Last updated: Tuesday 15 September 2026 (Europe/London).
Next update: when SMARTY reprints Classic ladder prices, iD Mobile resets shop headlines, O2 reprints Europe Zone fair-use caps, or giffgaff’s own shop HTML is re-fetchable without a bot wall.
By: Switch Editorial Team, Switch Squid Ltd
O2 update (1 Oct 2026): Classic 30-day / rolling SIMs are back for October — 10GB at £7 up to 250GB at £15, with Priority, EU roaming up to 25GB, and double data for Virgin Media customers. October O2 30-day ladder guide →
New on 5 October 2026: Mozillion’s Pay Monthly Plus SIM plans are back. You pay half of a 24-month plan upfront, then the rest over 23 monthly payments. Every plan has unlimited UK calls and texts, uncapped 5G and EU roaming in 41 countries, and Mozillion says no credit check is needed. Prices checked on mozillion.com on 5 October 2026: 10GB £62.50 then £2.50 a month (£120 in total), 30GB £68.75 then £2.75 (£132), 100GB £81.25 then £3.25 (£156) and 310GB £100 then £4 (£192). Check the roaming data allowance for your plan on Mozillion’s page before you travel. Update, 6 October 2026: Mozillion’s new 1-month rolling plans (150GB for £15 a month, 210GB for £16, 260GB for £17 and 310GB for £20 a month) also include EU roaming in 41 countries. The plan pages do not state a roaming data allowance for these sizes, so check it before you travel.
Mozillion 30GB Pay Monthly Plus — £68.75 upfront, then £2.75 a month
- 30GB a month with unlimited UK calls and texts for 24 months
- £68.75 today, then 23 payments of £2.75 — £132 in total (about £5.50 a month)
- Main limitation: a large first payment and a 24-month commitment
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you buy. It does not change your price.
As of 15 September 2026, the cheapest own-shop SIM-only plans I can verify that include EU roaming start at £5 a month — £60 over 12 months — on SMARTY Classic 500MB and Classic 2GB via smarty.co.uk’s plans API, with SMARTY’s roaming page confirming inclusive EU use subject to a 12GB fair-use data cap. Step up to SMARTY Classic 5GB or iD Mobile’s 6GB/10GB shop headlines at £6 (£72/year) if you need more UK data while keeping inclusive roaming (iD: 50 destinations, 30GB roam FUP on idmobile.co.uk). Update 9 October 2026: Lyca Mobile 30GB is also £5 for 30 days, with EU roaming up to 12GB.
I rank EU roaming SIM only deals UK by 12-month cash from retailer own shops, and only among plans that actually include Europe roaming — not daily passes dressed up as “deals”. That means SMARTY’s public API + roaming page, iD Mobile’s own SIM shop, and O2’s Europe Zone policy pages. Drop EE post-2021 daily charges, VOXI passes, and anything I cannot open on a brand domain. Compare live cards on the iD Mobile: Unlimited SIM 12m half-price — £8.50→£17 →.
What “EU roaming included” means in 2026
After Brexit, “free EU roaming” is a commercial promise, not an EU law guarantee. Networks that still include it usually give you your UK minutes, texts and a slice of UK data in a published Europe Zone — with a fair-use data cap. SMARTY’s roaming page (fetched 15 September 2026) is clear: calls and texts work like home with no extra fees; data is subject to a 12GB monthly fair-use limit drawn from your allowance. iD Mobile’s SIM-only shop footer states inclusive roaming in 50 destinations with a 30GB fair-usage limit. O2’s Europe Zone pages still market inclusive roaming on Pay Monthly with a 25GB roam cap (or your UK allowance if lower).
That is why a £5 SMARTY 2GB plan “includes EU roaming” but only gives you 2GB of UK data to take abroad — the 12GB FUP is a ceiling, not a gift of extra gigabytes. Match the UK allowance to the trip, then read the FUP.
