EE pay as you go: plans, top ups and what it costs abroad

What EE pay as you go plans were listed on 10 November 2026?

EE's pay as you go SIM page offers two ways to buy the same plans. A 30-day plan is a one-off payment and you choose when to renew. A 30-day Saver plan is the same plan for 10 percent less, renewed automatically by card. Neither has a contract or credit check.

The same allowances appear in EE's pay as you go price guide, with charges from 3 June 2026. Every plan card on the page carried the note "Max speed of 25Mbps", which is fine for maps, messaging and social apps but slower than EE's pay monthly plans. EE's FAQ says 5G is available on pay as you go. We saw no promotions with an end date on the plans.

EE also lists a Guided plan at £9 with 2GB, 500 minutes and 500 texts, strict parental controls and no roaming, aimed at children's phones.

This is desk research from EE's own pages and price guides, read on 10 November 2026. We have not bought or tested an EE pay as you go plan.

What extras come with EE PAYG plans?

EE lists three on the page, and they apply to the 30-day plans:

• Data Rollover. Unused data rolls into your next plan.
• Free Data Boost. 2GB extra for every two 30-day plans bought in a row.
• Data Parachute. 1GB free if you run out.

The £35 unlimited plan does not need rollover or the parachute, and its card does not list them.

How do you top up EE pay as you go?

EE's FAQ says you need to top up to cover the price of your chosen plan, and you can do it any time through your EE account. The price guide sets the minimum top up at £5, in steps of £5. If you do not have enough credit when a plan runs out, EE waits until you top up, then starts the new plan straight away. On a Saver plan the card payment does this for you, which is the point of it.

If you would rather not buy a plan, EE's third option is a talk and text plan on credit: calls cost 40p a minute and texts 20p each, with data available as an add-on.

Is there a free EE pay as you go SIM, and is there an eSIM?

We could not confirm either from EE's pages. The pay as you go page we read does not mention a free SIM, delivery, or eSIM. Posts on EE's community forum, which we saw only in search results, say pay as you go eSIM is not offered, but that is not an official EE statement, so check before you order if you need an eSIM.

To keep your old number, EE's FAQ says to get a PAC from your current network by texting PAC to 65075, then send it to EE through its online form. Number transfers are not processed on bank holidays. More on EE's network and other plans is in our EE UK guide.

Can you use an EE pay as you go SIM abroad?

In Europe, yes, at a charge. EE says plan allowances work in 47 European destinations. When you arrive you get a welcome text with the options:

You can only opt in once you are in the Europe zone, and you need enough credit. Without a plan or an add-on, EE's price guide says you cannot use data at all unless you buy the EU data add-on. The zone includes Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and the Channel Islands. Turkey, Northern Cyprus and Andorra are not in it. In the Republic of Ireland, EE says plan allowances work as they do in the UK at no extra charge. The Guided plan cannot use these add-ons.

Compare that with EE pay monthly, where the daily EU charge is £2.72 on most plans; our EE roaming guide covers those.

What does EE pay as you go roaming cost outside Europe?

Much more. EE's pay as you go price guide (charges from 3 June 2026) sets out these rates:

For data outside Europe you buy a roaming data add-on. Zone A covers the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Turkey, Thailand, Mexico, India and others:

Zones B to D get less data for the same prices, and Zone E is £37.62 for 5MB.

When is a travel eSIM cheaper than EE PAYG roaming?

In Europe, EE's £10 for a week with your full allowance is hard to beat. Our verified price for Spain was $13 for Airalo's 10GB over 7 days, read in August 2026, so stick with EE unless your plan's data is small.

Outside Europe, a travel eSIM wins easily. A week in the USA on EE pay as you go is £52.25 for 900MB. Our verified US prices, read on each seller's own site in August 2026, were $21.50 for Airalo's 10GB over 7 days, $22.99 for Saily's 10GB over 30 days and $25 for Nomad's 10GB over 30 days. For Japan, also Zone A, Airalo's 10GB over 7 days was $17. That is more than ten times the data for less than half the money.

If you add a travel eSIM, keep the EE SIM in for calls and texts and turn its data roaming off, or a background app can cost you. Our data roaming guide shows where the switch is, and the cheapest eSIM table ranks plans by price per gigabyte.

Who does EE pay as you go suit?

UK residents who want EE's network without a contract, who travel mostly in Europe, and who are happy with a 25Mbps cap. For a visitor to the UK, the lack of a confirmed eSIM and our not finding how to get the SIM make it harder to recommend than a travel eSIM bought before you fly; see the UK SIM card comparison.