Is EU roaming still free for UK business mobiles after Brexit?

It depends on the network and plan. O2 generally includes EU roaming as Roam at Home on business tariffs. EE and Vodafone charge a daily fee on most plans unless you buy an inclusive-roaming bolt-on. Three is mixed. CTN offers plans with inclusive roaming in 83 destinations.

What are the daily roaming fees on EE and Vodafone?

Around £2-5 per day per line on most EE business plans, and £2-3 per day on Vodafone unless you're on an inclusive-roaming tier. These are 2026 rates; check your specific plan.

Will the UK rejoin EU Roam Like At Home?

Probably not in the short term. Neither Labour nor Conservative governments have prioritised reciprocal roaming as a policy matter. The current network-choice model is expected to persist.

Are there fair-use limits on inclusive EU roaming?

Yes. Most plans cap inclusive EU data at 20-40GB per month, beyond which throttling or charges apply. Most also cap primary use to ~60 days per year in the EU — if your phone is abroad more than in the UK, networks may raise it with you.

EU Roaming Rules for UK Business Mobiles After Brexit (2026 Explainer)

Last updated: April 2026

The rules around EU roaming for UK business mobiles have changed several times since Brexit. This is the clear version, updated for 2026, covering the four main networks and CTN's business offer.

The pre-Brexit baseline (what people remember)

From 2017 to 2020, under EU regulation, every UK mobile contract included "Roam Like At Home" across the EEA. You paid nothing extra to use your phone in Spain or Germany or anywhere in the EU — same allowance, same price.

This was a regulatory obligation. Networks had no commercial choice.

What Brexit changed

From 1 January 2021, UK networks were no longer required to offer Roam Like At Home. Each network could decide independently whether to maintain it, charge for it, or sit somewhere in between.

Most networks kept free EU roaming for a while because it was expected. Then from 2022-2023, each started adding charges or withdrawing the benefit on new contracts — quietly, through renewal terms rather than headlines.

Where each network sits in 2026

EE

Consumer: EU roaming re-introduced as a £2/day fee in 2022. Currently applies on most consumer tariffs.

Business: Most EE business tariffs include a daily roaming fee (~£2-5/day, depends on plan). Some higher-tier business plans include Inclusive Roaming, but it's a paid uplift versus the base plan. Legacy Roam Abroad / Roam Free plans are being phased out at renewal.

Vodafone

Consumer: Xtra plans include EU roaming; other plans charge £2-3/day under "Vodafone Daily Roaming".

Business: Most business plans include a daily roaming fee unless you've specifically added a roaming bolt-on or are on a top-tier plan. Fair-use data caps apply even on inclusive plans (commonly 25GB of EU data, beyond which throttling or additional charges apply).

O2

Consumer: O2 was the standout — retained free EU roaming as "Roam at Home" in ~48 countries, with 25GB EU data cap and inclusive mins/texts.

Business: O2 business tariffs generally include Roam at Home as standard. This is one of the strongest parts of the O2 business proposition and the reason we often recommend O2 for customers who travel in the EU.

Three

Consumer: Three moved several times — currently most plans charge a daily fee (~£2/day) for EU use, but some "Go Roam" legacy plans included 71 destinations free.

Business: Three business plans are mixed — some include EU, some charge. Always check specifics at the plan level.

CTN

Our current business tariffs include inclusive roaming in 83 destinations — more than O2's Roam at Home list, covering the full EEA plus Switzerland, Turkey, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of the Balkans and Caribbean. Full country list here.

The "Fair Use" small print everyone should read

Even networks with inclusive EU roaming have fair use limits. Common ones:

Data cap: typically 20-40GB of EU data per month on "unlimited" plans. Beyond that, throttling or additional charges.
Duration cap: most networks allow up to ~60 days per year of primary use in EU before they ask questions. Designed to stop people living full-time abroad on a UK SIM.
Primary use requirement: inclusive EU roaming is for travel. If your phone spends more time connected to EU networks than UK networks over several months, you may get a letter.

For business travel, trade shows, driver routes — fair use limits almost never bite. For staff living abroad on UK SIMs permanently — they will.

What hasn't changed

USA, Turkey, Switzerland, Australia — never covered by the EU regulation even pre-Brexit. Always been a per-network commercial decision.
Emergency numbers — 112 still works as an EU emergency number from any UK mobile roaming in the EU.
EU to UK calls — calls from someone in the EU to a UK business mobile number work normally; the UK mobile recipient doesn't pay for receiving the call from abroad.

What the 2026 price increase means for EU roaming

Networks typically increased tariffs by £2.50 + VAT per month in April 2026 (the standard UK mobile annual rise). This applies to your base tariff. Your EU roaming position — inclusive, daily fee, or nothing — doesn't change at annual price increase time; it changes at renewal.

If you've been on a legacy "Roam Free" plan since before 2021, at your renewal you may find EU roaming has quietly become an extra. Always ask what specifically is included at renewal and don't assume continuity.

Practical steps to avoid surprises

Pull your last year's roaming charges — if there's any, you're on a tariff that's charging you
Ask your current provider about their current inclusive-roaming options — and the fair-use caps
Check Switzerland and Turkey specifically — they're the two biggest surprise-bill countries for UK business travellers
If renewing, negotiate explicitly for EU roaming — it's often available but not quoted by default
For heavy EU travel (drivers, sales teams) — consider O2 business plans or CTN's 83-destination inclusive plan

Will the UK ever re-join Roam Like At Home?

Probably not in the short term. Both Labour and Conservative governments have signalled that reciprocal EU roaming is a commercial matter for networks, not a policy priority. The Windsor Framework didn't touch roaming. You should assume the current commercial-choice model will persist.

That said, competitive pressure means networks do periodically re-include EU roaming to win customers. O2 kept it throughout; Three briefly re-expanded it in 2024; EE and Vodafone have been the most aggressive at removing it.

FAQs

Is EU roaming still free for UK business mobiles?

Depends on the network and the specific plan. O2 generally includes it as Roam at Home. EE and Vodafone usually charge a daily fee unless you're on a specific inclusive-roaming plan. Three is mixed. Always check your specific tariff terms.

Can I still use my UK phone in Spain for work?

Yes — but check whether inclusive use is baked in (O2 typically yes, EE/Vodafone often no without a bolt-on). On some plans you'll pay a daily fee per line for any use; on others it's included.

What's the daily roaming fee on EE?

Around £2-5 per day depending on plan — higher on some consumer plans, lower on business. Worth checking the plan-specific terms.

Does the fair-use cap include phone calls or just data?

Fair-use limits typically focus on data (commonly 20-40GB EU per month) but many plans also cap primary use — if you spend more than ~60 days a year connected to EU networks as your primary connection, the network may raise it with you. Calls and texts are usually unlimited within the plan allowance.

If I go to Switzerland on my O2 business mobile, am I covered?

Check the specific plan. O2's Roam at Home doesn't always include Switzerland, and daily fees (~£4-5/day) apply to non-inclusive destinations on some O2 plans. Switzerland is one of the most common surprise-roaming destinations.

What about receiving calls when abroad?

Generally free of roaming charges — you don't pay to receive a call on your UK mobile number while abroad. Some very old plans did charge; modern tariffs don't. Making outgoing calls or using data is where charges apply.

Getting help

If you're trying to work out what your current network actually charges you for EU roaming — or whether a switch would save money — call 01743 598025 or request a quote. We'll audit your last three bills and give you a straight answer, even if the answer is "stay where you are."