Best eSIM for Italy from the UK? Check your plan first, then compare
In short
Your own SIM may already be the best eSIM for Italy. Ten of the 15 UK networks include Italy within a fair-use limit that starts at 5GB a month; EE, Vodafone, Three, Sky and VOXI charge £2 to £2.75 a day or sell a pass (checked on 24 October 2026). Our Italy plan is £2.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, data only.
Information verified on 24 October 2026 at the official sources listed below. This is not financial advice; check card settings, fees and limits with your bank before you pay. How we check information.
On this page
eSIM for Italy from £2.99 — see plans At a glance
- Purchase QR code by email · after payment
- Installation profile on your phone · up to 90 days
- Activation first network on the trip · the clock starts
Get an eSIM for Italy — from £2.99
This site is not affiliated with any of the networks mentioned here; we sell eSIMs. How we compare
Italy was the third most visited country for residents of Great Britain in 2025, with an estimated 5.7 million visits (ONS Travel trends 2025). An Italy eSIM from the UK earns its place when your network charges by the day, your cap is smaller than your trip, or you stay for weeks.
Is roaming free in Italy on my UK network?
Yes on ten networks, up to a limit, and no on five. O2 allows 25GB, Lebara 30GB, Lyca Mobile 12GB (35GB on its largest plans) and SMARTY 12GB (checked on 24 October 2026). giffgaff, Talkmobile and Asda Mobile allow 5GB; Talkmobile gives 15GB if you joined before 14 March 2023. A fortnight of maps and photo backups can pass 5GB.
| Option | Price | What you need | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming on your UK network | Included on 11 of 15 UK networks, within fair use otherwise £2.00 to £33.00 a day or pass from about £0.15 per GB | Data roaming on; on some networks a pass bought before you fly | Fair use limits and daily charges differ by network; check that yours covers Italy |
| Pocket Wi-Fi router | Not verified | Collect it, keep it charged and return it | One connection for the group, only while you stay together |
| Local SIM bought on arrival | Not verified | A free SIM slot and a shop after landing | On a one-slot phone it replaces your UK SIM |
| Travel eSIM from this site | from £2.99 by card; from £0.75 per GB | An eSIM phone that is not locked to one operator | Data only: no calls or texts on your UK number |
Roaming prices as published by the 15 UK networks, checked on 24 October 2026; price per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in pounds at the day’s rate: your card is charged exactly that amount. This site is not affiliated with these networks; we sell eSIMs.
iD Mobile gives your full UK allowance “until further notice”, on a promotion; its usual limit is 30GB. Tesco Mobile says “There’s no cap/usage limit”, and BT puts Italy in Roam Like Home. Including Europe is each network’s choice, not a legal duty. Roaming in Italy on UK networks is set out in full on EU roaming after Brexit.
Five networks charge, and the start date of your plan sets the rate:
| Network | Charge in Italy | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| EE | £2.72 a day | plans launched from 7 July 2021 |
| Vodafone | £2.75 a day | pay monthly from 11 August 2021 without Euro Roam or Global Roam |
| Three | £2.75 a day | Lite and Lite+, joined or upgraded from 18 December 2025; £2 a day if you joined from 1 October 2021 to 17 December 2025 |
| Sky Mobile | £2 a day | all plans except Diamond VIP |
| VOXI | pass from £2.60 for 1 day | without a pass, your allowances stop abroad |
VOXI’s own pages disagree about Italy. Its help page puts Italy in Zone B, where you need a European Roaming Pass. Its charges page lists Italy in the Europe zone and again in Rest of the world Zone 1. We follow the help page: Zone B, pass required.
eSIM for Italy: selected plans
The entry plan, our pick and a bigger one. “Our pick” is a mid-size plan chosen by us, not a sales ranking.
Prices are in pounds; 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.
What it costs per day
Plan price in pounds ÷ days, at the rate of 1 Nov. A longer plan usually costs less per day: pick by your trip length, not by the lowest daily price.
Rome city break or two weeks at Lake Garda: the sums
Three days of use in Rome cost £6 to £8.25 at the daily rates (our arithmetic from the networks’ published rates). Fifteen days at the lakes cost £30 to £41.25. On VOXI passes the same trips come to £7.40 and £20. Our Italy plan is £2.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, data only: a different product.
Each “day” is one on which you use the phone, not one spent away.
| Network | 3 days of use (Rome) | 15 days of use (lakes) | Pass the network sells |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE (plans from 7 July 2021) | £8.16 | £40.80 | Weekly EU Pass £16.50; 12-days EU Pass £27.50 |
| Vodafone (no Euro Roam) | £8.25 | £41.25 | 8-day pass £16; 15-day pass £21 |
| Three (Lite, from 18 December 2025) | £8.25 | £41.25 | Go Roam in Europe 3 days £5; 14 days £24 |
| Sky Mobile (not Diamond VIP) | £6 | £30 | none; the £2 a day is the pass |
| VOXI | £7.40 (2-day pass £4.80 + 1-day pass £2.60) | £20 (15-day pass) | 8-day pass £15; 15-day pass £20 |
| Our Italy plan, data only | 1 GB over 7 days: £2.99 | 2 GB over 15 days: £3.99; 5 GB over 30 days: £5.99 | no UK number, no calls or texts |
Sources: EE price guide (24 October 2026), Vodafone (24 October 2026), Three (24 October 2026), Sky (24 October 2026), VOXI (24 October 2026).
