Turkey? Buy and install before you fly
Buy and install your eSIM before you travel — eSIM shops, including ours, may not open on Turkish networks. Since July 2025, according to press reports, Turkey has blocked foreign eSIM sellers’ websites and apps.
The block started on 10 July 2025, when Turkey’s regulator BTK cut access from Turkey to those sites and apps (reported by Teknoblog, 11 July 2025, in Turkish). It is a block on shops, not on eSIM technology, so an eSIM installed at home is the safe order.
Step 1 matters here too: Turkey is in no UK network’s Europe zone, so a Europe allowance does not cover it (checked on 24 October 2026). Plans and network charges: eSIM for Turkey and the Turkey guide.
Where do I check travel advice and entry rules?
On GOV.UK. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) publishes foreign travel advice for 226 countries and territories, each page with its own update date (checked on 24 October 2026, GOV.UK).
Each country page has its own sections, including Entry requirements and Warnings and insurance. We do not summarise them, because they change and a summary goes stale. Open your destination’s page the night before you fly, next to this checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Do I turn off roaming when using eSIM?
Not on the travel line. On an iPhone or a Pixel, set Data Roaming per line: on for the travel eSIM if your order e-mail says so, your choice for the UK line. Samsung’s UK guide shows one switch, so set it as your order e-mail says. Turning roaming off on the UK line stops mobile data there, but a call you make or a text you send can still be charged.
When should I install a travel eSIM?
Before you leave, at home on Wi-Fi. On most of our plans the days start on the first connection abroad, not on install, so the evening before or a week before uses no days. A few plans start on installation, and on those the days run from the install, so install shortly before you leave. Check the activation rule shown on your plan before you install. The install window is 365 days on almost all our plans; check it on the plan page.
Sources checked: Ofcom: mobile roaming customer protections · Apple: travel eSIM and unlocked iPhone, set up eSIM on iPhone · GOV.UK: foreign travel advice · Teknoblog, 11 July 2025: BTK blocks unauthorised eSIM services (in Turkish).
Sources are linked in the text; reviewed by Nadezhda Semenova. For the terms of your own contract, check with your network.
Unfamiliar term? See the eSIM glossary.