Last updated: 14 October 2026
Lebara includes roaming in the EU, the wider EEA, India and Ukraine on all its SIM only plans. Lebara calls it Roam Like Home: you use your UK minutes, texts and data, up to 30 GB. Everywhere else you buy a roaming add-on for 8 or 15 days, priced by zone. For the USA, Turkey and Thailand that is £5 for 4 GB over 8 days or £10 for 7 GB over 15 days. For the UAE it is £4 for 1 GB or £12 for 3 GB. For Egypt and Japan it is £12 for 1 GB or £25 for 3 GB. Without an add-on, data costs £93 per GB.
For a holiday in Europe or a family visit to India, Lebara needs nothing else. Its add-ons are also cheap for light users. A travel eSIM earns its place when you need more data than the add-on gives, especially in the higher-priced zones.
Going to Egypt? Lebara's largest add-on there is 3 GB for 15 days, at £25. Two weeks of Egypt data with us, 1.5 GB a day for 15 days, costs $13.99 (prices in US dollars).
What Lebara includes abroad
Roam Like Home. Lebara says all its SIM only plans include roaming in these places at no extra cost:
- The EU's 27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
- The rest of the EEA and French overseas regions: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Gibraltar, Réunion, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique.
- India and Ukraine, which few UK networks include.
There you use your plan's data, up to 30 GB (all of it if your plan is smaller), plus your UK minutes and texts, to call locally or back to the UK. Calls to other EU countries come out of your plan's international minutes.
Not included: Switzerland, Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Lebara's own roaming page says Switzerland is not in its EU roaming. Its rate finder also puts Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man in the same add-on zone as the USA, so check before a trip to the Channel Islands.
Two conditions before you go.
- Activate your SIM in the UK. Lebara says roaming will not work abroad if the SIM was not activated in the UK, or if you try to activate it while already roaming.
- Roam Like Home is for short trips. If your roaming use in these destinations is greater than your UK use over any continuous 120-day period, Lebara charges a surcharge: £2 per GB of data, 2.4p a minute for outgoing calls, 0.6p a minute for incoming calls and 0.8p a text, taken from your pay as you go credit.
Lebara roaming add-ons outside Europe
Outside Roam Like Home, your plan's allowance does not work. Lebara sells roaming add-ons valid for 8 or 15 days, and the price depends on the zone your destination is in. As of 14 October 2026:
| Destinations (examples) | 8-day add-on | 15-day add-on |
|---|---|---|
| USA, Canada, Turkey, Thailand, Switzerland, Albania, Serbia, Israel, New Zealand | £5: 4 GB, 30 minutes, 30 texts | £10: 7 GB, 50 minutes, 50 texts |
| UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Singapore, South Africa | £4: 1 GB, 10 minutes, 10 texts | £12: 3 GB, 30 minutes, 30 texts |
| Egypt, Japan, Taiwan, Kuwait, Oman, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados | £12: 1 GB, 10 minutes, 10 texts | £25: 3 GB, 30 minutes, 30 texts |
How they work, from Lebara's own pages:
- The clock starts when you buy. An add-on runs from the day of purchase until 23:59 UK time on the 8th or 15th day. Lebara suggests buying it in the UK on the day you travel.
- Minutes cover local calls and calls to the UK. Incoming calls come out of the same minutes. Incoming texts are free.
- No auto-renew. When the allowance or the days run out, buy another add-on, or pay as you go rates apply.
- Hotspot is allowed. Lebara says you can share the add-on's data with another device.
Without an add-on, you pay from your pay as you go credit. In the USA, Turkey, the UAE, Egypt and Thailand, that is £93 per GB of data, 49p a minute for calls to local or UK numbers, 49p a minute to receive a call and 49p a text. Data is charged per KB, so a few minutes of maps adds up fast.
What a typical trip costs on Lebara
Using Lebara's own prices as of 14 October 2026:
- A week in Spain or Greece: nothing extra, up to 30 GB of your plan's data.
- A week in the USA: the 8-day add-on, £5 for 4 GB. Fair value if you mostly use Wi-Fi. If you use around 1 GB a day, you would run out and need a second add-on.
- Two weeks in Turkey: the 15-day add-on, £10 for 7 GB, or about half a gigabyte a day.
- Ten days in Dubai: the 15-day add-on, £12 for 3 GB, about 300 MB a day. Enough for messages and maps, not for video calls or uploading photos.
