The best eSIM for the UK, compared on price and what you can actually find out

Dated comparison examples

Our fuller UK ladder: A$4.95 for 1GB over 7 days, A$11.95 for 3GB over 30 days, A$14.95 for 5GB over 30 days, A$34.95 for 20GB over 30 days, A$89.95 for 50GB over 30 days, and A$149.95 for 50GB over 180 days.

On the two US dollar providers. Nomad and Saily publish only in US dollars and neither offers an Australian dollar option. We are not going to convert and print the result as a price. Both will land above our A$16.95 for most Australian cards once conversion and any foreign transaction fee are counted.

Nomad is worth a second look on the UK specifically, for a reason that has nothing to do with the data price. Their UK range includes voice and SMS bundles: 5GB with 100 minutes and 100 texts, 10GB with 200 and 200, 20GB with 300 and 300, and 50GB with 450 and 450. Almost nothing in this category sells real minutes, and if you need to make British phone calls that is a genuine differentiator we cannot match.

The SIM Shop is not registered for GST, so GST is not charged. The checkout total is the amount we charge you. Full ladders: travel eSIM prices in Australia.

Is the UK in a “Europe” plan?

Not automatically, and this is the mistake that costs people the most on this destination.

Since Brexit the UK sits outside the EU roaming framework, and travel eSIM providers handle it inconsistently. Some regional Europe plans include the UK. Some do not. Some include it on one plan and not another.

What to do: open the provider’s own coverage list and find the United Kingdom by name before you pay. Not the marketing copy, the list.

When a single-country UK plan is right: you are only going to Britain, or Britain plus one short hop.

When a Europe plan is right: you are doing several continental countries and the UK, and the UK is confirmed on that plan’s list. Buying a Europe plan that excludes the UK and then discovering it at Heathrow is the worst version of this.

One more trap: the Republic of Ireland is not in the UK. If Dublin is on your itinerary, check it separately on whatever plan you are considering. The same goes for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which are frequently excluded from both UK and Europe plans.

For a trip that includes the UK and other covered countries, read our Europe buyer guide and compare the current country list.

Which network are you on?

The UK has four networks that matter: EE, O2, Vodafone and Three. Coverage from all four is good in cities and along main lines. The differences show up where Australians actually notice them: the Highlands, mid-Wales, the Lake District, Cornwall’s smaller roads, and long stretches of rural rail.

That is generic public information about UK networks. What we cannot tell you is which one each eSIM provider connects you to, because most of them do not publish it.

Here is who tells you:

SimCorner names the carrier on each plan. So you know before you pay. They do not currently list a standalone UK eSIM, but the practice is theirs and it is the right one.

Ubigi is a brand of Transatel, part of NTT, and runs its own network identity rather than purely reselling. That is a structural fact about the company rather than a statement about which UK carrier you land on, and we are not going to dress it up as the latter.

Check whether the exact UK plan names its supported network. If the network information you need is missing, ask the provider before buying rather than assuming every plan from the brand uses the same network.

Our exact UK plans now publish 3, EE and O2 as supported networks, based on the supplier’s plan-level network record. The network actually used still depends on the selected plan, location, coverage and phone, so this is not a promise that every plan will connect to every network at every location.

How much data do you actually need?

The UK is wifi-rich, English-speaking and compact. You will not be running camera translation, and hotels, pubs, cafés and most trains have wifi.

Most travellers use three to six gigabytes across a week, which is at the lower end for this category.

The heavier items are:

City transport apps and live departure boards, used constantly and cheaply.

Maps in London, where you will check the route far more often than you expect.

Long train journeys where the onboard wifi is unreliable enough that you fall back to mobile data.

Ten gigabytes over thirty days is comfortable for a two week trip. For a week in London with hotel wifi, our 5GB tier at A$14.95 is probably enough and saves you two dollars, which we mention because the sizing guide matters more than the provider choice on this destination.

Full guide: how much data you need for the UK.

What to compare before choosing

For Nomad, compare the current the UK offer in the currency you will pay. Check the country list, validity, start window and any voice or SMS requirement. Read reward eligibility separately from the upfront price.

If you are comparing Ubigi for the UK, check the exact plan’s high-speed allowance, reduced speed and allowance period. Check its current reload and reinstallation rules too. Compare those terms with the other plan you are considering, rather than treating one policy as a category-wide winner.

Airalo commits to tethering in writing, “There is no limit on tethering or the number of devices you connect”, publishes its throttle threshold and explains what 1 Mbps feels like, runs a tiered loyalty programme paying 5% up to 10%, pays Australian referrers A$5 in Australian dollars, and has an offline mode in its app. They also sell voice and SMS on their UK range.

For Saily, check the exact plan’s allowance, speed and reset timing. Confirm any phone-number add-on separately, including its price, supported calls and SMS, and verification restrictions. A feature mentioned for one plan or country should not be assumed for another.

For Holafly, compare the current total price for your the UK dates, then check speed, hotspot and refund conditions. A plan sold by the day should be compared with enough fixed data for the same trip, not with a different-duration headline price.

For Simify, check the current plan’s allowance, reduced-speed terms and refund conditions. Compare the terms that apply to your purchase rather than ranking a policy by its writing style or an old speed figure.

