United Kingdom eSIM with Calls & Phone Number
UK eSIM from 20,95€ with a real British number (+44) on Three UK 5G: 40–200 GB of data plus calls & SMS. Register WhatsApp, Telegram or any app and get SMS verification codes on your number — no extra app needed. Instant QR delivery, no contract.
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for the United Kingdom?
Get connected in under 2 minutes
Buy it before you fly
The eSIM arrives by email: a link to tap and a QR code to scan. Don't set it up yet — just bring the email with you.
Set it up after you land
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol or Belfast: connect to the airport Wi-Fi and only then set up the eSIM. Three asks for a short confirmation code during setup; it is in your email.
Turn on data roaming
Switch data roaming on for the new line — that is completely normal for an eSIM from abroad. You're online, and your British number takes calls and texts.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in the United Kingdom?
This eSIM for England and the rest of the UK runs on the Three UK network — your phone connects on its own, there is nothing for you to set.
Average measured mobile internet performance, nPerf barometer (measured 01.01.2025 – 31.12.2025). What you actually get depends on where you are, the time of day and your phone.
The eSIM is tied to Three UK. There is no network to pick and nothing to type in: once it is set up, your phone finds the mast by itself and usually shows "3" or "Three" at the top of the screen. If nothing happens when you step off the plane, switch flight mode on and off again.
You will have signal in every large city — London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Newcastle and Belfast — with 5G in those places too. Three puts its 4G network at around 99 percent of the population, measured outdoors. That is a statement about people, not about landscape: the Scottish Highlands, Skye, Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Cornish coast still have dead spots. Much of the London Underground now has signal, but not all of it.
eSIM or a local SIM card in the United Kingdom?
Here the usual trade-off disappears: this eSIM carries a British +44 number for calls and texts as well, so you skip the shop queue entirely — and part of your allowance keeps working when you hop over to Ireland.
| Compared | Simbye eSIM | Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID needed? | No, you buy online and set it up yourself | Not required in the UK either, though some shops still ask for your passport |
| When you have it | Bought before you fly, set up after you land | Only once a shop is open, and at the airport you usually pay more than in town |
| British number | A +44 number is included, calls and texts too | Included as well, but you have to find the right tariff in the shop first |
| Paying | Done online before you leave home | On the spot in local currency, plus exchange rate and often a fee from your bank |
| Your home number | Stays active, the eSIM runs as a second line beside it | You have to take your SIM out if your phone has only one slot |
| Effort | A few minutes on the airport Wi-Fi | Queueing in the shop, address or ID depending on the provider, setup on site |
| Travelling on to Ireland | Part of your allowance also works when roaming, for example in Ireland | British prepaid tariffs handle roaming very differently, often not at all |
| If something goes wrong | You send us an email, in German or English | Back to the shop, and it's usually on the other side of town |
Why roaming on your contract from home stays a gamble
What data in Britain costs you through your own operator depends entirely on your tariff: some charge a daily pass, some bill per megabyte, and on many prepaid tariffs roaming there is not switched on at all. You only know for sure once you have checked your own price list to see whether the United Kingdom is named in your roaming zone.
This eSIM takes the guesswork out. You buy it before you travel, it is prepaid, there is no contract and nothing to register, and it runs as a second line next to your normal SIM — so people can still reach you on your home number.
There is a second reason to buy that has nothing to do with data: a British number. If you are moving around the country, people call you back — the host, the restaurant, the delivery driver. And some British services, council parking apps above all, only send their verification code to a +44 number.
Where you actually get signal in Britain
Three UK finally switched its 3G network off at the end of 2025 and handed the freed-up space to 4G and 5G. For 4G, Three quotes around 99 percent of the population, measured outdoors. That is a statement about people, not about land area — and in Britain that is a big difference.
In London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Newcastle and Belfast signal is a non-issue, and you get 5G there too. Much of the London Underground now has coverage, but not all of it — so don't count on downloading your tickets between two stations.
It gets thin exactly where the postcard views are: the Scottish Highlands, Skye, Snowdonia, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District and the coasts of Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. On long rail journeys, London to Edinburgh for instance, the connection drops regularly too. So download maps, tickets and addresses before you set off.
How much data do you need in the United Kingdom?
So you can work it out instead of guessing: how much an hour costs in the apps you actually use on holiday.
The Netflix and Spotify figures come from the providers themselves (Netflix Help Center, Spotify Support, retrieved 28 Aug 2026). The rest are network-operator estimates (o2, Vodafone, EE) and vary with picture quality and reception.
Set the eSIM up only once you are in the UK
Three UK only allows setup once you are in the country. If you install the eSIM at home beforehand, you risk it being blocked and no longer activating at all. Buying it weeks in advance is fine — you just scan the code after you land.
Hop onto the airport Wi-Fi for that, as your phone needs internet once during setup. Three will ask for a short confirmation code; you'll find it in your email.
What does an eSIM for the United Kingdom cost?
Simbye offers 3 plans for the United Kingdom from €20,95 to €41,95 — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for the United Kingdom range from 40 GB to 200 GB.
| Plan | Validity | Price | Per travel day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 GB | 30 days | €20,95 | €0,69 |
| 100 GB | 30 days | €27,95 | €0,93 |
| 200 GB | 30 days | €41,95 | €1,39 |
- Networks
- Three UK
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Calls and texts
- Included, with your own number
- Number's dialling code
- +44 (UK)
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
Frequently Asked Questions about United Kingdom eSIM with Calls & Phone Number
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