Ranking table — 15 September 2026 (inclusive EU roam only)
Rank | Deal (own shop / API) | £/mo | 12-month cash | EU roam note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New (9 Oct) | Lyca Mobile 30GB £5 (30-day plan) | £5.00 | £60.00 | EU roaming up to 12GB; 30GB in the UK |
1 | SMARTY Classic 2GB (SM_2GB_NDD) | £5.00 | £60.00 | Three mast; 12GB FUP |
1= | SMARTY Classic 500MB (SM_MINI) | £5.00 | £60.00 | Light UK use; same FUP |
3 | SMARTY Classic 5GB (SM_5GB) | £6.00 | £72.00 | API Classic; inclusive EU |
3= | SMARTY Classic 4GB (SM_4GB_NDD) | £6.00 | £72.00 | Three |
3= | iD Mobile 6GB (shop headline) | £6.00 | £72.00 | 50 destinations; 30GB FUP |
3= | iD Mobile 10GB | £6.00 | £72.00 | Three MVNO |
7 | iD Mobile 30GB | £7.00 | £84.00 | Still under 30GB FUP |
8 | SMARTY Classic 12GB | £8.00 | £96.00 | Matches full 12GB EU FUP |
8= | iD Mobile 60GB | £8.00 | £96.00 | EU data still capped at 30GB |
10 | SMARTY Classic 40GB | £10.00 | £120.00 | UK 40GB; EU FUP 12GB |
Lyca Mobile 30GB SIM £5 (30-day plan)
Travelling outside the EU? WorldSIM as a travel option
EU roaming allowances do not help in the USA, Asia or most of the world. For those trips, WorldSIM’s international SIM and eSIM is a prepaid option. On worldsim.com we found three bundles: £25 for 3.6GB with 83 minutes and 25 texts, £35 for 5.1GB with 117 minutes and 35 texts, and £50 for 7.2GB with 167 minutes and 50 texts. That is pricier per GB than a UK SIM with EU roaming, so it only makes sense where your UK plan has no inclusive roaming. Check the countries covered on WorldSIM’s page before you buy.
- 30GB of UK data for £5 every 30 days, with EU roaming included up to 12GB
- No contract and no credit check, says Lyca; £60 over 12 months if you renew monthly
- Same £60 a year as the cheapest SMARTY rows, with far more UK data. Confirm the price on Lyca’s page
Sources dated Tuesday 15 September 2026: SMARTY /api/v1/plans Classic rows with plan_is_indirect_retail_only false; SMARTY roaming page fair-use copy; iD Mobile SIM-only shop headlines and inclusive-roaming footnote on idmobile.co.uk. O2 Europe Zone inclusion verified on o2.co.uk policy pages — live O2 £ ladder not ranked today without a clean postcode-free grid.
Why SMARTY owns the £60 cash lead
Twelve months at £5 is £60. That is the lowest 12-month cash I can verify today on a labelled Classic plan that still includes EU roaming. The product is tiny on UK data — 500MB or 2GB — so it suits Wi-Fi-heavy travellers who still want maps, boarding passes and the odd message abroad without buying a daily pass. If you stream offline playlists before you fly, SMARTY 2GB can be enough for a long weekend. If you hotspot a laptop on a train from Paris to Lyon, it will not.
SMARTY sits on Three. Coverage is Three-shaped. The roaming page’s 12GB FUP is generous relative to a 2GB UK plan — you will hit the UK allowance first. On SMARTY 40GB/100GB Classic, the FUP becomes the binding constraint abroad: you keep paying £10–£12 a month for UK capacity you cannot fully use in the Europe Zone without buying more.
iD Mobile — more destinations, higher FUP, still Three
iD’s own shop (fetched 15 September 2026) prints 6GB and 10GB from £6, 30GB at £7, 60GB at £8, with a clear footnote: inclusive roaming in 50 destinations and a 30GB fair-usage policy. That is the cleanest “holiday SIM” ladder I verified today if you want more than SMARTY’s 12GB abroad and you already know Three coverage works at home. Some iD headlines show stepped rises (for example £6 then £12 from a later bill date) — for those SKUs, recompute Year-1 cash from the actual months at each price; do not pretend the teaser month lasts a year.
iD is a Currys MVNO on Three. Same mast caution as SMARTY. If Three is weak in your kitchen, neither £60 nor £72 is a bargain.
O2 — major-network inclusive Europe Zone
O2’s own international pages still position the brand as the major network that includes Europe Zone roaming on Pay Monthly, with a 25GB roam limit when your UK allowance is higher. That is a strong product story for people who want the O2 mast and do not want to babysit a daily pass. I have not printed a ranked O2 £ column today because the live SIM-only grid did not yield a clean postcode-free own-shop ladder in this fetch cycle. Policy is verified; pounds need a fresh shop check on the day you buy — then multiply by twelve for cash.
What I dropped on purpose
EE SIM-only launched from 7 July 2021 — EE’s own price-guide PDF lists a £2.72 daily EU charge (or weekly pass). Not “included”.
VOXI — roaming pass / daily model on the youth Vodafone brand; not ranked as inclusive.
Vodafone Basics without Europe include — Xtra/selected plans can include Zone roaming; Basics often need a pass. Only rank a Vodafone SKU if the own-shop card explicitly includes Europe.
