We show a saving only when roaming would genuinely cover your whole trip.
UK → United Arab Emirates · roaming vs eSIM
Compare eSIMs for United Arab Emirates.
Compare what your UK network charges to roam in United Arab Emirates with travel eSIMs sized for your trip. See the hotspot rules, speed caps and fair-use limits before opening checkout.
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Hotspot rules, speed caps and fair-use limits beside every plan.
See where each number came from and when we checked it.
The United Arab Emirates guide · updated 10 Sept 2026
Short answer: buy a UAE eSIM before you fly, and don't count on WhatsApp or FaceTime calls.
The UAE is outside every UK network's Europe zone. Sky Mobile charges £2 a day to use your allowance, EE sells passes from £6 for 24 hours, O2 Travel is £7 a day at 2Mbps, and Three sells Around the World Extra passes from £17.50 for 3 days. iD Mobile charges £9.60 per MB, VOXI 12p and Tesco Mobile £5, so on those networks keep data roaming off. Whichever you use, voice and video calls on WhatsApp and FaceTime generally don't connect on UAE networks; messages do.
- Local networks
- e&, formerly Etisalat, and du. Nomad lists du, and Airalo and Klook use Etisalat.
- Calling apps
- The UAE's regulator restricts internet calling to licensed apps. WhatsApp and FaceTime calls generally don't connect, while messages, photos and voice notes work. Licensed apps such as BOTIM do.
- Stopovers
- For a day or two in Dubai, EE's £6 day pass or Sky's £2 day may be simpler than an eSIM.
What your UK network charges in United Arab Emirates
The UAE is outside every UK network's Europe zone. Where a network publishes a charge for The UAE, the row is priced in the calculator above and links to the network's page. Where it prices against your account, we say so rather than guess.
| Network | How United Arab Emirates is charged | Worth knowing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE | EE Rest of World Zone 1 pass: £6 for 24 hours, £30 for 7 days, £50 for 15 days | Uses your UK allowance, up to a 50GB fair-use ceiling. Full Works and some older plans may already cover this zone, so check the EE app first. | EE mobile price guide ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| O2 | O2 Travel: £7 on each day you use it | Unlimited data, minutes and texts, with speeds capped at 2Mbps: fine for maps and messages, slow for video. Ultimate and some other plans already include it. | O2 Travel ↗checked 10 Sept 2026 |
| Vodafone | Priced against your plan in Vodafone's roaming checker | Vodafone's public pages don't print one rate for the UAE. Its roaming checker shows the charge for your number, and some plans include it. | Vodafone global roaming ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| Three | Go Roam Around the World Extra passes: £17.50 for 3 days, £29.75 for 5, £42 for 7, £84 for 14 | Or £7 a day, rising to £8 on plans taken out from 18 December 2025. Up to 12GB of your UK data abroad, and hotspot use isn't allowed. | Three Go Roam passes ↗checked 10 Sept 2026 |
| iD Mobile | Standard rate: £9.60 per MB | At that rate a few minutes of maps costs more than a whole eSIM, and a safety cap may cut you off. Keep data roaming off on iD here. | iD Mobile roaming guidance ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| Sky Mobile | Roaming Passport Plus: £2 on each day you use it | Uses your UK allowance, capped at 25GB per billing period. Your phone may need to support VoLTE. | Sky Roaming Passport Plus ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| giffgaff | Check giffgaff's roaming page for the UAE | giffgaff sells fixed-price travel data add-ons for some destinations outside the EU. Buy one before you use any data, because standard roaming rates apply without it. | giffgaff roaming checker ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| SMARTY | Outside the EU, you need an out-of-plan add-on | SMARTY charges roaming outside the EU from an out-of-plan add-on balance, at the rates in its price guide. Plan on Wi-Fi or an eSIM for data. | SMARTY roaming guidance ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| VOXI | Standard rate: 12p per MB | The UAE isn't on VOXI's Global Roaming Extra list, so data is charged by the megabyte, about £120 a gigabyte. | VOXI standard roaming charges ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
| Tesco Mobile | Standard rate: £5 per MB | At that rate any real use is unaffordable, and a safety buffer will stop your data. Keep data roaming off on Tesco here. | Tesco Mobile roaming rates ↗checked 25 Aug 2026 |
Roaming versus an eSIM, priced for a real trip
Everyday use is about 0.8GB a day, so a week needs 6GB and a fortnight 12GB. Roaming figures come from the same published charges the calculator uses; eSIM figures are the cheapest single plan from each provider that covers the trip, live from Nomad. Klook is left out because it shows prices only on its own page.
