EU roaming on an Irish SIM, and a UK roam add-on, say nothing about the United States. Roaming in the United States vs eSIM is not a draw. Compatible unlocked mobile: take the eSIM, and turn data roaming off on the home line. The exception sits on this week's factsheet, not on a welcome SMS at JFK.
This guide compares home-carrier roaming and a travel eSIM for everyone: solo, couple, family, group, business, older travellers, teenagers. US hosts stay T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. Detail in the network guide. The airport box is a sibling piece: eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi. Plans sit on the United States comparison.
Supplier links are affiliates. They do not move the eSIM verdict or the catalog prices. Detail in the methodology.
Roaming or eSIM in the United States: the verdict
| Option | Who it is for | Strength | Traveller weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel eSIM | 1 to 3 compatible mobiles, 5 to 21 days | Host written, price per GB, install before Heathrow | Data only: no US number |
| Home SKU that still lists the United States | Only if this week's page names the country | Data on the line you already have | You do not pick T-Mobile vs Verizon. Voice is often still billed. A French Free Max SKU is the example, not EE |
| Operator travel pass (EE, Vodafone, Three) | You must take voice calls on the home number in Las Vegas | An add-on in the carrier app | Opaque host. This is not Verizon |
| PAYG per MB | Nobody | None | Maps is not a "quick test" |
Rule: EE, Vodafone, Three, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff, or a standard EU tariff (Ireland, France, Spain, Germany): eSIM, home data roaming off. A rare premium "world" SKU that writes the United States (French Free Max is the textbook example): data roaming can hold if you re-check the country list the week you fly. Operator travel pass: useful for voice on the home number, not to pick T-Mobile or Verizon. PAYG per MB: never. EU roaming and a UK post-Brexit roam pass do not cover the United States.
Three eSIMs we track, useful once the phone passes the check:
CodeESIMP15
CodeSIMP
CodeESIMP
Who it is for: solo, family, world tariff, business
| Profile | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, compatible iPhone / Pixel / Galaxy | eSIM | Maps + Uber, no PAYG ladder |
| Couple, two unlocked mobiles | 2 eSIMs (or 1 + tethering) | Two bars. One travel pass does not save the second phone |
| Family, kids / tablets | Adult eSIMs + hotspot | Monzo, Revolut, PayPal, high-street and HMRC OTPs stay on the home line |
| Group of 5+ | eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi | Home roaming does not become group Wi-Fi |
| Business, laptop | eSIM + tethering | An hour of video in Manhattan on EE PAYG has no human cap |
| Older traveller, uneasy with a QR | eSIM installed at home | The roam pass in the app is not simpler once PAYG opens |
| Teens on a cheap SIM | eSIM, home data off before boarding | A light UK PAYG or Irish SIM carries almost nothing outside Europe |
| Premium world tariff, United States listed | Home data roaming possible | Recheck the list. Keep SMS on that line anyway |
| You must answer the home number | Travel pass or eSIM + WhatsApp | The pass wins on voice. The eSIM wins on host and €/GB |
| Mobile with no eSIM | Travel pass, plastic SIM or pocket Wi-Fi | The eSIM is not relevant. Check the model first |
A reader on a world tariff that names the United States is not "behind" if they stay on that line. They have a SKU that writes the country. The rest of this guide assumes the usual case: a home plan that does not include the country.
What EU roaming does not cover
Since 2017, "roam like at home" stops at the EU border (plus some extras by carrier: UK on some Irish SIMs, Switzerland, sometimes Ukraine). The United States is not in that zone. A plan that "works in Spain" says nothing about a Maps refresh at Times Square. America is not "almost Europe" for data. A UK post-Brexit roam pass is a different product again. EE, Vodafone and Three inclusive-roam lists are Europe-heavy. The United States is almost always extra.
At landing, carriers often send a welcome SMS. That is not a plan. It is a price list in a text. Out-of-bundle data outside Europe is billed per MB, in small increments. On French Orange the public ladder is about €13.31 per MB. UK PAYG is the same idea in pounds: a Maps session plus two stories is a West End bill without the show.
Verizon is not that SMS. It is a local MNO. Your EE or Vodafone line sometimes attaches to it in roaming. You do not pick the host. An eSIM, if you read the column, does. Verizon is not EE.
EE, Vodafone, Three, EU SIMs: the home factsheet
You are not buying "EE's American network". You are buying this week's roaming agreement on your SKU. Hosts behind it are still T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon. The carrier app almost never names them. On our side the host networks column does, for the eSIM.
EE, Vodafone, Three, Tesco, giffgaff
Standard UK tariffs do not pour United States data out of the UK allowance. Without an add-on, it is PAYG per MB.
Carriers sell travel passes / roam extras (day or trip). A few GB, sometimes minutes, short validity. Useful if you must answer the UK number from a Las Vegas hotel. Less useful for ten days of Maps, translate and Reels: price per GB on a United States eSIM, in the catalog, almost always wins.
giffgaff and many MVNOs are stricter: nothing useful outside Europe unless you buy a bolt-on. Treat a welcome SMS as a warning, not a bundle.
Ireland and other EU SIMs
Same rule as Spain or Germany: EU roaming ≠ United States. Vodafone IE, Three IE, eir, or a French Orange métropole SKU: eSIM, home data off. The French Free Max SKU is the textbook exception if the United States is still on the country list. It is not EE. It is not Three Go Roam.
