Sky Mobile international roaming FAQ

Sky Mobile customers can use their UK data, calls and text allowances in 55 overseas destinations for an extra £2 a day.

Which locations are covered by roaming on Sky Mobile?

Since Sky Mobile reintroduced roaming charges, customers can no longer roam for no extra charge outside the UK. However, you can roam for an extra £2 a day in the following destinations:

• Aruba (Netherlands Antilles)
• Australia (including Cocos Islands)
• Austria
• Azores
• Belgium
• Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles)
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Canary Islands
• Christmas Islands)
• Croatia
• Curacao (Netherlands Antilles)
• Cyprus (excl. Northern Cyprus)
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• French Guiana (French West Indies)
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Guadeloupe (French West Indies)
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Madeira
• Malta
• Martinique (French West Indies)
• Mayotte (French Territories in the Indian Ocean)
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Reunion (French Territories in the Indian Ocean)
• Romania
• Saba (Netherlands Antilles)
• Sint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles)
• Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles)
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• St Barthelemy (French West Indies)
• St Martin (French West Indies)
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey (incl. Northern Cyprus)
• UAE
• USA

When did Sky Mobile impose roaming fees?

Since 3 May 2022, Sky Mobile has charged £2 a day for customers to use their phones for calls, texts, and data outside of free Wi-Fi networks while outside the UK. 

Previously, mobile companies were prohibited from imposing additional charges when customers used their UK allowances in Europe. However, with the conclusion of the post-Brexit transition period, these restrictions no longer apply.

Sky Mobile’s Roaming Passport Plus

Sky Mobile customers using their devices in Europe and other specified countries will have the "Roaming Passport Plus" pass automatically activated and appended to their accounts upon making a call, sending a text, or consuming over 10MB of data, at a cost of £2 a day. 

The pass is valid for 24 hours, during which customers can utilise their inclusive minutes, texts, and data without extra charges. Sky will text to confirm the 24 hours have started and when the period is coming to an end. Subsequent passes will be triggered as customers reach the specified thresholds after the 24-hour pass expires.

In case of data depletion while roaming in a Passport Plus destination, users can tap into any unused data from previous months stored in their 'Piggybank.' However, the £2 daily roaming charge still applies.

If you want to avoid incurring charges for data usage abroad, you can disable data roaming by adjusting your phone settings to prevent automatic charges from your carrier.

Sky International Saver

Even with the £2 per day passport charge, it will still cost you to phone and text international numbers. If you wish to make calls or send texts to numbers outside of the UK Sky has the International Saver feature that Sky Mobile customers can add to their plans. 

Costing £3 a month, International Saver is designed to save money for those who regularly make calls to friends, family and colleagues around the world. Customers with the add-on pay reduced per-minute rates for calls to a group of countries including Australia, Hong Kong, the USA and Nigeria.

Usually, when you dial out to international numbers from your UK mobile you will face huge charges, with call costs of more than £1.75 a minute. Texting can also be expensive, with providers charging more than 40p a text depending on its destination.

With International Saver, you’ll pay just £0.05 a minute and either £0.06 or £0.10 a text to talk with anyone in any of the available countries listed above. 

For more information read Sky Mobile’s tariff guide.

What about roaming on Sky Mobile pay-as-you-go?

If you don’t want to buy the Roaming Passport Plus pass, you can pay as you go for data, calls and texts when you’re abroad. The cost of pay-as-you-go roaming varies depending on the destination, but it’s usually much cheaper than using your UK allowances.

Sky Mobile add-ons when roaming

When you’re in a Roaming Passport Plus destination, you have the option to purchase data add-ons, similar to when you’re at home.

The Roaming Passport Plus subscription, priced at £2 per 24 hours, will still be in place. So on top of that, a 1GB data add-on can be acquired through your Sky Mobile account for £6.

This data add-on remains active until the commencement of your next monthly billing cycle and you can purchase a maximum of 5 add-ons concurrently on a single account.

Additionally, you have the flexibility to use any data you have stored in your Sky Piggybank.

These provisions offer flexibility and convenience for managing your data needs while roaming with Sky Mobile in Roaming Passport Plus destinations.

Does Sky Mobile have a fair usage policy?

Luckily, Sky Mobile doesn't impose any specified fair usage policy for EU roaming at the moment. So, you can go ahead and use your monthly data allowance in any of the countries listed above, safe in the knowledge that it won't cost you any more than it would in the UK.

However, Sky T&C do state you cannot roam abroad for an ‘extended period of time’ and if you do you won't be able to buy any more Roaming Passport Plus 24-hour passes. 

Can you roam in the USA?

Since the start of the year, mobile network providers in the USA have discontinued their 2G and 3G coverage to pave the way for more advanced 4G and 5G networks.

Because of this, it's imperative that your phone is compatible with VoLTE Roaming, also known as 4G Calling abroad. You will also need to confirm that 'VoLTE' is activated in your device settings. Some 5G iPhones might have VoLTE enabled by default.

What to do before embarking on your trip to the USA

Many phones support VoLTE Roaming (4G Calling abroad) in the USA, including iPhone 7 and above running iOS 15 or higher, and Samsung S10 and above, as well as Samsung A series devices running Android 12 or higher.

To check compatibility your phone’s compatibility visit Sky’s Device Support page and then: 

• Select your phone make and model.
• Scroll down to the Specifications/Specs tab and navigate to/select Network.
• Confirm whether your phone is compatible with VoLTE Roaming in the USA. A green tick or 'Yes (with Android 12 or higher)' beside 'VoLTE Roaming (works in the USA)' indicates compatibility.
• If ‘VoLTE Roaming (works in the USA)’ is absent or marked with a red cross (X), your device is not compatible.

You also need to activate VoLTE in your device settings.

On iPhones: Go to Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options > Voice & Data > switch VoLTE on.

On Android devices: Navigate to Settings > Connections/Network & internet > Mobile networks > switch VoLTE on.

Can I roam outside the EU with Sky Mobile?

Yes, you can roam in most countries outside the EU with Sky Mobile.

But, if the country you’re visiting is not covered by Roaming Passport Plus, you will be charged an out-of-tariff rate, which varies depending on the country you are visiting.

It is worth noting that the most you can be charged in a monthly billing cycle is £45. You can disable the roaming spend cap through your account’s settings.

For more information about Sky Mobile, including mobile deals and offers, check out its provider page.