Using your phone abroad
Help and support
Using your phone abroad | Pay Monthly | Help & Support | O2
We're making some changes to improve your experience
To ensure you get the information that's the most relevant to your account, please enter your mobile number below.
When you use your phone abroad for data, calls or texts, it’s called roaming. We’ll send you a series of messages while you’re travelling to make you aware of your roaming options.
Travelling in our Europe Zone
We’re the only major network that isn’t bringing back EU roaming charges up to 25GB. Wherever you fancy going in our Europe Zone (48 destinations), you’re free to call and text just like you would in the UK.
If your UK data allowance is over 25GB, you’ll have a Roaming limit of 25GB when travelling in our Europe Zone. That means you can use up to 25GB of your allowance without being charged extra. If you go over your Roaming Limit, it will cost you £3.50 per GB.
What's our Fair Usage Limit?
Permanent Roaming
You can only use our services for periodic travel like holidays or short breaks in our Europe Zone (excluding the UK). Otherwise, we may charge you for using our services. If you use our services outside the UK in our Europe Zone for 63 or more days in any four-month period, and you cannot demonstrate prevailing use and/or presence in the UK, this is likely to be deemed unfair. In such an event, we’ll notify you, and charges will apply after two weeks. For Pay Monthly, surcharges are £3.50/GB for data, 3.3p/minute for calls, and 1p/text.
Tariffs with more than 25GB of monthly data
If your UK monthly data allowance is over 25GB, you’ll have a Roaming Limit of 25GB when roaming in our Europe Zone. This means you can use up to 25GB of your allowance at no extra cost- we’ll text you if you’re getting close to the limit, and again if you reach it. You can still use data if you reach our Roaming Limit, but you’ll be charged £3.50/GB.
These charges will apply until the following (depending on which is earliest);
- You use up your monthly UK data allowance**
- You return to the UK
- You reach your next bill cycle
**If you use all your UK data allowance when roaming outside the UK, you’ll need to buy a data Bolt On if you want to keep using data. See our data Bolt Ons here.
Tariffs with 25GB or less of monthly data
These tariffs are not subject to our Roaming Limit of 25GB. But if you use all your UK data allowance when roaming outside in the UK, you’ll need to buy a data Bolt On if you want to keep using data. See our data Bolt Ons here.
What's included?
Included:
- Making calls and sending texts within our Europe Zone (excluding the UK), to any other country in our Europe Zone (including the UK).
- Receiving calls and texts in our Europe Zone.
- Using your monthly data allowance whilst in our Europe Zone. Subject to a Fair Usage Limit.
Not included:
- Making calls or sending texts from the UK, to countries outside of the UK.
- Making calls or sending texts to premium rate numbers, directory service numbers and some non-geographic numbers (which can vary over time). Find out more
- Mobile broadband tariffs, as they can only be used in the UK.
- Using mobile data if you’re on a cruise ship, however you will still be able to connect to the ship’s wifi. You’ll be able to make and receive calls for £3 a minute, and send texts for 65p a text.