Best Roaming Data SIM for Europe, 2023
Update Sep 2024: popit now restrict their 100GB SIM so you can only use 25GB a month roaming. This means we can no longer recommend them. End of update.
If you’re heading to Europe and want to access the internet while you’re away, Popit Mobile appears to offer the best pre-paid roaming UK data SIM card as of summer 2023. We have no affiliation with Popit, we’re just sharing our research to be helpful and to ask whether anyone has found a better deal on a prepaid internet SIM.
Popit Mobile
Popit are, to the best of our knowledge, the only UK data SIM provider who allow you to use all 100GB of your data allowance roaming in the EU (updated: see the section on RWG Mobile below). The 100GB SIM costs £25 a month, and you can pay on a monthly basis. Popit are very clear on their website you can use all your UK data while in the EU roaming for up to 6 months (have a read here: www.popitmobile.co.uk/roaming).
As a plus, anecdotally we’ve read Popit’s SIM makes it look like you’re in the UK while you’re away. This means geo-locked services like BBC’s iPlayer work while abroad, without using a VPN.
When looking at other UK providers, check carefully whether they really offer unrestricted data in the EU. ID Mobile, for example, market their SIMs as having ‘Inclusive EU Roaming’. But if you check the terms, they have an ‘Open Data Policy’ (described here). This significantly restricts the data you can use in the EU before surcharges apply.
How We Use Prepaid Data SIMs
We use a prepaid data SIM in a router (this is our motorhome’s internet system), which allows us to share a single SIM with our phones, laptops, TV and so on. We have 1pmobile.com PAYG SIM cards in our phones, as we rarely use mobile data directly on them and make few calls abroad.
If you’re looking for a 4G/5G router, have a look at getting an unlocked ZTE MU5001. It allows you to share your data SIM’s internet connection with up to 32 devices, and allows you to connect external antennas to boost the cellular signal.
Need More Than 100GB a Month?
We only need more than 100GB when we’re streaming a few hours of standard definition TV each evening. In this case, we’ve these options for SIM cards:
- Take more than one Popit SIM.
- Look at the RWG Mobile and IQ GO SIMs outlined below.
- Buy a local SIM.
You’ll need to look at getting a local SIM if you’re heading outside the EU, into Albania or Turkey for example.
We recently came back from Ireland where we bought a ‘local SIM’. In other words, a SIM sold by an Irish company. We got an unlimited data SIM from Three Ireland (www.three.ie). We just had to walk into a Three shop and ask for the SIM. No need to show a passport, have an Irish address in the Republic or have an Irish bank account. It cost €20 per 28 days, with no contract, and had no restrictions on how much data we could access.
Be aware, ‘unlimited’ deals from other providers can be capped at 100GB, check the small print folks.
A 200GB Option: RWG Mobile
We’ve had feedback from one traveller (thank you Sue Falloon) who has a 200GB/£20 a month prepaid SIM from RWG Mobile (www.rwgmobile.wales, details here). In terms of EU roaming, their FAQs state the following (there is no mention on how long the SIM can be used abroad):
“International roaming is automatically enabled when you receive your RWG Mobile SIM Card. All EU roaming is included on the same terms as your UK plans and prices for all of our monthly plans above £3.50 (not included on FREE, £2, £3.50 plans or 1 Yr and 2 Yr plans).”
The only potential issue we can see with this SIM is the level of support may not be great (see the Trust Pilot reviews). They also appear to be a relatively small player, and the deal could possibly be pulled while you’re away. Perhaps a risk worth taking for a good roaming deal?
The Annual Subscription Option: IQ GO
IQ GO is another prepaid UK roaming SIM fed back to us (thanks Paul Jackson). The IQ GO SIM offers 100GB a month, all of which can be used in the EU for up to 3 consecutive months (helloiq.co.uk/products/iq-go-base).
You pay a £20 annual subscription, then buy 30-day data bolt-ons when you need them. The 100GB bolt-on is £20. You can buy additional bolt-ons if you burn through all of your data, and keep the SIM dormant for the time you’re not away. It’s another one worth looking into, depending on your needs.
The Prepaid SIM Wiki
If you’re thinking of getting a local prepaid SIM, have a look at this website: prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data. If covers deals from all the suppliers across every European country (and beyond). It’s usually up-to-date and is helpful for finding the best available deals, getting information on how to buy and top-up each SIM and so on.
The Satellite Approach with Starlink Roam
Finally, if you need unlimited data everywhere in Europe (almost, coverage map here), have a look at Starlink Roam (www.starlink.com/roam). It’s not cheap, the hardware is £449 then it’s £85 a month for the data. You’ll also need a 230V supply through an inverter or mains hook-up, and decide how to mount the system on your van, maybe on a pole or tripod.
Cheers, Jay
This is really helpful – thanks. I’m looking at a Popit SIM for our upcoming trip to France. We don’t stream or download much, but Cathy does have her weekly Welsh lesson on Zoom for 2.5 hours, so we need plenty of data for that. I’m also considering getting a FREE SIM in France; apparently they’re easy to purchase (via self-service booths in their stores and some large supermarkets), although some reviews say their coverage is a bit sketchy in some of the more rural areas in France.
Another mobile provider recently recommended to me by someone currently travelling in the EU in their motorhome is IQ: https://helloiq.co.uk/collections/iq-go. There’s a £20 annual fee to join, then you purchase ‘bolt-on’ packages: https://helloiq.co.uk/products/iq-go-data-bolt-on. A 100Gb SIM is £20 per month and the whole data allowance can be used in the EU. Like Popit, they also piggy-back on the EE network.
Hope this helps.
Paul
That is useful – thanks. I am trying to find something that doesn’t have monthly charges – but not sure they exist without caps. I am currently with 1pmobile but am concerned about their data and time caps when roaming.
From your experience do you often get wifi in the campsites and aires in france (specifically) and europe? I am tempted to just download on wifi when I hit a campsite and then make do with 1pmobile’s cap when on the road. Unfortunately 1pmobile say they also monitor time, not just data – so iif you are away for more time than not in any rolling 4 month period they still cap you, even if you are under the 5gig data cap. Frustrating… as we are planning a 3 month trip!
Perhaps local SIMs are the way to go.
Hi Paul
We hardly ever use WiFi these days, the cellular system is just too convenient so we no longer look for WiFi networks. If you’re not bothered about having data all the time, don’t want to stream TV etc, then using WiFi at campsites and cafes etc could be an option, but you’ll struggle on most Aires and car parks.
If I were heading to just one or two countries I’d get a locals SIM in each country. Otherwise I’d use Popit and manage our data use. We could buy chunks of data for our 1pmobile SIMs if needs be – we did that to tide us over for a few days at the end of our Ireland trip.
Cheers, happy travels, Jay
Thanks Paul – we used a Free SIM last year, easy to get and worked well for us – details here if you’re interested: https://ourtour.co.uk/home/not-enough-roaming-data-buying-a-sim-card-abroad-in-2022/.
I’ll have a look at IQ, many thanks.
Cheers, Jay
Cheers Jay – very detailed and informative as always. Given we normally only go to the EU once per year – for about 6 weeks – I think the Popit SIM will be ideal, so long as they don’t follow EE and start to charge for data roaming. I contacted IQ and they assured me their business model allows them to continue to offer EU data roaming as part of their package; it’s just the £20 pa joining fee that put’s me off them at the moment. Thanks again, Paul
Good info, thanks Paul 🙏👍