Three consumer Go Roam daily on many newer plans — do not confuse with SMARTY’s inclusive MVNO offer on the same mast.
giffgaff ladder — giffgaff. Promo pages can be flaky — always confirm the basket on the retailer’s site before you pay.
Lebara — inclusive EU is widely marketed, but I could not verify a live labelled SIM price grid on lebara.co.uk today.
Comparison exclusives that never resolve to a brand domain.
Fair use, destinations and how long you can stay
Inclusive roaming is for travel, not for emigrating on a UK SIM. SMARTY’s roaming help references consecutive-day limits alongside the 12GB data FUP — read the live countries list before you assume Switzerland, Turkey or a cruise port is in zone. iD’s 50-destination list is wider than many MVNOs; O2 publishes a Europe Zone list on its international pages. Always open the brand’s destination tool the week you fly — lists move.
October offer: Turkey is outside EU roaming on most UK plans; Mozillion’s 10GB, 30-day Turkey eSIM is £12, with 10% off using code WINTERSUN. See this month’s best travel eSIM deals.
A practical trip rule:
City break, mostly Wi-Fi — SMARTY 2GB/5GB at £5–£6.
Two-week family trip with maps and social — iD 10–30GB at £6–£7, or SMARTY 12GB at £8 if you want the FUP filled by UK allowance.
Work trip with hotspot risk — prefer iD’s 30GB FUP or O2’s 25GB Europe Zone, and download offline maps anyway.
eSIM, PAC and dual-SIM travel hacks
SMARTY and iD both support eSIM on compatible handsets. A common pattern in 2026: keep your UK number on the old SIM for banking texts, drop an eSIM with inclusive EU roaming for data abroad. Porting still uses a PAC if you are moving the number itself — do not cancel the old line until the new one is live. Dual-SIM phones make the “holiday SIM” pattern easier than it was five years ago.
How to buy without a roaming surprise
Open the brand’s own SIM URL in a private window.
Confirm the plan includes Europe/EU roaming — not “roaming available” with a daily fee.
Note the fair-use GB and destination list.
Check mast coverage at home (Three for SMARTY/iD; O2 for O2).
Multiply monthly £ by 12 for cash; diary any stepped rise months on iD promos.
When you want the wider market — 200GB cash races, family multis, or networks that charge daily — use the iD Mobile: Unlimited SIM 12m half-price — £8.50→£17 → and filter carefully rather than stretching this inclusive-roaming page.
Smarty 40GB SIM — £7 a month through our link, 1-month rolling
- 40GB + unlimited UK calls/texts on Three, when we checked on 27 October 2026
- Month-to-month, so you can change plan or leave whenever you like
- Confirm 40GB and £7 on SMARTY’s page before you pay
FAQ
What is the cheapest EU roaming SIM only deal in the UK on 15 September 2026?
Among own-shop / API plans that include EU roaming, SMARTY Classic 500MB and 2GB at £5 (£60/year) lead on 12-month cash. SMARTY 5GB and iD 6GB/10GB at £6 (£72/year) are the next step for more UK data.
Does SMARTY really include EU roaming?
Yes — SMARTY’s roaming page states inclusive EU use of calls, texts and data subject to a 12GB fair-use data limit from your monthly allowance. Confirm destinations on smarty.co.uk/roaming before you travel.
How much EU data do I get on iD Mobile?
iD’s SIM-only shop states a 30GB fair-usage policy for inclusive roaming in 50 destinations. Your UK plan allowance still applies — the FUP is a ceiling while abroad.
Does O2 charge for Europe Zone roaming?
O2’s own Europe Zone pages say Pay Monthly customers can use allowances in the Europe Zone with a 25GB roam cap when UK data is higher. Always re-check the live tariff card.
Why did you drop EE?
EE’s published SIM price guide for post-7 July 2021 handset/SIM tariffs lists a daily EU roaming charge (£2.72 in the April 2026 guide PDF). That is not inclusive roaming for this ranking.
Is giffgaff in the table?
Not today. giffgaff. Promo pages can be flaky — always confirm the basket on the retailer’s site before you pay.
Three vs O2 for holidays — which should I pick?
Pick the mast that works where you live in the UK first. Abroad, read the FUP: SMARTY 12GB, iD 30GB, O2 25GB are different ceilings.
Will my banking texts still arrive abroad?
Usually yes on inclusive plans, but some banks are fussy about foreign SMS. Keep a dual-SIM UK line if you cannot risk a missed OTP.
Re-check retailer pages on the day you buy — ladders move weekly.