For our the UK plans, check the exact option’s coverage, allowance, validity, speed and hotspot terms before buying. You can also read our public refund policy and company details. If reviews matter to your decision, open the current independent profile and read the recent feedback rather than relying on an old count here.

Nomad also sells a 30 day full-speed UK plan at about US$49, which is an unusual shape and worth a look if you want a month without a daily cap.

On a destination where 10GB costs A$16.95, unlimited is hard to justify unless you genuinely use several gigabytes a day. Holafly’s A$43 week is more than double a fixed plan.

Our exact daily plans publish the allowance and supplier-backed reduced-speed wording, with a numeric figure only where available. What “unlimited” actually means.

Hotspot

Airalo states there is no limit on tethering or the number of devices.

Holafly caps it at 1GB per day on trip plans.

Saily’s terms prohibit tethering “beyond occasional personal use” without defining it, while their country pages advertise unlimited sharing.

Ubigi, Nomad, Simify and ourselves permit it with no published device limit.

Hotspot limits compared.

Will it work on your phone, and can you keep your number?

Almost certainly, if it was bought in Australia in the last five or six years and is not carrier locked. A locked handset is the most common reason a travel eSIM fails, and several providers exclude locked phones from refunds by name. Check your phone before buying an eSIM.

Your Australian number keeps working for calls and texts on your existing SIM as long as you leave that line on with data roaming off. Keeping your Australian number.

So which one

Consider our the UK plan if its coverage, allowance and validity fit your trip and you want to deal with The SIM Shop. Read the exact plan terms and our refund policy before choosing.

For Nomad, compare the current the UK offer in the currency you will pay. Check the country list, validity, start window and any voice or SMS requirement. Read reward eligibility separately from the upfront price.

Buy Airalo if you need voice and SMS or tethering permission in writing.

If you are comparing Ubigi for the UK, check the exact plan’s high-speed allowance, reduced speed and allowance period. Check its current reload and reinstallation rules too. Compare those terms with the other plan you are considering, rather than treating one policy as a category-wide winner.

Buy Holafly if you might cancel and want six months to do it, or your trip is one to three days.

And check roaming for a short trip. Optus Daily Roaming is $5 per 24 hours for 5GB plus unlimited standard talk and text, and the UK is in Zone 1. For under about five days, including calls, that is competitive. Full comparison: UK eSIM vs roaming vs a local SIM.

If you have decided what you need, our UK eSIM plans list the current sizes and validity periods.

Questions people actually ask

What is the cheapest eSIM for the UK from Australia?

Ours, at A$16.95 for 10GB over 30 days, of the providers billing in Australian dollars. Ubigi is A$19.00, Airalo A$27.50 and Simify A$49.00. Nomad’s US$17.50 and Saily’s US$18.99 convert to more for most Australian cards.

Is the UK included in a Europe eSIM plan?

Not automatically. Since Brexit the UK sits outside the EU roaming framework and providers handle it inconsistently. Open the provider’s own coverage list and find the United Kingdom by name before you buy. The Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man also need checking separately.

Which UK network do travel eSIMs use?

Most providers do not publish it. SimCorner names the carrier on each plan as a general practice, and exact SIM Shop UK plans list 3, EE and O2 as supported networks. The network actually used still depends on the selected plan, location, coverage and phone. Coverage differences show up in the Highlands, mid-Wales, the Lake District and rural Cornwall rather than in cities.

Can I get calls and texts on a UK travel eSIM?

On some. Nomad’s UK range bundles minutes and texts, from 5GB with 100 minutes and 100 texts up to 50GB with 450 and 450. Airalo sells voice and SMS on its UK range. Most providers, including us, are data only.

How much data do I need for a week in London?

Most travellers use three to six gigabytes across a week in the UK, which is lower than most destinations because everything is in English and wifi is everywhere. A 5GB plan is often enough for a week in London.

Will my eSIM work in Scotland and Wales?

Yes, these are national plans covering the whole UK. Coverage is patchier in the Highlands, mid-Wales and parts of Cornwall on every network, which is geography rather than a provider issue.

Is roaming better than an eSIM for a short UK trip?

Possibly, for under about five days. Optus Daily Roaming is $5 per 24 hours for 5GB plus unlimited standard talk and text and the UK is in Zone 1, which solves calling and data together. Past a week an eSIM is cheaper.

Can I keep my Australian number in the UK?

Yes. The travel eSIM is data only and sits alongside your existing SIM, so your Australian number keeps receiving calls and texts including bank codes. Leave that line on and turn its data roaming off.

Sources

Our own prices from our live UK product page. Competitor prices from each company’s own Australian store or published rate card, and from published US dollar pricing for Nomad and Saily. SimCorner did not list a standalone UK eSIM at the time of checking. Nomad’s UK voice and SMS bundles from their own UK product page. Policy quotes from Airalo’s Unlimited Data Plans Fair Use Policy and Terms of Use, Saily’s Terms of Service, Ubigi’s Terms and Conditions, Nomad’s terms and conditions, and Holafly’s refund policy and destination pages. Optus roaming terms from Optus’s own published material. All retrieved 17 to 20 August 2026.

Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.