BT Mobile roaming explained for international & EU countries

By Adrian Vincent - 30 Oct 2023, 18:07 BT Mobile roaming - International roaming with BT explained

You can roam in most countries with BT Mobile.

BT Roam Like Home is available for free with all BT Mobile plans, which allows you to use your regular allowance in 47 European destinations at no additional cost.

For countries outside the EU, you can buy a Travel Data Pass, which gives you 500MB data for 24 hours in selected countries.

If you have not purchased a Travel Data Pass, or for countries not included with the Travel Data Pass, you can roam and use BT, however you won’t be able to use your regular allowance. Instead, you will be charged at an out of plan rate, which can be expensive.

What's the best BT Mobile SIM for roaming?

All BT Mobile SIMs include free EU roaming with Roam Like Home.

You can find the cheapest BT Mobile SIM Only deals by using our comparison tools. BT SIMs will work with all phones, including the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 15.

BT EU roaming - after Brexit

BT EU roaming - after Brexit

BT Mobile will continue free EU roaming after Brexit with BT Roam Like Home.

BT Roam Like Home is free with all BT Mobile plans. It will allow you to use your regular allowance in 47 European destinations at no additional cost.

If you go over your allowance, you will automatically be charged between 9.47p and 11.42p per MB (depending on your plan), unless you purchase a data add-on.

Regardless of your plan or add-ons purchased, there is a 50GB data per month fair usage policy. If you go over this limit, your service may be limited.

The following 47 EU countries are included with BT Roam Like Home, and belong to Zone 1a and Zone 1b:

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

What happens if I go over my allowance when roaming with BT?

If you go over your allowance, you may be charged for additional usage. The amount you are charged depends on the country you are in.

If you’re within an EU destination covered by BT Roam Like Home, you will be charged at between 9.47p and 11.42p per MB over your regular allowance.

Alternatively, you can avoid the out of plan rates by purchasing a data add-on.

A data add-on lasts for one month and will be applied to your regular plan, meaning you can use it within the UK and in Roam Like Home European countries.

BT Mobile data add-on Cost
500MB £5.21
1GB £7.83
5GB £15.67
10GB £20.90
15GB £31.35

For any country outside the EU or not covered by Roam Like Home, you will not be able to use your plan’s allowance. Instead, you will be charged at the BT out of plan rate.

Alternatively, you can purchase a BT Mobile Travel Data Pass add-on for data in selected countries.

BT Mobile Travel Data Pass add-on

BT Mobile Travel Data Pass add-on

By purchasing a BT Mobile Travel Data Pass, you will get a set amount of data to use in 12 selected countries outside the UK and the EU.

For £6, you will get 500MB data for 24 hours.

Any unused data after 24 hours will be lost. You must repurchase the add-on after 24 hours if you wish to continue using the Travel Data Pass.

You can purchase a Travel Data Pass from your BT account.

To track your Travel Data Pass usage, you can login to your BT account or download the My BT app.

The BT Mobile Travel Data Pass add-on works within the following 12 countries:

  1. Andorra
  2. Australia
  3. Canada
  4. China
  5. India
  6. Mexico
  7. New Zealand
  8. South Africa
  9. Thailand
  10. Turkey
  11. United Arab Emirates
  12. United States

Does BT have a fair usage policy when roaming?

Yes, regardless of the plan you have, the maximum amount of data you can use when roaming in a given month is 50GB, as defined in the fair usage policy.

This fair usage policy even applies to plans that have a data allowance greater than 50GB.

BT Mobile state that if you break the fair usage policy, you may have to pay a surcharge.

BT Mobile zones

Countries outside the UK are grouped via zones.

If you go over your allowance in an European Roam Like Home country, or you use BT Mobile in another international country not covered by Roam Like Home, you will be charged at an out of plan rate.

It is important to plan ahead and track your data usage, as the out of plan rates can be very expensive.

The maximum amount BT will automatically charge for out of plan rates when roaming internationally is £45 per month. However, it is possible to remove this cap by contacting BT.

The following tables show the BT Zones and out of plan charges for their respective zones.

BT Mobile zones BT Zone Table 1 BT Zone Table 2 BT Zone Table 3 BT Zone Table 4

Can I get BT 5G when roaming internationally?

No, the maximum speeds you can receive when roaming with BT Mobile is 4G. 5G speeds may be available in the future.

Are there any countries where I cannot roam with BT Mobile?

There are 29 countries where BT Mobile will not work:

  1. Ascension Island
  2. Christmas Islands
  3. Cocos Islands
  4. Comoros
  5. Diego Garcia
  6. East Timor
  7. Eritrea
  8. French Polynesia
  9. Kiribati
  10. Marshall Islands
  11. Mayotte
  12. Micronesia
  13. Nauru
  14. New Caledonia
  15. Niue
  16. Norfolk Island
  17. North Korea
  18. Northern Marianas
  19. Palau
  20. Rodriguez Island
  21. Ross Island
  22. Samoa (US)
  23. Western Samoa
  24. Sao Tome and Principe
  25. Solomon Islands
  26. Somalia
  27. St Helena
  28. Tokelau
  29. Tuvalu

FAQs

Can I roam for free in the EU with BT?

Yes, all BT Mobile customers can roam for free within the EU and selected European countries, with BT Roam Like Home.

How can I setup my phone to roam with BT?

Before roaming with BT Mobile you must enable roaming in your BT Mobile account. You can do this by logging into your BT account and checking the settings under My Mobile.

Then, you must enable roaming on your phone.

For Android users:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Go to Connections -> Mobile networks -> Roaming
  3. Enable Data roaming

For iPhone users:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Go to Mobile data -> Mobile Data Options
  3. Enable Data Roaming

Will I be charged if I go over my allowance when roaming with BT?

Yes, you will be charged at an out of plan rate, unless you purchase a data add-on for European countries or Travel Data Pass for selected international countries.

Can I tether to another device when roaming with BT?

Yes, you can tether to other devices when roaming with BT Mobile. The same data limits that apply internationally will also apply when tethering internationally.