EE, Vodafone and Three sell travel / roam passes (a few GB for a set number of days). Useful if you must pick up the UK number from a hotel in Manhattan. Less useful to pick Verizon over T-Mobile: the host stays opaque.
A French Pass Voyage or Orange Travel SKU is the same idea on another home SIM. Orange Travel is a reseller eSIM, not Orange FR roaming. Same reflex as Airalo: read the host, not the logo.
Voice is not the data pass
Even when a world tariff includes United States data, outbound and inbound voice is often still billed per minute. WhatsApp / FaceTime on data skip that line. A United States eSIM does not take your bank SMS: keep the home line on for Monzo, Revolut, high-street OTPs, HMRC, PayPal.
The move: eSIM before Heathrow, home number on
Open the compatibility tool before you buy a QR. Some Androids bought on EE, Vodafone, Three or Tesco have no eSIM. It is not "every iPhone 14 and later".
Install the profile on home Wi-Fi, or at Heathrow / Gatwick. On arrival: data = United States eSIM. Data roaming off on the home SIM. Data roaming on on the travel eSIM if the profile asks for it. Leave the home number on for bank SMS.
Pocket Wi-Fi and a local SIM are plan B. See eSIM vs pocket Wi-Fi and eSIM vs local SIM. Size the GB with the data simulator.
| Provider | Typical host | Code | Offer | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | T-Mobile (often) | ESIMP15 | Offer | Review |
| Ubigi | check live | ESIMP | Offer | Review |
| Holafly | check live | SIMP | Offer | Review |
 Orange Travel | check live | ESIMP | Offer | Review |
 Nomad | check live | ESIMPNOMAD | Offer | Review |
Estimate gigabytes for maps, video and hotspot.
Open calculatorPHONEeSIM compatibilityCheck iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy before you buy. EE, Vodafone or Three SKUs are not always eSIM.
Check my phoneHow much data for your trip in the United States?
Three typical trips, same maths as the calculator, North America factor. Maps, Uber, Reels or a laptop on tethering: the same gigabytes on an eSIM or a pocket Wi-Fi box. Turn off photo backup on cellular if you want the low end. Read the fair use.
Estimate 8.3 GB · Maps, chat, Instagram. No Reels, no laptop.
Estimate 16.5 GB · Same base, plus half an hour of video a day.
Estimate 31.6 GB · One hour of phone tethering a day for the computer.
Mistakes that still cost money
- Thinking EU roaming works in Manhattan
Italy yes, United States no. A welcome SMS at JFK is not a plan. It is often PAYG per MB.
Compare USA eSIMs - Leaving EE / Vodafone / Three data on « just in case »
PAYG per MB. Switch off data roaming, not the line: bank SMS still have to land.
Compare USA eSIMs - Mixing a world SKU with a cheap PAYG SIM
The United States may sit on a rare premium list. A light UK SIM carries almost nothing outside Europe. Recheck the country list.
Check compatibility - Switching off the home SIM to « avoid roaming »
You lose Monzo, Revolut, OTPs. A USA eSIM is data only. Cut the data, not the number.
Check compatibility - Taking a 1 GB pass for a coast to coast
Size the GB. A voice pass of a few MB does not save Maps. An eSIM host is readable, a pass host rarely is.
Size the data pack
FAQ
Does my UK or EU roaming work in the United States?
EU roaming says nothing about the USA. A UK post-Brexit roam pass is a different product again. EE, Vodafone, Three and most EU SIMs bill per MB without a pass, unless a SKU writes the United States. Recheck the factsheet the week you fly.
EE, Vodafone, Three roaming in the USA: what to pick?
Compatible phone: travel eSIM, home data roaming off. Exception: a world SKU that still lists the United States (French Free Max is the textbook case, not EE). A travel pass helps if you must answer the home number. It is not a draw with the eSIM: the eSIM host is readable.
Does EE include the United States?
Standard EE, Vodafone and Three allowances almost never pour US data out of the UK bundle. Recheck this week’s country list. A French Free Max SKU often lists the USA. That is not EE. That is not Three Go Roam.
How much is PAYG data in the United States?
Out-of-bundle data outside Europe is billed per MB. On French Orange the public ladder is about €13.31 per MB. UK PAYG is the same idea in pounds. A Maps plus Uber session in Manhattan is not a small test.
Can I keep EE for bank SMS?
Yes. A USA eSIM is almost always data only. Leave the home SIM or eSIM for Monzo, Revolut and OTPs. Switch off data roaming, not the line.
Is Orange Travel EE roaming?
No. Orange Travel is a travel eSIM, a reseller. T-Mobile, AT&T or Verizon is the host. A roam pass is roaming on your home line. Three products. Read the host.
Sources
All external sources open in a new tab.
- EE, using your phone abroad; Vodafone UK and Three roam pages. Recheck your contract the week you fly. PAYG per MB outside Europe is the same idea as Orange FR at €13.31 / MB.
- Free Mobile, tariffs abroad (United States on Max data destinations: an example of a SKU that writes the country, not EE).
- Opensignal, United States Mobile Network Experience Report, July 2026.
- eSIM Giga catalog: United States comparison (price, hosts, hotspot).
- Sibling guides: best mobile network in the United States, eSIM or local SIM, eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi, Internet in the United States.
A travel eSIM and a home line in roaming often ride the same MNOs. What changes is the price per MB, the host you can read, and the bank SMS. Once the phone is compatible, we stay on the eSIM.