EE Roaming - Help when abroad with your EE phone or device

[Linzi_H]

If you’re having problems while roaming with your EE phone or device, see the tips below for help.

I have not activated roaming before leaving the UK. What do I do?

• If you have a pay monthly account with a Roaming Pass or Inclusive Extra set up, you still need to activate roaming before leaving the UK. If you have not text ROAMING to 150 or called us before travelling, please contact us. Ways to do this can be found on our Contact Us page.
  
  
• If you have a pay as you go SIM, check that you have credit on your account. The SIM card would need to have been activated on the EE network before travelling abroad. Making a call or sending a text message within the UK, activates the SIM to be used abroad. If you have credit but are unable to use this, your account may have gone into hibernation. See our help page I didn’t use my top up credit. Why has it run out? for more information.
  
  

My phone or device shows no service abroad, what do I do?

There are a few things you can try if your device is showing no service:

• Try restarting your device.
• Running a manual network search in your device settings and selecting a different network;

  Device	How to run a manual network search
  iPhone	Settings > Mobile Service > Network Selection > Turn off Automatic
  Android	Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators > Tap OK

• Turning 4G off in your device settings.
  
  

I can’t make calls or send texts abroad, but I can receive them. What should I do?

If you can't make calls or send texts when abroad, try the steps below:

• Running a manual network search in your device settings and selecting a different network:

  Device	How to run a manual network search
  iPhone	Settings > Mobile Service > Network Selection > Turn off Automatic
  Android	Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators > Tap OK

• Check that you’re dialling the number correctly. Some phones or networks may require you to manually dial the number in international format +44 or 0044 if you are calling a UK number.
• If you have an iPhone, try enabling Dial Assist in Settings > Apps > Phone > Dial Assist.
• If you have a pay monthly account, check your Spend Cap is high enough to cover your daily roaming charges for the duration of your trip (we recommend at least £20). Otherwise, some of your services might not work when you're roaming. See our help page Set up and manage Spend Cap.
  
  

Why is my EE data not working while I’m abroad? 

If you're having trouble connecting to data, try these steps:

•  Try restarting your device and running a manual network search.

  Device	How to run a manual network search
  iPhone	Settings > Mobile Service > Network Selection > Turn off Automatic
  Android	Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators > Tap OK

• Make sure data roaming is turned on in your device settings.

  Device	How to check data roaming is turned on
  iPhone	Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data Options > Make sure Data Roaming is on
  Android	Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Make sure Data Roaming is on

• Check the roaming pass covers data for the country you’re visiting by heading to our Roaming Charges Help page or visit the EE app.
• If data is not included, please refer back to your landing text message or head to http://add-on.ee.co.uk with WiFi turned off.
  
  

Still not working?

If you need further support, please use another phone to give our Mobile Guides a call. For ways to call us from abroad see Contact Us from Abroad.

For charges to call our Mobile Guides please see our Roaming Charges Help page.

If you have any other questions just tap ‘Reply’ below and we'll do our best to help.

[Profile closed]

🚀Super helpful article.

EE should put a short-link to this info in the text message they send when your phone appears on an overseas network. The current help link they supply is no where near as good.

[Timj3]

Unbelievably frustrated by this system:

Like thousands of UK parents my Daughter is on holiday with friends, I need to activate roaming on her phone, I'm the account holder we have three SIMS with EE.

She followed the instructions on receipt of the txt message when she arrived in Spain but no roaming was established.

I spent three hours on live chat with customer service!

Two things - is this day and age why can't I as the account holder activate roaming on line?

And second why can't EE do this remotely?

We're two days into the trip now, still no roaming activated - customer services suggest my Daughter calls tech support from Spain. Undoubtedly she will be faced with 'we can only talk to the account holder'.

Meanwhile I can see charges accumulating on the account - strange how charges happen automatically yet you can't make a so called simple request happen.

Not good enough 

[Profile closed]

I feel your pain. Have you forwarded the first post in this thread to your daughter? It might help her get on a network without spending time on the phone.

In the EE app, you can make sure there's a spend cap for your daughter's phone and that the setting is configured that phone might be used abroad.

Does your EE app offer roaming as an add-on for your daughter's number? (I've had to use the app to enable roaming on arrival for my own phone). 🤞

[Katie_B]

Hello @Timj3. 

Thanks so much for coming here and flagging this with us. 

Has our customer care team activated roaming on your account but your daughter is still experiencing issues?

I'd recommend asking your daughter to try manually searching and connecting to another local network. 

Speak soon, 

Katie