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?
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.
| Networks | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 111Mbit/s | 17Mbit/s | 35ms |
Source: nPerf averages, 01.01.2025 – 31.12.2025.
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.
| Feature |  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 |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in the United Kingdom?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for the United Kingdom cost?
from 20,95€
3 plans · 30 days
Simbye offers 3 plans for the United Kingdom from 20,95€ to 42,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for the United Kingdom range from 40 GB to 200 GB.
The validity starts with your first connection the United Kingdom.
Data plans
- 40 GB 30 days 20,95€ 0,69€ per travel day
- 100 GB 30 days 28,95€ 0,96€ per travel day
- 200 GB 30 days 42,95€ 1,43€ per travel day
Good to know
- 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.
Yes, you get a British phone number. You get your own number with the +44 dialling code, and calls and texts are included. So people can ring you inside the country and you can receive SMS codes.
You should buy an eSIM for the UK before you fly. The QR code reaches you by email right after you buy, and you scan it once you have landed. The 30 days only start when the eSIM first connects to a British network — the day you buy does not count.
In the UK, you'll be on the Three UK network, with 4G and 5G. Three switched its 3G network off completely at the end of 2025, so calls run over 4G. Very old handsets that can't do that will no longer make calls there.
No need to register or show your passport. The UK does not require registration for prepaid SIMs, neither ID nor a local address.
Yes, you can receive SMS codes from British services, which is one of the main reasons for this eSIM: parking apps, delivery services and booking portals often send codes to UK numbers only. A British bank account is a different matter though — for that you also need an address in the country.
An eSIM for the UK starts at 20,95€; the final price depends on the data amount and validity you choose, shown in the table above. You pay once and nothing renews on its own. This plan includes a British number with calls and texts, so you are not paying separately for a second line.
You can buy an eSIM for the UK right here online — pick a plan above, pay, and the QR code arrives by email within minutes. No shop, no queue and nothing in the post. Order before you travel if you like, and follow the setup timing shown above on this page so the profile activates correctly on arrival.
Yes, eSIM is available in the UK — it works right across the country, and British networks support it fully. An eSIM for the United Kingdom is a digital SIM card built into your phone. You do not need a UK address, a local bank account or a credit check. Any unlocked eSIM-capable phone can carry the profile, and this plan runs on a British network in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Data needs for the UK depend on use — a week of maps, travel and messaging rarely passes 2 GB. Uploading photos daily takes you to around 5 GB. The heavy uses are streaming on trains, video calls and tethering a laptop — those turn a two-week trip into tens of gigabytes. This plan is built for that end of the scale; the table on this page shows the steps.
The best eSIM for the UK comes down to whether you need a British number. This plan runs on Three UK and includes your own +44 number for calls and texts, which is what people booking viewings, deliveries or appointments actually need. Three covers the cities and most populated areas, but the Highlands, Skye, Snowdonia and parts of Cornwall stay patchy. For data only, a multi-network plan suits better.
Yes. Because you get a real phone number, SMS verification codes arrive directly on your phone — so you can sign up for or verify WhatsApp, Telegram, banking apps and almost any service. No extra app required.
No. This is a real eSIM with a real number that works natively on your phone — calls use your normal dialer and texts land in your phone's Messages app. The Simbye app is optional and only used to manage your plan.
Yes. You can make and receive calls and SMS with your included number — just like a local SIM, with no contract and no roaming bills. International calls are included as a set number of minutes depending on your plan.
Ready for the United Kingdom?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
