South Africa SIM card or eSIM from the UK: Cape Town, safaris and roaming costs
In short
Tesco Mobile charges 1p a MB in South Africa, EE £26.50 for a 7-day pass and Vodafone £8 a day of use (checked on 24 October 2026, Tesco roaming). Our South Africa eSIM from the UK is £3.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, data only. You have four ways to stay connected: your UK network, a travel eSIM, a local SIM or pocket Wi-Fi.
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
eSIM for South Africa from £3.99 — see plans At a glance
- Purchase QR code by email · after payment
- Installation profile on your phone · up to 365 days
- Activation first network on the trip · the clock starts
Get an eSIM for South Africa — from £3.99
This site is not affiliated with any of the networks mentioned here; we sell eSIMs. How we compare
You may not need an eSIM. On Tesco, 1,000MB costs £10 (our sum), and Sky VIP Diamond, Vodafone Global Roam and O2 Ultimate include South Africa. An eSIM helps where your network charges by the day or sells no data without a pass.
What do UK networks charge in South Africa?
Roaming in South Africa on UK networks runs from 1p a MB at Tesco to £8 a day at Vodafone and Three (checked on 24 October 2026). On EE, O2, Talkmobile, VOXI and SMARTY you get no data there until you buy a pass, bolt-on or add-on.
| Option | Price | What you need | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming on your UK network | £2.00 to £84.00 a day or pass from about £1.35 per GB | Data roaming on; on some networks a pass bought before you fly | Paid passes cost more per GB than the eSIM |
| 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 £3.99 by card; from £1.35 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.
| Network | South Africa charge | Condition | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE | £5.50 for 24 hours, £26.50 for 7 days | Rest of World Zone 1 pass, uses your UK allowance; no data without it | 24 October 2026 |
| Vodafone | £8 a day of use | Zone C, pay monthly plans from 11 August 2021 (£6 on earlier plans); included on Global Roam | 24 October 2026 |
| O2 | O2 Travel £7 per 24 hours; Data Roaming Bolt Ons £9 for 1GB, £20 for 3GB, £29 for 5GB | Zone 2, Pay Monthly; included on Ultimate, not on Volt or Plus; otherwise data stops | 24 October 2026 |
| Three | £8 a day; Around the World Extra passes £17.50 for 3 days, £42 for 7, £84 for 14; Worldwide Data Travel Pass £26 for 18GB over 7 days, £54 for 40GB over 14 | £8 on Lite and Lite+ joined or upgraded from 18 December 2025 (older plans: price guide); included on Complete; no Extra on pay as you go | 24 October 2026 |
| iD Mobile | Roam Beyond: 2GB for £5 over 1 day, 10GB for £20 over 5 days, 20GB for £35 over 10 days | £45 roaming data limit by default | 24 October 2026 |
| Lebara | 1GB for £4 over 8 days, 3GB for £12 over 15 days | Zone 5 add-on | 24 October 2026 |
| giffgaff | 20p per MB; travel data add-on of 1GB, 5GB or 10GB for 30 days, “From £4” | Zone A; the South Africa add-on price is in the app only | 24 October 2026 |
| Tesco Mobile | 1p per MB | Region 3, pay monthly and pay as you go | 24 October 2026 |
| Sky Mobile | £2 a day | Roaming Passport Plus; a call you make, a text you send or over 10MB starts 24 hours; free for VIP Diamond | 24 October 2026 |
| VOXI | 2GB for £16 over 8 days, 4GB for £26.60 over 15 days | Global Roaming Extra, with minutes and texts, from purchase | 24 October 2026 |
| SMARTY | 25p per MB | Roaming 2, paid from out-of-plan add-ons; with none loaded, no data | 24 October 2026 |
| Talkmobile | 500MB for £5 over 1 day, 5GB for £20 over 8 days, 8GB for £30 over 15 days | World Holiday Booster, Zone B | 24 October 2026 |
| Lyca Mobile | South Africa pass: 1GB for £10 over 7 days, 2.5GB for £20 over 14 days | Pay as you go, paid from top-up credit; up to 5 in 30 days | 24 October 2026 |
| BT Mobile | Travel Data Pass, 500MB for 24 hours | BT’s pages give three different prices, so we print none | 24 October 2026 |
| Asda Mobile | £1 per MB | World Group 1, not Asda’s 20p group | 24 October 2026 |
Tesco says it plainly: “Roaming now costs only 1p per MB of data for the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand – for both pay monthly and pay as you go customers.” At Asda’s £1 a MB, 100MB costs £100 (our arithmetic).
