O2 roaming explained for international & EU countries

You can roam and use O2 within most countries around the world.

You can use your regular allowance for free within 48 European countries, with a data fair usage policy of 25GB per month.

With selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans, you also get the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, which allows you to use unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 27 international destinations outside the EU.

Alternatively, all O2 mobile customers can get the O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 per day, which gives you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 63 international destinations outside the EU.

What's the best O2 SIM for roaming?

You can use your allowance for free within the EU with all O2 SIMs.

You can find the cheapest O2 SIM Only deals by using our comparison tools. O2 SIMs will work with all phones, including the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 16.

O2 EU roaming - after Brexit

With O2 Europe Zone, you can continue to roam for free and use your allowance within the EU.

O2 Europe Zone is included with all plans at no additional cost.

O2 are one of the few networks which will not introduce charges for roaming within the EU after Brexit.

In accordance with the fair usage policy, if your regular allowance is greater than 25GB, you cannot exceed 25GB per month when roaming in the EU.

If you go over your regular allowance, or you exceed the fair usage policy of 25GB per month, you will be charged £3.50 for each additional GB you use when roaming in the EU.

You must also be considered a permanent UK resident. You cannot roam within qualifying European countries for excessive or consecutive periods at a time.

You can use your allowance for free within 48 European destinations:

1. Austria
2. Azores
3. Belgium
4. Bulgaria
5. Canary Islands
6. Croatia
7. Cyprus
8. Czech Republic
9. Denmark
10. Estonia
11. Finland
12. France
13. French Guiana
14. Germany
15. Gibraltar
16. Greece
17. Guadeloupe
18. Guernsey
19. Hungary
20. Iceland
21. Ireland
22. Isle of Man
23. Italy
24. Jersey
25. Latvia
26. Liechtenstein
27. Lithuania
28. Luxembourg
29. Madeira
30. Malta
31. Martinique
32. Mayotte
33. Monaco
34. Netherlands
35. Norway
36. Poland
37. Portugal
38. Reunion
39. Romania
40. Saint Barthelemy
41. Saint Martin
42. San Marino
43. Slovakia
44. Slovenia
45. Spain
46. Sweden
47. Switzerland
48. Vatican City

O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On

With the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you will get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts within 27 international countries.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is included at no additional cost with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It is not included with any 30 day SIM only plans or pay as you go plans.

If your plan doesn't include the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, you can choose it as your O2 Extra with the following plans:

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, excessive usage may see your data speeds temporarily restricted.

The following 27 international countries are covered by the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On:

1. Argentina
2. Australia
3. Botswana
4. Canada
5. Chile
6. Colombia
7. Costa Rica
8. Ecuador
9. El Salvador
10. Greenland
11. Guatemala
12. Guinea
13. Guyana
14. Honduras
15. Madagascar
16. Mexico
17. Myanmar
18. New Zealand
19. Nicaragua
20. Panama
21. Paraguay
22. Peru
23. Rwanda
24. United States
25. Uruguay
26. Venezuela
27. Yemen

If you’re not eligible for the free O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you cannot pay for it. However, you can purchase the similar O2 Travel Bolt On, which covers 63 international destinations for £6 per day. See below for more information.

O2 Travel Bolt On

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available for £6 per day, and covers 63 international destinations.

Similar to the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 or by enabling it via your O2 account.

The £6 daily fee will automatically be charged when you use mobile data, make a call or send a text message. Using Wi-Fi or receiving calls and texts will not trigger the charge.

The moment the charge is triggered, you'll have access for 24 hours, until the trigger resets. There are no limits on the amount of consecutive days you can trigger the Bolt On.

It is important to note you must enable the O2 Travel Bolt On before you use data, make a call or send a text. If you don't enable the Bolt On, you won't be charged the £6 daily fee - instead, you will be charged at a standard roaming rate, which can be expensive.

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

The O2 Travel Bolt On works in the following 63 destinations:

1. Albania
2. Anguilla
3. Argentina
4. Aruba
5. Australia
6. Bahamas
7. Barbados
8. Belarus
9. Bermuda
10. Botswana
11. Brazil
12. British Virgin Islands
13. Canada
14. Cape Verde
15. Cayman Islands
16. Chile
17. China
18. Colombia
19. Costa Rica
20. Dominica
21. Dominican Republic
22. Ecuador
23. El Salvador
24. Greenland
25. Grenada
26. Guatemala
27. Guinea
28. Guyana
29. Honduras
30. Hong Kong
31. Indonesia
32. Jamaica
33. Japan
34. Madagascar
35. Malaysia
36. Mexico
37. Moldova
38. Montenegro
39. Montserrat
40. Myanmar
41. Netherlands Antilles
42. New Zealand
43. Nicaragua
44. Panama
45. Paraguay
46. Peru
47. Rwanda
48. Saint Kitts and Nevis
49. Saint Lucia
50. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
51. South Africa
52. Sri Lanka
53. Suriname
54. Thailand
55. Trinidad and Tobago
56. Turkey
57. Turks & Caicos
58. United Arab Emirates
59. Uruguay
60. USA
61. Venezuela
62. Yemen
63. Zambia

What’s the difference between the O2 Travel Bolt On and O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On?

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is free with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It works in 27 international countries. You cannot buy the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On if you are not eligible for free, however you can choose it as an O2 Extra with select tariffs.

On the other hand, the O2 Travel Bolt On is available to all pay monthly customers for £6 per day and works in 63 international destinations.

Both Bolt Ons give you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, the O2 Travel Bolt On comes with a 2Mbps speed limit.

Does O2 have a fair usage policy when roaming?

If you’re using your allowance for free within O2’s Europe Zone, you cannot exceed 25GB data per month if your regular allowance is greater than this amount. If you go over this limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your allowance resets during the next month.

In addition, you cannot roam within the O2 Europe Zone for more than 63 days within a 4 month period - the offer is not intended for extended holidays. If O2 thinks you are abusing the free EU roaming policy, you will be given a 2 week notice, before a surcharge is applied:

The surcharge will be dropped when you return and stay in the UK for a reasonable time.

For the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, there is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use, however O2 states they may implement a temporary speed limit if your usage is deemed excessive. The O2 Travel Bolt On does not have a fair usage policy, however there is a permanent 2Mbps speed limit in place at all times.

Will I be charged if I exceed my allowance when roaming with O2?

If you exceed your data allowance or go over the 25GB limit when roaming for free in the Europe Zone, you will be charged £3.50 per GB, until your plan resets during the next month.

If you don't have an roaming Bolt On when travelling outside of Europe, or you're not in an eligible country, you will charged at a standard out of plan rate.

The out of plan rate is typically expensive, and varies between countries. For full charges, see O2 roaming rates

The following shows the O2 out of plan rates within a few international destinations.

Can I get 5G when roaming with O2?

No, 5G is only available within the UK with O2. The maximum signal you can get when roaming with O2 is 4G.

FAQs