7 days · plan for 6GB
UK roaming
- Sky Mobile£14.00
- EE£30.00
- Three£42.00
- O2£49.00speed capped at 2Mbps
- VOXI£737.28at the per-MB rate; a spend cap would stop this first
- Tesco Mobile£30,720.00at the per-MB rate; a spend cap would stop this first
- iD Mobile£58,982.40at the per-MB rate; a spend cap would stop this first
Travel eSIM
- Nomad · 10GB · 30 days≈ £13.50live price, converted from USD · see plan ↗
14 days · plan for 12GB
UK roaming
- Sky Mobile£28.00
- EE£50.00
- Three£82.25
- O2£98.00speed capped at 2Mbps
- VOXI£1,474.56at the per-MB rate; a spend cap would stop this first
- Tesco Mobile£61,440.00at the per-MB rate; a spend cap would stop this first
- iD Mobile£117,964.80at the per-MB rate; a spend cap would stop this first
Travel eSIM
- Nomad · 20GB · 30 days≈ £21.17live price, converted from USD · see plan ↗
Roaming figures assume you roam every day of the trip and the pass or daily fee covers your data need; the calculator above lets you change both. Nomad prices are converted from US dollars at a rounded rate and marked as estimates.
The eSIM providers we compare for United Arab Emirates
Four providers appear in the comparison above. Saily and Nomad send us live prices, Airalo's are checked by hand, and Klook shows its prices only on its own page. Links we could earn a commission on are marked as sponsored in the page source.
Saily on local partner networks
Quotes real pounds, so the price you see is the price you pay. Saily says it doesn't restrict hotspot use, though your phone or the local network may.
Watch out: Check when the plan starts counting down before you install it.
Saily United Arab Emirates plans ↗We may earn a commission on this link.
Nomad on du
Prices in US dollars, which we convert at a rounded Bank of England rate, so your card may charge a little more. Nomad lists du for the UAE and says its eSIMs support hotspot use.
Watch out: Nomad plans have to be activated within 60 days of purchase, so don't buy months ahead.
Nomad United Arab Emirates plans ↗We may earn a commission on this link.
Airalo on Etisalat
We have no affiliate relationship with Airalo and list it anyway. Its the UAE eSIM lists Etisalat as the main network.
Watch out: Its unlimited plans slow to 1Mbps once you've used 3GB in a day.
Klook on Etisalat
Klook's price changes with every combination of days and data, so we don't show one. The link opens Klook's own page for this country.
Watch out: You get a QR code on a voucher. Install it on Wi-Fi before you travel and check when the countdown starts.
Klook United Arab Emirates plans ↗We may earn a commission on this link.
What UK networks charge in the UAE
Every UK network treats the UAE as rest of world, and the gap between them is wide. Sky Mobile's £2 a day and EE's passes, from £6 for 24 hours to £50 for 15 days, use your UK allowance. O2 Travel is £7 a day at 2Mbps, and Three puts the UAE in its Around the World Extra zone, with passes from £17.50 for 3 days.
On iD Mobile, VOXI and Tesco Mobile, data is charged by the megabyte: £9.60, 12p and £5. A few minutes of maps on iD costs more than a whole eSIM, so keep data roaming off on those lines.
WhatsApp, FaceTime and licensed calling apps
The UAE restricts internet voice and video calling to apps licensed by its regulator. WhatsApp and FaceTime calls generally fail to connect on UAE mobile networks and most hotel Wi-Fi, while messages, photos and voice notes work normally.
Licensed apps such as BOTIM are the local alternative, and ordinary calls over your UK SIM still work at your network's roaming rates. A travel eSIM connects through UAE networks, so the same restrictions apply to it.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi stopovers
For a stopover of a day or two, roaming can be the simpler choice: EE's 24-hour pass is £6 and Sky Mobile charges £2 for the day. Airport and hotel Wi-Fi is widely available.
For a week or more, an eSIM usually costs less than any daily or pass option. The worked costs below price a week and a fortnight.
Setting up for United Arab Emirates
- 01Buy and install at home
Install the eSIM on home Wi-Fi before you travel and keep the new line switched off until you land. Save the QR code or setup details in case you need to reinstall.
- 02Turn off data roaming on your UK line
Leave your UK SIM on so calls and bank texts still reach you, but switch its data roaming off so it can't run up charges.
- 03Make the eSIM your data line
Set the eSIM as the line for mobile data, turn off automatic data switching, and turn on data roaming for the eSIM only.
United Arab Emirates questions, answered
Can I make WhatsApp or FaceTime calls in Dubai?
Generally not. The UAE restricts internet calling to licensed apps, and WhatsApp and FaceTime calls usually don't connect. Messages, photos and voice notes work, and licensed apps such as BOTIM can make calls.