Vodafone, Three and Sky charge per day of use, not per day away; full rates are on our EE, Vodafone and Three pages.
eSIM for South Africa: 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.
A fortnight from Cape Town to Kruger: the sums
A fortnight of daily use in South Africa comes to £28 on Sky, £53 on EE and £112 on Vodafone (our arithmetic, checked on 24 October 2026). Our 5 GB plan covers 30 days for £8.99, data only.
Residents of Great Britain made 434,000 visits to South Africa in 2025, staying 18.3 nights on average; 54.4% were to see friends and relatives (ONS Travel trends 2025).
| Network or plan | 14 days | 21 days | How we added it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky, not VIP Diamond | £28 | £42 | £2 a day of use |
| EE, Zone 1 | £53 | £79.50 | 7-day passes at £26.50 |
| Three, Worldwide Data Travel Pass (separate data allowance) | £54 for 40GB | £80 for 58GB | a 14-day pass, then a 7-day at £26 |
| Vodafone, pay monthly from 11 August 2021 | £112 | £168 | £8 a day of use |
| Lyca, pay as you go | £20 for 2.5GB | £30 for 3.5GB | a 14-day pass, then a 7-day at £10 |
| Our South Africa plan, data only | £8.99 for 5 GB | the same plan | one 30-day plan; 10 GB is £15.99 |
Prices from each network’s own page, checked on 24 October 2026; the totals are our arithmetic, with daily use. Three’s Extra passes come to £82.25 for 14 days and £122.50 for 21.
These are different products. EE’s pass and Three’s Extra passes use your UK allowance on your own number; our plan is a data-only eSIM on a second line (keeping your UK number). Roaming or eSIM covers the choice for any country.
South African SIM card or travel eSIM?
South Africa SIM card vs eSIM comes down to the number: a local SIM gives you a South African number, our eSIM gives you data from £3.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, installed at home. We have not checked local SIM prices.
You buy a local SIM in person after landing, usually with your passport; pocket Wi-Fi is one more device to charge. Read the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice for South Africa before you book.
To pick the best eSIM for South Africa, check GB and days plans, the network, hotspot and tethering, and the start rule.
Our listing names Vodacom and MTN (5G) and Cell C (4G), but the plan note reads “4G Data-only eSIM” and “Operates on Vodacom network in South Africa” (catalogue checked on 24 October 2026), so we promise neither one network nor 5G. We hold no data on 4G/5G coverage or on load-shedding and coverage; for Kruger, check the networks’ own maps.
Days start on first connection in South Africa; you can install up to 365 days after buying. Our listing states no hotspot and tethering rule, so check the plan card.
For a safari and Cape Town trip, install before you travel, on home Wi-Fi (how to install an eSIM); dial *#06# to check for an eSIM-compatible phone. On a stopover, a regional plan covering that country starts there, so keep eSIM data off until you land.
Check before you fly
What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in South Africa?
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 South Africa 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 Vodacom and MTN; 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, £3.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, £8.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, £26.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.
I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If your UK plan already includes South Africa 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
Should I get an eSIM or physical SIM in South Africa?
An eSIM, if you need data only and your phone takes one: you install it at home. A local SIM gives a South African number but is bought after landing; we have not checked its price.
What is the best eSIM for South Africa from the UK?
There is no single answer, and we rank no seller. Pick the GB and days you need; our plan lists Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, and its note names Vodacom. On Tesco, at 1p a MB, you may not need an eSIM.
Can I use my existing phone number with an eSIM?
Yes, on your UK SIM. A travel eSIM is data only, so calls and texts stay on your UK line. Turn data roaming off on that line.
How much is a SIM card in South Africa?
Our South Africa eSIM starts at £3.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, data only; we have not checked local SIM prices. On a UK network, Tesco charges 1p a MB and EE £26.50 for 7 days (checked on 24 October 2026).
Sources checked: Tesco Mobile roaming · EE price guide, 31 March 2026 (PDF) · Vodafone roaming guide · O2 data roaming Bolt Ons · Three Your Way price guide, post 19 April 2026 (PDF) · Three Data Travel Pass · iD Mobile roaming · Lebara roaming add-on · giffgaff roaming · Sky Mobile roaming · VOXI Global Roaming Extras · SMARTY price guide (PDF) · Talkmobile Booster details · Lyca Mobile roaming · BT Travel Data Pass · Asda Mobile roaming · ONS Travel trends 2025 · FCDO: South Africa travel advice.
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 South Africa, from £3.99 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