Short answer: Egypt is outside the European roaming zone included in most UK plans. When we checked their own pages on 11 September 2026, EE sold no roaming pass for Egypt at all, O2 and Three charged £7–£8 a day on most plans, and Vodafone placed Egypt in its Zone D. A week at £7–£8 a day is £49–£56 — against €33, about £28, for a 7-day travel eSIM.
What each UK network charges in Egypt
- EE — its Egypt page says "There are no roaming passes available for Egypt" and that you will not have mobile data without a roaming pass. Standard charges are £2.46 a minute for calls, made or received, and 98p a text.
- O2 — Egypt is one of the 75 destinations in O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Ultimate, which comes only with O2's Ultimate plans: no usage limit on data, but speeds capped at 2 Mbps. On other plans, the O2 Travel Bolt On costs £7 a day.
- Three — Egypt is in Go Roam Around the World Extra. The daily charge is £7 if you joined or upgraded between 1 October 2021 and 17 December 2025, and £8 if you joined or upgraded on or after 18 December 2025. It uses up to 12GB of your allowance a month, and is not available on Pay As You Go or on pay monthly plans that started before 1 October 2021.
- Vodafone UK — Egypt is in Zone D, "73 additional worldwide destinations". Check whether your plan includes it, and the daily rate, in the My Vodafone app before you go.
A week in Egypt, side by side
- EE: no data at all — there is no pass to buy for Egypt.
- O2 Travel Bolt On: 7 × £7 = £49.
- Three: 7 × £7 = £49, or 7 × £8 = £56 on newer contracts.
- O2 Ultimate plan: included, at up to 2 Mbps.
- eSIM Égypte, 7 days: €33, about £28 at the ECB rate of 10 September 2026 — about 1 GB a day at full 4G LTE speed, then 512 Kbps until the daily reset, with no cut-off.
Daily roaming charges are usually taken only on the days you use your phone, so check how your network counts a "day" — O2, for instance, says its charge is triggered when you make a call, send a text or use data, and not when you receive calls or texts.
How to keep your UK number without paying for roaming
Most recent phones run two lines at once. Leave your UK SIM on for calls and texts, switch data roaming off on that line, and set the eSIM as the line for mobile data. WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage keep working on your usual number over the eSIM's data. Remember that on O2 a call or text from your UK line still triggers the daily charge, and on EE calls cost £2.46 a minute either way.
When roaming is the better choice
- You are on an O2 Ultimate plan: Egypt is included, and 2 Mbps is enough for maps, messaging and browsing.
- Your phone does not support eSIM: roaming or a local SIM are then the only options. Check your phone in two minutes.
Getting the eSIM
eSIM Égypte is a data-only eSIM for Egypt, from €6.50 for 1 day to €86 for 30 days. It runs on Vodafone Egypt, Orange Egypt and e& Egypt, installs at home from a QR code, and starts on the first connection in Egypt. Prices are in euros, so your bank may add a non-sterling transaction fee. See durations and prices, or compare the travel eSIMs in Airalo vs Holafly vs Nomad vs Saily.