Vodafone roaming charges: what you'll actually pay.

How Vodafone's roaming charges work

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.

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.

Is a Vodafone eSIM the same as a travel eSIM?

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.

Will I keep my number with a travel eSIM?

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.

How much does Vodafone charge per day for roaming?

Vodafone's published out-of-bundle rates from 14 April 2026 are £2.75 a day in Zone B, which covers 48 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.

Should I buy a European roaming pass or pay daily?

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.

Can I roam at all on a Vodafone Basics plan?

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.

Does Vodafone's Europe zone include Switzerland?

Yes. Vodafone's Zone B covers around 48 European destinations, well beyond the 27 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.

Is Turkey included in Vodafone's Europe zone?

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.

What are Vodafone's roaming zones?

Vodafone uses lettered zones plus four further Rest of the World bands. Zone A is four destinations — the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway — included on every Pay monthly plan. Zone B is 48 European destinations at £2.75 a day. Zone C is 32 and Zone D is 73, both at £8 a day. Beyond those, four Rest of the World zones cover a further 73 destinations for which Vodafone publishes no daily rate anywhere we can find. Every list is published in full on this page.

Which countries are in Vodafone Zone B?

Forty-eight European destinations at £2.75 a day. Alongside the EU member states it includes Switzerland, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey, the Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco — the last of which matters, because Three and Sky cover Monaco in no band at all. Iceland and Norway are not in Zone B: they sit in Zone A, where they cost you nothing extra. Kosovo appears in Zone B and in Rest of the World Zone 1 on Vodafone's own lists, a contradiction we cannot resolve from what is published.

Which countries are in Vodafone Zone C and Zone D?

Zone C is 32 destinations and Zone D is 73, both at £8 a day. Zone C holds Turkey and North Cyprus, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and much of the Caribbean. Zone D holds Andorra — a short drive from Zone B Spain or France at nearly three times the price — along with Japan, India, China, Egypt, Morocco, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and Serbia. Zones A, B and C together make up the 84 destinations Vodafone calls Global Roam.

Does this apply if I'm on Vodafone pay as you go?

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 48 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.

When is roaming the better choice?

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.

Can I roam for a whole season?

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.

What happens if I pass the fair-use cap?

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.

Every country in Vodafone's roaming zones

The full lists as Vodafone publishes them, so you can check your destination without leaving the page. The zone decides the price: Zone A is included on every Pay monthly plan, Zone B is £2.75 a day, and Zones C and D are £8 a day. Vodafone does not publish a daily rate for its Rest of the World zones, so those are listed for reference only.

Zone A — 4 destinations, included

Zone B — 48 European destinations at £2.75 a day

Switzerland, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey, the Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Vatican City are all in Zone B despite sitting outside the EU. Monaco is here too, which matters: Three and Sky put it in no roaming band at all. Iceland and Norway are not in Zone B — they are in Zone A, so they cost you nothing extra.

Zone C — 32 destinations at £8 a day

Turkey and North Cyprus are here rather than in Europe, so a trip to either costs roughly three times the Zone B rate. The Republic of Cyprus is in Zone B, so the rate changes when you cross the line in Nicosia.

Zone D — 73 destinations at £8 a day

Andorra is in Zone D, not Europe — a short drive from Zone B Spain or France at four times the price. Japan, India, Egypt, Morocco, Thailand and the UAE are all here.

Rest of the World — 73 further destinations

These are Vodafone's Rest of the World Zones 1 to 4 combined. Vodafone lists the destinations but we could not find a published daily rate for them on Vodafone's own site, so we are not quoting one. Assume roaming here is expensive and check with Vodafone before you travel. Kosovo appears in both Zone B and Rest of the World Zone 1 in Vodafone's own lists — a contradiction we cannot resolve from what is published, so treat Kosovo as needing a direct check.

All five lists are taken from Vodafone's own destination pages, checked August 2026. Zones A, B and C total 84, and Zone D 73, which is what Vodafone states for Global Roam and for Zone D.

On a different network?

Where to buy a travel eSIM for Europe

We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. It costs you nothing extra, and it doesn't change the order they appear in.