Vodafone splits the world into zones, and which one you're heading to changes what you pay completely. Work out the cost of your trip below — and whether a travel eSIM would come to less.
Vodafone doesn't have one roaming rate — it has a zone system, and your destination decides which applies. Zone B currently costs £2.75 a day and the fair-use cap is 25GB, with data beyond it charged at £3.84 per GB. The date that matters is 11 August 2021: plans started before it generally keep the older, more generous roaming terms, while plans started on or after it fall under the current zone-based charging. If you're not sure which side of that line you're on, the Global Roaming page and the My Vodafone app will both tell you.
| Tier | Covers | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Zone A | Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Iceland, Norway | Included on every Pay monthly plan |
| Zone B | 47 European destinations, including Switzerland | £2.75 a day, or an 8-day pass at £16 / 15-day at £21 |
| Euro Roam | 52 destinations across Zones A and B | Included on plans that carry it |
| Global Roam | 84 destinations across Zones A, B and C — includes Turkey, USA, Australia, Mexico | Included on Xtra Global Roam plans |
| Zone C and D | Zone C includes Turkey, USA, Australia; Zone D adds 73 more — Egypt, India, Morocco, Thailand, UAE | £8 a day, or an Extra |
| Rest of the World | Four further zones — includes Maldives and Seychelles | Daily charge or an Extra |
Some Vodafone plans bundle roaming rather than charging daily, so premium tariffs may cost you nothing extra in Europe. That's exactly why the calculator asks for your figure rather than assuming one. Typical figures, not promises — check yours.
No, and the wording trips people up. Vodafone can issue you an eSIM version of your normal Vodafone plan — same number, same contract, same roaming charges. A travel eSIM is a separate data plan from a different provider, which is the thing that might save you money. Swapping your Vodafone SIM for a Vodafone eSIM changes nothing about what you pay abroad.
Your UK number stays on your Vodafone line. Most modern phones run both at once, so the usual setup is: travel eSIM handles data, Vodafone line stays active for calls and texts. Just remember that leaving the Vodafone line switched on for data is what triggers the daily charge — turn data roaming off for that line specifically.
Vodafone's published out-of-bundle rates from 14 April 2026 are £2.75 a day in Zone B, which covers 47 European destinations, and £8 a day in Zone C or D. These went up from £2.57 and £7.86 respectively. They apply to plans bought since 11 August 2021, and the same rates apply to Vodafone Basics plans. Crucially, they only apply if your plan doesn't already include roaming — plenty do, and those customers pay nothing extra.
If your plan doesn't already include European roaming, Vodafone sells an 8-day pass at £16 and a 15-day pass at £21, letting you use your normal UK allowance of calls, texts and data in Zone B. The 8-day pass works out at £2 a day, so it beats the daily charge on most trips of six days or more. Two catches: only one pass can be active at a time, so a longer trip means buying another when the first expires, and you can't roll a pass over if you're away for less than its full length. The calculator picks whichever is cheapest for your trip.
Not if you bought it before 22 July 2022. Those plans are UK-only and have no roaming services included at all — not reduced roaming, none. It's the single biggest gotcha in Vodafone's range and it isn't well advertised. If you're on an older Basics plan and travelling, you'll need to change plan rather than buy a pass.
Yes. Vodafone's Zone B covers around 47 European destinations, well beyond the 24 EU member states, and Switzerland is in it at the standard Zone B daily rate. That's worth knowing, because Switzerland is outside both the EU and the EEA, so no network is obliged to include it and some don't — Vodafone choosing to is a genuine point in its favour.
No. Turkey sits in Global Roam, which Vodafone counts as Zone C, so you'll pay roughly three times the Zone B daily rate. Northern Cyprus is treated the same way and catches people out badly, because the Republic of Cyprus is in Zone B — cross the line in Nicosia and your rate changes. If you're going to either, choose Zone C and D in the calculator so it prices the trip properly.
Only partly. Pay as you go has its own zone structure: Zone A is included on all Pay as you go plans, Zone B covers 47 European destinations, and beyond that come Around the World, Rest of the World and Additional destinations. Pay as you go Plus customers need to buy a roaming Extra before they can roam anywhere beyond Zone A. Extras run 8 days for Europe, or 8 or 15 days for Around the World. On Pay as you go 1 you pay £2 for each day you use your phone, which includes unlimited minutes and texts but only 50MB of data. New SIMs must be activated with at least £5 of credit or a Big Value Bundle before they'll work abroad at all.
Short trips and light data use. If you're away four days and expect to use two gigabytes, the daily charge is small and you avoid faff entirely. eSIMs pull ahead on longer trips, heavier data, and anywhere in Zone C or D where the daily rate roughly triples.
Not without charges. Vodafone applies a fair-use rule across any four-month period: if you roam for more than 62 days, or if your usage abroad exceeds your usage in the UK, extra charges can apply even in destinations your plan includes. Vodafone sends a text alert 14 days before it starts charging. The rates that then apply are roughly 3.3p a minute for calls, 1p a text and £3.83 per GB of data. Worth knowing if you're a long-stay traveller or spend winters abroad. Note too that Vodafone raises prices annually: plan charges on 1 April, out-of-bundle roaming charges on 14 April, and roaming Extras on 12 May. Zone B went from £2.57 to £2.75 a day in April 2026, and the 8-day pass from £15 to £16 in May.
You keep working but start paying by the gigabyte, typically around £3. On a 25GB cap that's unlikely on a normal holiday, but remote workers and anyone tethering a laptop should watch it.
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