A network pass keeps your UK number, minutes and texts. Our plan is a data-only eSIM in GB and days plans, and it starts on first connection to a network in Italy. Roaming or eSIM walks through the decision.
Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast are on the mainland, which our Italy plan covers. At Lakes Maggiore and Como a phone can pick up a Swiss network. Six of the 15 UK networks charge Switzerland outside their Europe zone (which ones).
Are San Marino and Vatican City in my network’s zone?
On ten networks both cost the same as a day in Italy; on EE, for example, that is £2.72 a day. Lebara and Lyca Mobile charge extra in both, and Asda Mobile in San Marino (checked on 24 October 2026).
We read each network’s own zone list:
| Network | San Marino | Vatican City |
|---|---|---|
| EE, O2, Three, Vodafone, VOXI, Sky Mobile, iD Mobile, Tesco Mobile, SMARTY | same zone as Italy | same zone as Italy |
| BT | Roam Like Home, Zone 1b | Roam Like Home, Zone 1a |
| giffgaff, Talkmobile | same zone as Italy | not named |
| Asda Mobile | Rest of World 1: data £1 a MB (PAYG price book) | same zone as Italy |
| Lebara | Zone 5: add-on, 1GB £4 for 8 days | Zone 5: add-on, 1GB £4 for 8 days |
| Lyca Mobile | Zone 2, charged | Zone 5, charged |
“Not named” is not “excluded”, so ask giffgaff or Talkmobile before you rely on it. Our Italy plan’s coverage note names neither place, and our Europe plan does not list them; our Global plan lists both.
How we compared eSIMs for Italy
On 24 October 2026, sellers’ 5GB, 30-day Italy plans cost £6.99 to £9.99 on their UK pages; ours is £5.99. Every figure is a data-only plan with exactly the data and days in the row.
We name no seller, and the table is not a ranking.
| Basket | Sellers’ range, 24 October 2026 | Our Italy plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB, 7 days | £2.99 to £3.50 | £2.99 |
| 3GB, 30 days | £5.23 to £6.99 | £4.99 |
| 5GB, 30 days | £6.99 to £9.99 | £5.99 |
| 10GB, 30 days | £9.99 to £15.99 | £10.99 |
| 20GB, 30 days | £14.99 to £22.49 | £14.99 |
Promotions are left out, and so are prices a UK visitor sees in dollars: that buyer is not quoted pounds. Networks and speeds differ by plan, so the rows are not like for like.
For 4G/5G coverage, read the plan listing. Our Italy plan names Vodafone Italy, WindTre and Iliad and covers the mainland, Sicily, Sardinia, Capri, Ischia and Elba. Our Europe plan lists Iliad and WindTre in Italy, and our Global plan adds 
TIM (checked on 24 October 2026).
Italian SIM card or eSIM?
An eSIM is set up at home and switches on when it first connects in Italy. An Italian SIM card is bought in a shop after you land; take your passport. We hold no Italian retailer price list, so we compare nothing on price.
The Italy SIM card vs eSIM choice turns on your phone: an eSIM needs an eSIM-compatible phone that is not locked to your UK network. Install before you travel, on home Wi-Fi, following the install guide. A dual SIM phone can keep your UK number for calls and texts with data on the eSIM (keep your UK number).
Check before you fly
What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in Italy?
Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.
The first is the line for mobile data. In the phone’s SIM settings, pick the travel line for mobile data; your UK line stays on for calls and texts, with its mobile data off.
The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats Italy as roaming for it.
The third is the APN. On this plan it sets itself, so leave it alone; you don’t need to type one.
The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch aeroplane mode on and off, and let it find Vodafone and WindTre; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.
Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimworld.co.uk with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.
What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)
For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, £2.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, £5.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, £11.99, with 5 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.
I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If your UK plan already includes Italy and its fair use limit is enough for you, roaming costs you nothing extra and keeps your number (compare the networks). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is roaming free in Italy on my UK network?
Yes on ten of the 15 UK networks, within a fair-use limit that starts at 5GB a month. EE, Vodafone, Three, Sky and VOXI charge £2 to £2.75 a day or sell a pass. Check your plan’s start date and limit first.
Which SIM card is best in Italy?
For a short trip, the one you already have if your network includes Italy. An eSIM suits a phone that can take one and a plan that charges by the day or caps your data. A physical SIM is the only route if your phone cannot take an eSIM.
How much does a SIM cost in Italy?
We hold no Italian retailer price list. For an eSIM, sellers’ 5GB, 30-day plans ranged from £6.99 to £9.99 on 24 October 2026, and ours is £5.99, data only.
Sources checked: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice · ONS: Travel trends 2025 · EE: Pay Monthly price guide, 31 March 2026 (PDF) · EE: roaming costs · O2: EU roaming · Vodafone: global roaming · Three: Go Roam · Sky Mobile: roaming · VOXI: European roaming · VOXI: charges · BT: what is Roam Like Home · giffgaff: roaming in the EU · Talkmobile: roaming charges · Asda Mobile: PAYG price book (PDF) · Lebara: roaming rate finder · Lyca Mobile: roaming.
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.
Get an eSIM for Italy, from £2.99 Pay by card in pounds. The seller is registered in the United States, so your bank may apply its own rules to a payment to a seller abroad. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by email after payment. See plans