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Tarkan
22 March 2026
Since June 2025, Three UK has restructured its roaming plans, and what you get in Europe now depends entirely on which plan you are on. Value plans include EU roaming at £2 per day, while Complete plans offer roaming in 160+ countries at no extra daily charge. If you are on an older contract signed before the June 2025 cutoff, the rules may be different again. Between Go Roam zones, daily charges, the 12 GB fair use data cap, and tethering restrictions outside Europe, Three's EU roaming is more complex than it used to be. This guide breaks down every Three EU roaming option, explains where the costs and limits kick in, and shows when pairing your Three plan with a prepaid travel eSIM saves you money and frustration.
Three UK overhauled its roaming structure in June 2025. The new system splits customers into categories based on plan type, and the EU roaming experience differs significantly between them.
Value plans (the more affordable tier) include EU roaming at £2 per day. This unlocks your UK allowance of calls, texts, and data in 49 Go Roam in Europe destinations. The charge applies only on days you actually use your phone abroad. If you signed up to a Value plan before 22 June 2025, you may have built-in EU roaming at no extra cost for the remainder of your contract term.
Complete plans (the premium tier) include Go Roam in 160+ destinations worldwide, covering all EU countries plus the USA, Australia, Japan, and many more, at no extra daily charge. Your UK plan's calls, texts, and data work across Europe and beyond. If you signed up before 22 June 2025 on a Complete plan, you may have even more generous terms, including up to 56 days of inclusive roaming per year.
Three also offers Lite and Advanced plans where roaming is not built in at all. On these plans, you need to pay the daily roaming charge (£2 for EU, £5 for Go Roam Around the World, £7 for Go Roam Around the World Extra) or purchase a Data Passport at £7 per day for unlimited data in 89 destinations.
A key limitation across all Three plans: there is a 12 GB fair use data cap for roaming. Regardless of how much data your UK plan includes, even if it is unlimited, you can only use up to 12 GB while roaming per month. After that, additional data charges apply. Tethering outside Europe is not allowed unless you purchase a Data Passport (£7 per day for unlimited data).
The Complete plan is the most straightforward option for EU travel. No daily charges in Europe, no passes to buy. Your phone works across the EU just like at home, subject to the 12 GB data cap. For travellers who also visit non-EU destinations regularly, the Complete plan covers 160+ countries at no additional per-day cost.
Value plans after June 2025 charge £2 per day for EU roaming. This is cheaper than EE (£2.47 to £2.59 per day) and roughly on par with Vodafone (£2.42 to £2.57 per day), but it is no longer free. A 14-day European holiday costs £28 in daily roaming charges on a Value plan. For destinations outside the EU zone, the daily rate jumps to £5 (Go Roam Around the World) or £7 (Go Roam Around the World Extra, which includes Turkey, Morocco, and Dubai).
Pay As You Go customers can get roaming access by purchasing an Add-on or Data Pack through the Three app. Without an active pack, PAYG rates are extremely high, reaching up to £6 per MB for data. Three sends an SMS on arrival in each country with the specific charges for that destination.
Check which plan you are on before travelling. Log into My3 or the Three app to confirm whether you have a Value, Complete, Lite, or Advanced plan. The roaming terms differ significantly between them, and many customers are unsure which category they fall into after the June 2025 restructure.
Watch the 12 GB data cap closely. Regardless of your UK plan's data allowance, even unlimited plans, Three restricts roaming data to 12 GB per month. Track usage through the Three app. A two-week trip with navigation, social media, and occasional video calls can consume 8 to 12 GB. Families sharing a hotspot will hit the limit faster.
Remember that tethering is blocked outside Europe. Three does not allow mobile hotspot usage when roaming outside the EU zone. Within Europe, tethering works normally on most plans. If you need tethering outside Europe, a Data Passport at £7 per day unlocks unlimited data including hotspot functionality.
Know what counts as "Europe" for Three. Three's Go Roam in Europe zone covers 49 destinations: all EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Turkey, Morocco, and most Balkan countries outside the EU fall into different Go Roam zones with higher daily charges. Most eSIM compatible devices including the iPhone 17 and Galaxy S26 support Dual SIM, making it easy to add a travel eSIM for non-EU destinations.
Check legacy contract terms carefully. If you signed up before 22 June 2025, your existing contract terms remain until renewal. Some older Complete plans include up to 56 days of free roaming per year. Some older Value plans include EU roaming at no extra cost. Once your contract renews, the new terms apply.
Set your Spend Cap high enough to cover roaming. Three's daily roaming charges require available Spend Cap headroom. If your Spend Cap is set too low, you will not be able to roam at all. Adjust it in the Three app or My3 before departure.
