How much data do you need for your trip?
With maps, ride-hailing apps and messaging, about 2 GB a week. With social media and sending photos, 5 to 6 GB. Video and video calls take it to about 12 GB in the same week. These are our own estimates, not measurements. Choose the country, the number of days and how you use the internet: the calculator shows an estimate of how much data you need and the plan with the lowest total price for that much data and that many days, in pounds: the amount charged to your card.
Plans for the most visited destinations: United States, Turkey, Morocco, Japan, Thailand, India. After you buy: how to install an eSIM.
— GB
Estimated data if your plan allows tethering.
Our editorial estimate, not a promise. The same trip, lighter and heavier:
- Lighter
- —
- Typical
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- Heavier
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Your card is charged exactly £2.99; you are charged in GBP, exactly the amount shown. The seller is registered in the United States, so your bank may apply its own rules to a payment to a seller abroad — how card payment works. It appears on your statement as JET SHARING. You pay on the secure Stripe checkout page, by card, or Apple Pay or Google Pay if Stripe shows them on your device.
Hotspot rule not specified — check before relying on it. How to share data from an eSIM, or ask us on WhatsApp.
See plansHow many GB for a week, 10 days and a month
| How you use it | Week | 10 days | 2 weeks | Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maps and messaging GPS, cab apps, WhatsApp chats, a few photos | 3 GB | 3 GB | 5 GB | 10 GB |
| Social media and photos Instagram feed and stories, photos backed up to the cloud | 10 GB | 10 GB | 20 GB | 50 GB |
| Videos and video calls Reels and YouTube on the go, video calls home | 20 GB | 20 GB | 50 GB | More than 50 GB |
| Working on a laptop Hotspot to a laptop, meetings, file uploads Estimated data if your plan allows tethering. | 50 GB | 50 GB | 50 GB | More than 50 GB |
Rounded up to the most common plan size: data runs out before the paid days do, and adding a second plan in the middle of the trip is more hassle than taking a bigger size from the start. More than 50 GB does not fit in one plan with a data allowance: then you need two plans or an unlimited one, which has its own fair-use limit. The calculator above is more precise, because it also takes the country into account.
How much data maps, messaging and video use
Use per hour, in gigabytes. Logarithmic axis
Use per hour. Video figures are Netflix’s, via Vodafone UK’s data calculator (checked on 26 October 2026); the music figure is Vodafone UK’s own. Vodafone UK calls them an estimate based on average data use, not a recommendation. For maps it says only that they use very little. Each mark on the axis is about three times the previous one.
How not to overpay
Compare the total for your trip, not the price per day. The calculator picks the plan with the lowest total price among those with enough data and enough days. A price per day is the plan’s price divided by its own validity, not by the days of your trip: for a week away, a 30-day plan can cost less per day and still cost more in total than a 7-day plan.
Turn off background downloads before you travel. Automatic photo backup to the cloud can use up a week’s plan in a few days without you noticing, with the phone in your pocket.
Don’t buy exactly what you need. When the data runs out, the paid days keep running, and you will have to buy another plan in the middle of the trip.
Frequently asked questions
How many GB are enough for a week abroad?
With maps, ride-hailing apps and messaging, about 2 GB a week. With social media and sending photos, 5 to 6 GB. Video and video calls take it to about 12 GB in the same week. These are our own estimates, not measurements: real use depends on video quality and how much time you spend on Wi-Fi.
What if the data runs out before the plan ends?
The plan stops working for data and the paid days keep running. You can buy another plan for the same destination at any time, but it is better to take some margin than to buy exactly what you need.
Does my phone use data when it is just in my pocket?
Yes. Background app updates, photo sync and backups use data without you touching anything, sometimes a noticeable share of the plan. Before you travel, turn off automatic photo upload to the cloud and app updates over mobile data.
Does hotel Wi-Fi save much data?
Yes, and it is the main way to manage with a small plan. If you are back at the hotel every night and it has Wi-Fi, mobile data during the day goes mostly on maps and messaging, the first row of the table. With Wi-Fi included where you stay, you often do not need a big plan.