UK travellers of all ages are avoiding expensive roaming charges from networks like EE, O2 and Vodafone by using a Holafly eSIM
An eSIM can take make it easier and sometimes cheaper to use a phone abroad(Image: Getty Images)
There’s nothing more frustrating than returning from a holiday only to be hit with an unexpected mobile phone bill. Having already spent money on flights, accommodation and activities, the last thing anyone wants is an eye-watering data roaming charge – but there’s a straightforward fix.
Holidaymakers who’ve chosen a Holafly eSIM are hailing it as ‘their best purchase ever made’ as it allows them to connect to a local network within seconds of arrival. It’s a budget-friendly option for short stays overseas.
Beyond the cost savings, the main advantages are convenience and simplicity. Travellers can arrange their eSIM ahead of departure and know precisely what they’ll pay before even leaving home.
One recent Holafly customer explained: “My 80-year-old mum was able to use it too. Purchasing the eSIM saved me the worry of having a large phone bill when I visited the USA for a few days,” according to the Express.
Mobile users abroad ‘never worry about data speed’.
Another praised the simplicity, particularly for those less comfortable with technology, saying: “I’m an old man technophobe…it was a great experience as I never once worried about coverage or data speed.”
Get a Holafly eSIM here
Anyone travelling abroad, including to Europe, Asia and the US can cut unexpected data roaming costs using an eSIM.
They continued: “I had a small issue to begin with which was completely user-related and not the eSIM…Chet sorted my problem out immediately.”
Shopping Editor Tom Capon also tested Holafly on two separate occasions, travelling to both South Korea and Kenya – destinations where UK mobile users typically face steeper roaming charges due to falling within the pricier Asia and Africa zones. Even when venturing into areas with weaker signal coverage, he found that ‘connectivity wasn’t a problem’.
He shared his experience, saying: “In both Kenya and South Korea, I was able to sign up in minutes (using a WiFi connection, but if you do it at home it’s less of an issue) and get my data activated immediately. The prices are way more reasonable than roaming charges, making it a no-brainer for me.
“I was able to sign up in minutes”
“However, the connection is great: in Korea I had absolutely seamless connectivity to the point I nearly forgot to turn it off when I landed in the UK. In Kenya, outside of genuine no-signal zones out in the Savannah, it pretty much worked as expected – if you are in an area with connectivity, I did not have an issue using my phone.”
He added: “Don’t expect a complete miracle as it was slower in our hotel during safari, but while in Nairobi it was just like being on O2 in Kenya.”
Holafly compared to UK network roaming fees
Additional roaming fees charged by UK mobile providers, such as Sky Mobile, EE, O2 and Vodafone, typically add around £2 per day when using a device in Europe, or as much as £8 daily in regions like Asia or the United States – yet customers remain restricted to their existing plan’s data allowance.
Sky, for instance, offers its Global Roaming Passport, allowing customers to use their existing package for £2 per day – however, depending on the terms and conditions of their plan (such as whether they have unlimited calls or a generous data allowance), it can still result in unforeseen expenses.
Vodafone divides its roaming costs into zones – including Zone A – which covers the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Norway and Iceland. This is free but subject to a strict 25GB fair use limit.
This means that even if a customer’s home plan includes 50GB, 100GB or even unlimited data per month, they are restricted to just 25GB across an entire year in the aforementioned countries.
Cheaper than Three in Mexico and Italy
Three imposes a stringent 12GB roaming fair-use data cap for its pay-monthly customers, even when utilising its Go Roam service. Once this allowance is exhausted, users face an additional data passport charge. For European destinations, a 7-day trip costs £16 for just 18GB of data.
When we compared this with Holafly using their pricing calculator, we received a quote of £23 in total for 7 days in Italy with unlimited data.
Another example is Three’s 14-day worldwide passport data fee of £54 – covering destinations such as Mexico. In comparison, Holafly quoted £37 for 14 days with unlimited data.
These lower costs and greater certainty are what attract mobile users towards eSIMs, with comparable benefits available through competitor Saily. Tom went on to explain his reasoning for choosing an eSIM.
“Best purchase I made this holiday”
Discussing Holafly, he explained: “As someone who goes on a big trip every year, getting a huge phone bill at the end of your holiday is the absolute worst-case scenario when you’ve already drained your bank account. However, twice now I’ve relied on Holafly when I’ve landed in a country and gone – oh god, I forgot to sort my phone out.”
Another Holafly customer commented: “I’m 72 and never used an eSIM before and it was so very easy. We were driving for the first time in the USA for three weeks.”
I’ve absolutely no idea how we would have found the nine hotels in four states on our 1,582-mile trip. Best purchase I made this holiday!
Travellers can check roaming charges for their next destination via Holafly here. It’s worth noting that for UK data coverage, this may not be the most economical option.
