If you’re heading abroad then one of the questions you might be asking yourself is whether you’ll be charged to use your phone – and if so, how much.
The good news if you’re on O2 is that this is the only one of the big four networks that doesn’t charge to roam in select locations on any of its plans, so depending on where you’re going there’s a good chance you won’t have to pay.
Below, we’ll look at where you can roam for free on O2, then we’ll look at how much you must pay to roam in other destinations.
Free roaming across most of Europe
O2 lets customers on all plans free roam across 48 European territories. In these places you’ll be able to use your standard UK allowance of minutes, texts, and data, at no extra cost, though there is a 25GB fair usage limit for data when roaming.
These free roaming locations are as follows:
Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Vatican City.
Note however that this doesn’t include every part of Europe, with Albania, Greenland, Montenegro, and Turkey for example not being included in O2’s standard free roaming offer.
EU Roaming deals
27 extra locations for Plus plan customers
While all O2 customers can roam for free across most of Europe, if you’re on a Plus plan or you’re a Volt customer, you’ll also be able to roam at no extra cost in the following 27 destinations:
Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yemen.
O2 Plus Plans
Extensive free roaming for Ultimate plan customers
O2’s Ultimate plans offer even more free roaming locations, with the following 75 destinations being included:
Albania, Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks & Caicos, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zambia.
That’s in addition to the 48 European locations that all O2 customers can roam for free in. That makes for 123 destinations in total.
O2 Ultimate plans
Roaming with the O2 Travel Bolt On
In most cases, you’ll be able to purchase an O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 per day when roaming beyond the places included in your plan. This gives you unlimited minutes, texts, and data in the following 63 destinations:
Albania, Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks & Caicos, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zambia.
You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336, or you can add it in your My O2 account online.
O2 Travel Bolt-ons
Roaming elsewhere
If you’re roaming somewhere where you can’t roam for free on your plan, and where the O2 Travel Bolt On isn’t offered, or if you don’t activate the Bolt On, then you’ll pay O2’s standard roaming rates, which vary from place to place – particularly for data.
You can search for your destination on O2’s travel page, but the chart below shows standard pricing for some popular locations on Pay Monthly plans.
| Destination |
Price per minute |
Price per text |
Price for data |
| Australia |
£2 |
50p |
£9 for 100MB |
| Canada |
£2 |
50p |
£9 for 100MB |
| China |
£2 |
50p |
£18 for 100MB |
| India |
£2 |
50p |
£18 for 100MB |
| Thailand |
£2 |
50p |
£18 for 100MB |
| US |
£2 |
50p |
£9 for 100MB |
As you can see, O2’s standard roaming rates tend to be very steep, so wherever possible you should make use of the O2 Travel Bolt On – or sign up for a plan that includes extensive free roaming as standard.
O2 Worldwide Roaming