- Two weeks in Egypt: the 15-day add-on, £25 for 3 GB.
When a travel eSIM is cheaper than Lebara
Lebara's add-ons are among the cheapest in the UK for light use, and inside Roam Like Home a travel eSIM rarely saves you anything. A travel eSIM tends to win when:
- You need more data than the add-on gives. 1 GB or 3 GB is thin for a week or two of maps, ride-hailing, translation and photo backups. In the UAE, Egypt and Japan, Lebara's largest add-on is 3 GB.
- You are in the pricier zones. Egypt and Japan cost £25 for 3 GB over 15 days. That is where a plan sized for your trip usually pays off.
- The trip is longer than 15 days. You would be buying add-on after add-on.
- You visit several countries outside Europe. Each add-on is bought for one zone. A regional eSIM covers a whole region on one plan.
- You stay in Europe longer than Lebara's 120-day rule allows.
A travel eSIM needs a phone that takes an eSIM and is not locked to a network: check yours in 30 seconds. For how the two approaches bill you in general, see travel eSIM vs international roaming.
How to use Lebara and a travel eSIM together
Most Lebara customers have a physical SIM. Lebara's eSIM is so far offered to new customers joining with an iPhone Air, and existing customers can ask Customer Services to switch. That works well with a travel eSIM: your Lebara SIM stays in the tray for your number, and the eSIM sits alongside it for data.
- Install the travel eSIM at home, on Wi-Fi: iPhone or Android.
- When you land, set the eSIM as the line for mobile data and turn on data roaming for the eSIM only.
- Turn data roaming off for your Lebara line, so it never uses data at £93 per GB.
- Keep the Lebara line on for texts, which you receive free. If you want to make calls on your Lebara number, a small add-on gives you minutes; incoming calls also use them.
- Call home on WhatsApp, FaceTime or Google Meet over the eSIM's data.
For Turkey, buy and install your travel eSIM at home before you fly. Turkey has restricted some travel eSIM providers' apps and websites, so downloading one on arrival can fail. Our Turkey, Thailand and USA pages compare the plans.
Comparing networks? See how giffgaff, SMARTY, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile, iD Mobile and VOXI handle roaming.
FAQ
Does Lebara work in the USA?
Yes, with a roaming add-on. As of 14 October 2026, Lebara charges £5 for 4 GB, 30 minutes and 30 texts over 8 days, or £10 for 7 GB, 50 minutes and 50 texts over 15 days. Without an add-on, data costs £93 per GB from your credit.
Is Lebara roaming free in Europe?
Yes, in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Gibraltar and the French overseas regions, and also in India and Ukraine. You use your plan's data up to 30 GB, plus your minutes and texts. Switzerland, Turkey, Albania and Serbia are not included as of 14 October 2026.
Does Lebara work in Turkey?
Yes, with a roaming add-on: as of 14 October 2026, £5 for 4 GB over 8 days or £10 for 7 GB over 15 days, each with minutes and texts for local calls and calls to the UK. Turkey is not part of Roam Like Home.
Does Lebara work in Dubai?
Yes, with an add-on. As of 14 October 2026, the UAE costs £4 for 1 GB, 10 minutes and 10 texts over 8 days, or £12 for 3 GB, 30 minutes and 30 texts over 15 days. Without one, data costs £93 per GB.
How long can I roam with Lebara in Europe?
Roam Like Home is for short trips. Lebara says that if your roaming use is greater than your UK use over any continuous 120-day period, a surcharge applies: £2 per GB of data, 2.4p a minute for outgoing calls, 0.6p a minute for incoming calls and 0.8p a text.
Why is my Lebara SIM not working abroad?
Check that data roaming is on in your phone's settings and that your SIM was activated in the UK before you left: Lebara says roaming will not work otherwise. If data still fails, Lebara's help pages say to set the APN to uk.lebara.mobi, with WAP as the username and password, then restart the phone.
When should I buy a Lebara roaming add-on?
On the day you travel, ideally while still in the UK. Lebara's add-ons start on the day you buy them and run until 23:59 UK time on the 8th or 15th day, so buying early wastes days.
Facts checked on 14 October 2026 against Lebara's own pages: Roaming Rate Finder and its country results, the roaming add-on pages, and the eSIM page.