What does iD Mobile charge for data in the UAE?
£9.60 per MB. At that rate, keep data roaming off on iD in the UAE and use Wi-Fi or an eSIM.
Is roaming worth it for a Dubai stopover?
For a day or two it can be: EE's 24-hour pass is £6 and Sky Mobile charges £2 a day. For a week or more, an eSIM usually costs less.
Does VOXI's Global Roaming Extra cover the UAE?
No. The UAE isn't on VOXI's Global Roaming Extra list, so data is charged at 12p per MB.
Does a UAE travel eSIM include a local phone number?
The plans compared here are data only, so there's no UAE number. Your UK SIM can stay on for calls and bank texts.
Where the numbers come from
How we work this out.
On EE we price roaming for all 20 destinations. Across the other nine networks we price 116 more network-and-destination combinations from published charges; everywhere else we send you to your network's own checker instead of guessing. Saily and Nomad send us their prices directly, covering 20 destinations. Airalo prices are checked by hand for 5 of them and stop being ranked a week after we last looked. Klook never shows a price here — we send you to their own page instead of guessing one.
UK roaming rules 25 Aug 2026 · review overdueHand-checked prices & calls/texts labels 25 Aug 2026 · review overdueExchange rates (rounded) 25 Aug 2026 · review overduePrice refresh rule 7 days, then removed from rankingLive prices from Saily and Nomad working · 20 destinations
Sources for United Arab Emirates Every price’s paper trail
Where we checkedSaily United Arab EmiratesA set amount of data · checked 25 Aug 2026 · review by 1 Sept 2026Where we checkedKlook United Arab EmiratesPrice is shown on the provider's own site · checked 25 Aug 2026 · review by 1 Sept 2026Where we checkedAiralo United Arab EmiratesSlows down after a daily limit · checked 25 Aug 2026 · review by 1 Sept 2026Where we checkedNomad United Arab EmiratesFull speed up to a daily limit, then slower · checked 10 Sept 2026 · review by 10 Sept 2026Currency methodBank of England daily spot exchange ratesRounded comparison assumptions · checked 25 Aug 2026 · review by 1 Sept 2026
Setting up before you fly
Keep your UK number. Turn off its data.
- 01Install at home
Buy before departure, install on Wi-Fi and keep the new line switched off until arrival.
- 02Choose the data line
Set the travel eSIM as Mobile Data and disable data switching so your UK SIM cannot take over.
- 03Keep texts available
Leave the UK line on for banking texts if needed, but turn off its data roaming and avoid chargeable calls.
Common questions
Things worth checking first.
Do you work out what my own network would charge?
On EE, for all 20 destinations. Across the other nine networks, for 116 more network-and-destination combinations. Everywhere else we send you to your network’s own checker rather than invent a number — usually because the network has stopped publishing a rate, or prices it against your individual account. Pick the tariff that applies to you and we work out the daily fees, the cheapest combination of passes, or the per-megabyte rate from your network’s published charges. We only claim a saving when roaming would actually cover your whole trip and everything else you asked for.
Are these prices live?
Saily’s and Nomad’s are — they come from each provider’s own feed and are marked “Live price”. Saily quotes real pounds; Nomad quotes US dollars, which we convert. Airalo prices are checked by hand, show the date we checked, and drop out of the ranking after seven days. They are already in pounds, so they need no conversion. Klook never shows a price here, because we cannot read one reliably; that link takes you to their own page.
Why does one provider show several plans?
Because more than one can fit your trip — a bigger allowance, a longer run before it expires, or unlimited data. We show each provider’s best few for your trip and tuck the rest — including any that cost more without giving you more — behind one “show more” button. Pin up to three to compare side by side.
Where do I find hotspot and speed limits?
Open “Hotspot, speed & other limits” on any plan. It covers whether you can use the phone as a hotspot, what happens when you hit a speed cap, what the fair-use rules are, when the plan starts counting down, and which local network you will be on. If it says “check plan”, the provider’s own wording was not clear enough for us to promise you either way.
Can I make normal calls on these?
Usually not. Most travel eSIMs give you data only — WhatsApp and FaceTime work, but your phone number does not. If you need real calls and texts, answer “Yes” in the form and we will only recommend a plan that we have confirmed includes them.
Will an eSIM work on my phone?
Search for your exact model and we will check it against manufacturer guidance. Two things we cannot check for you: whether your phone is locked to a UK network, and which regional version you own — some models sold in certain countries have no eSIM at all. Confirm both before buying.
How many destinations do you cover?
20 destinations — Turkey, United States, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Egypt, Indonesia — and all 10 UK networks. Saily and Nomad price every destination live; 5 of them also carry hand-checked Airalo prices.