Three's Complete plan with inclusive EU roaming is hard to beat for short European trips. But the 12 GB data cap, the post-June 2025 changes to Value plans, and the steep jump in pricing for non-EU destinations change the calculation for many travellers.
If you are on a Value plan, EU roaming now costs £2 per day. A two-week holiday costs £28 in daily charges alone. A prepaid Europe eSIM with a dedicated data package often matches or beats that price, and you are not limited to 12 GB. For longer trips of three weeks or more, the savings with an eSIM become significant.
The 12 GB data cap is the biggest limitation for heavy data users on any Three plan. Remote workers, families travelling together, or anyone who streams content will burn through 12 GB well before the month ends. A travel eSIM as a second data line supplements or replaces Three's roaming data entirely, avoiding the cap and the overage charges that come with it.
For non-EU destinations that Three classifies under Go Roam Around the World Extra (£7 per day), a travel eSIM is almost always cheaper. A 10-day trip to Turkey costs £70 in Three roaming charges. A prepaid Turkey eSIM from TurkSIM covers the same period for a fraction of that, connecting to Turkcell and Türk Telekom at full 4G/LTE speed. The same applies to Morocco, Dubai, and other destinations outside the EU zone.
Multi-destination trips that cross EU and non-EU borders benefit most from the Dual SIM approach. Use Three's EU roaming while in France or Spain, then switch data to a TurkSIM eSIM when crossing into Turkey or Morocco. Both lines run on the same phone simultaneously.
Three's Complete plan covers 160+ countries, which is generous by UK carrier standards. But the 12 GB data cap applies even on Complete, and tethering is blocked outside Europe. For travellers who need more data or hotspot access abroad, a TurkSIM eSIM fills the gap.
TurkSIM eSIMs connect to top local carriers in each destination. In Turkey, that means Turkcell and Türk Telekom. In the USA, it is AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. An eSIM for Japan connects to NTT Docomo. A Morocco eSIM runs on Maroc Telecom and Inwi. Each connection provides full 4G/LTE speed on the local network with no 12 GB cap and no tethering restrictions.
The Dual SIM setup is straightforward for Three customers. Keep your Three line active for UK calls, texts, and banking verification codes. Use the TurkSIM eSIM as your data line when roaming. Both lines operate simultaneously on any eSIM-compatible phone, from the iPhone 17 series back to the iPhone XS, and from the Galaxy S26 back to the Galaxy S20. For a full list of supported handsets, check eSIM compatible devices. For setup instructions, see the eSIM installation guide.
It depends on your plan. Complete plans include EU roaming at no extra daily charge as part of the Go Roam benefit. Value plans signed after 22 June 2025 charge £2 per day to access your UK allowances in EU destinations. Lite and Advanced plans require the same £2 per day charge. O2 is currently the only major UK carrier that offers completely free EU roaming on all plans.
Three applies a 12 GB monthly data cap on all roaming, regardless of your UK plan's data allowance. Even unlimited plans are restricted to 12 GB when used abroad. O2, by comparison, allows up to 25 GB. After reaching the 12 GB limit, additional data is charged at standard roaming rates, which can add up quickly.
Value plan customers who signed up after 22 June 2025 pay £2 per day for EU roaming. The charge applies only on days you use your phone. A 14-day holiday costs £28, while a week-long trip costs £14. If your Value plan started before 22 June 2025, your existing contract terms may include EU roaming at no extra cost until your contract renews.
No. Turkey falls under Three's Go Roam Around the World Extra zone, which costs £7 per day. This applies whether you are on a Value, Complete, or any other plan type that does not have Go Roam Around the World Extra built in. A prepaid eSIM for Turkey from TurkSIM is typically much cheaper for trips of more than a couple of days.
Within the EU, tethering (mobile hotspot) works normally on most plans. Outside the EU, Three blocks tethering entirely unless you purchase a Data Passport at £7 per day. The Data Passport provides unlimited data for 24 hours including hotspot functionality, but it covers data only. Calls and texts are charged separately at standard roaming rates.
Yes. On any Dual SIM or eSIM-compatible phone, you can keep your Three line active for calls and texts while using a TurkSIM eSIM as your data line. This is especially useful for non-EU destinations where Three charges £5 to £7 per day. The eSIM provides prepaid data at local rates without daily charges. Both lines operate simultaneously.
Once you reach the 12 GB fair use limit, additional data usage is charged at Three's standard roaming rates, which vary by destination. Three sends notifications as you approach the cap. To avoid overage charges, you can purchase a Data Passport (£7 per day for unlimited data) or add a travel eSIM as a secondary data line to bypass the 12 GB restriction entirely.
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