Compare UK Travel eSIMs

Stay Connected in the UK with Travel eSIMs from the Moment You Land

Hello mate – welcome to England! Get online with an eSIM as soon as you arrive in this historic and vibrant destination.

Say goodbye to lengthy airport queues to buy a prepaid SIM card with hundreds of other sweaty, weary travellers, or trying to find a fast and secure WIFI connection to send that urgent WhatsApp message.

Quickly buy an eSIM before you fly, get instantly connected when you land, and book an Uber straight to the hotel as soon as you collect your bags!

Whether you’re exploring the iconic landmarks of London, visiting the ancient Stonehenge, or enjoying the scenic beauty of the Scottish Highlands, you can now stay connected with an eSIM in the UK for a fraction of the cost of international roaming!

Compare the best eSIM plans for England below and learn more about coverage, network providers, how to choose the plan that best suits your needs, and how to set up your eSIM plan.

What is an eSIM vs a physical SIM?

An eSIM, which stands for embedded SIM, is a SIM card that’s built into mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops – and even wearable technology like smartwatches. This contrasts with the traditional physical SIM cards we’re accustomed to, which can be inserted and removed from devices at will.

While a physical SIM card is preloaded with the information, i.e., your SIM profile, required to connect to a network provider, the eSIM within a device is initially blank and requires you to download a profile onto it. However, while a physical SIM only holds one profile, an eSIM can store multiple profiles, allowing you to easily toggle between plans, e.g., eSIM data plans for different countries.

Check your device supports eSIMs before travelling to the UK

The first thing to determine before you seek out the best eSIM for your UK trip is if your device is eSIM-compatible. As eSIMs are in-built, only devices manufactured in 2016 and onward feature them.

To check if your device is eSIM-ready, see our list of eSIM-compatible devices.

How to choose the best Travel eSIM for England

The good news is there are plenty of eSIM plans for England to choose from – but how do you go about selecting the one that suits your needs? Here are a few key considerations for finding the best eSIM for your England trip:

• Length of Plan: Choosing an eSIM plan that lasts the entire duration of your time abroad is essential. eSIM plans for England can last anywhere from 1 day, for quick visits, to a year, for extended stays! One thing to be mindful of is the validity period as some providers start the clock upon purchases, whereas with others the plan starts upon first initial contact with the local network in your destination.
• Data Limits: How much data will you need for your entire trip? This will be influenced by the length of your trip, as well as what you intend to use data for, e.g., social media, using map apps to make your way around, streaming video and music, etc. As a guide, Netflix uses about 1GB of data per hour for streaming a TV show or movie in standard definition and up to 3GB of data per hour when streaming HD video. Whereas streaming in high quality with Spotify, a full hour of streaming music can use up to 150MB of data. So, a single hour of streaming your favourite playlist per day can use up 6GB of mobile data over a month.
• Coverage: Does the eSIM plan offer reliable coverage in all your England destinations? Also, bear in mind that if you’re travelling to other destinations, like France or Germany, you might want to consider a super-convenient regional plan for more than one country.

Our Favourite UK Travel eSIMs

Here are some of the most prominent eSIM providers in the UK, as well as the networks they use and their available connection speeds:

Ubigi (4G/5G, EE and 3UK)

 French provider with a comprehensive variety of eSIM plans to suit a range of trip lengths and data usage needs.

• • One of our favourite UK prepaid Travel eSIMs is from Ubigi which has an epic 50GB data allowance for 30 days – and for only $44! Super Users will be happy to know it can even be recharged! 
  • For frequent UK visitors, you could consider a subscription eSIM plan from Ubigi that includes 20GB of data for only $36 per month;
  • Another thing we love is that Ubigi’s prepaid plans can be topped up even without internet connectivity.
  • Validity periods for their plans start at time of purchase, however, so don’t buy too far in advance. 
  • Ubigi plans are not only for England. Their catalogue includes another 70+ regional and global plans that cover up to another 127 destinations as well as the UK.

New Ubigi customers enter our exclusive discount code (ESIMPOP10) when purchasing on the Ubigi site to get 10% off.

Airalo (5G)

 Global eSIM pioneer offering a wide range of local and global prepaid eSIM plans.

• • We also really like Airalo’s UK plans which have no expiry and can be topped up online. 
  • The standout must be their “Eurolink” 180 Day plan with comes with a hefty 100GB data allowance. Perfect if you’re travelling the continent and don’t want the hassle of downloading separate eSIMs for each country.
  • Also, their global “Discover” plans feature lengthy durations of up to 365 Days.
  • If you think you’ll need a mobile number to make or receive voice calls and SMS, then their Discover+ plans have you covered – although be warned: the mobile number will be from Austria (not the UK).

Don’t forget to enter our exclusive discount codes (AIRALOESIM10 and NEWTOAIRALO15) when buying your Airalo UK eSIM for 10 – 15% off!

Note that both Ubigi and Airalo use the 3UK and EE network in the UK. Check the coverage maps below to ensure EE services 100% of the locations you’ll be visiting. If not, you may wish to supplement your connectivity with an eSIM plan from Airhub (using Vodafone in UK).

Which Mobile Operator has the best coverage in England?

There are four main mobile operators in the UK that eSIM providers connect to: EE, Vodafone, O2, and Three. To view a coverage map of each network via the links below to help you choose the right provider:

• 3 (CK Hutchison) coverage map
• Virgin Media O2 (Telefonica/Liberty Global) coverage map
• EE (BT) coverage map
• Vodafone coverage map

eSIM Pros and Cons

Let’s look at some pros and cons of purchasing an eSIM for England, compared to a physical SIM card:

eSim Pros

• Lower cost: using an eSIM in the UK can save you anywhere from 35% to 90% compared to international roaming fees.
• Convenience: you can arrange your eSIM plan before you board the plane – so you can skip having to seek out the prepaid SIM kiosks in arrivals and head straight to your hotel!
• Don’t need to swap out SIM cards: with no physical SIM card, you won’t need to remove your existing SIM to insert a new one – and potentially lose or damage it in the process.
• Security: greater security in eSIM devices.
• Flexibility: An eSIM-capable smartphone can accommodate up to 20 different mobile plans via eSIM!

eSim Cons

• Device must be eSIM-compatible: as touched on earlier, your mobile device must be recent enough to have an eSIM built into it.
• Harder to swap devices: despite being fiddly, physical SIM cards are easier to swap between devices if need be. With an eSIM, you’ll need to deactivate it on one device before activating it on another.
• Activation: Attempting to scan a QR code to activate your plan using the only device in your possession, i.e., your smartphone, can be a challenge. Although eSIM plans can be manually activated and new techniques are constantly being developed to improve the process.

When should you buy a UK eSIM?

One of the key advantages of purchasing an eSIM for your UK trip is that you can buy one before you set off. That way, your SIM card in England will be set up and you can get online as soon as you touch down on the tarmac. Ideally, you should buy your eSIM a week before your journey – to give you peace of mind that your data needs are handled and allow you to focus on the other preparations for your trip.

However, if you’re rushing around before your journey and don’t get a chance to buy an eSIM before you fly – don’t worry! You can also buy eSIMs in England at the airport when you arrive, as well as purchasing them online, just like you would at home.

Can UK eSIMs be used across the country?

Your eSIM plan in England will generally cover you across the entire country – providing coverage across all regions. We recommend you check the coverage maps against the local networks used by your chosen provider to ensure you’ll have 100% coverage across your entire itinerary.

Don’t risk a data disaster while in the UK. Stay connected with an eSIM so you can share, post, and stream your cultural explorations in Liverpool, your academic discoveries in Oxford, or your historic adventures in Edinburgh.

How to Set up an eSIM?

Setting up an eSIM on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop is as easy as 123! You can check out our guides here:

• For iPhone
• For Android
• For Laptop or Tablet

Stay connected with esimpop

Here at esimpop, we’re constantly comparing Travel eSIMs for over 100 destinations globally, so you don’t have to. Our review of the best eSIM plans for England will be published shortly, so bookmark this page and check back often or join our community to be notified when we release our findings.

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