UK SIM card for Indian travellers: roaming, local SIM or eSIM

UK eSIM or SIM card: what Indian travellers need

You need mobile data in the UK more than a UK phone number, so an eSIM in UK, installed in India, is enough for most visits. Most of our UK plans carry data only, with no calls and no SMS. One plan family adds a UK number for local calls, and none carries your Indian number.

Pack prices as listed by Jio, Airtel and Vi on 12 Oct 2026; ₹ per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are an estimate at the day’s rate; your card is charged in US$.

Our UK plans run on the EE network and cover England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, not Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. Unlimited data plans slow to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day; the 7-day one costs ≈ ₹2,010 (12 Oct rate). Hotspot use draws on the same data allowance, and our plan details state no hotspot rule. Other countries are covered in our international SIM options by country.

Install the eSIM in India; it connects when you land abroad. Do the QR code install at home on Wi-Fi: every UK plan counts its days from first use, so the data plan validity starts in the UK, not at installation. Check your model on our phone list, read the install guide or see the Europe SIM card guide for a multi-country trip.

Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network. If the eSIM doesn’t work and it isn’t your phone’s fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

Your Jio, Airtel or Vi pack in the UK vs this eSIM

Jio’s ₹1,551 pack costs the least per GB of the four capped packs below: 8 GB over 14 days, about ₹194 per GB. The five packs below cost ₹998 to ₹3,495 as listed on 12 Oct 2026, and each includes calling minutes. The eSIM plan we compare carries data only.

We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. The table still shows when your operator pack is the better choice.

Source: operator documents (Jio IR plans · Airtel T&C · Vi prepaid T&C), checked on 12 Oct 2026; ≈ ₹ per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). Airtel’s T&C are dated 24 Sep 2026. Full pack lists: Jio, Airtel and Vi.

The UK sits in Jio’s 100-, 75- and 132-country pack lists, in Airtel’s packs and in Vi’s 40-country zone, where data is marked “FREE”. Jio’s US-Mexico-Canada packs do not cover the UK. Jio’s ₹1,551 pack adds 100 minutes out, 100 in and 50 SMS; Airtel’s two packs add 150 and 200 minutes. Vi’s ₹3,495 Ultra pack gives unlimited calls in that zone.

For a month of data alone, Jio’s ₹2,851 pack works out at about ₹238 per GB. Our 10 GB plan for 30 days costs ≈ ₹1,340 (12 Oct rate), about ₹134 (US$1.40) per GB, charged US$13.99. An operator pack is the better choice when you call India often: none of our UK plans includes calls to India.

Students and long stays: the first weeks before a UK plan

A UK SIM-only plan is the usual choice once you settle, but the first weeks need data from the moment you land. An eSIM in UK, installed in India, covers that gap for maps and WhatsApp calls home. We quote no UK SIM card price from carriers such as EE, Vodafone UK or Three; we have not verified current ones.

According to MEA figures reported by The PIE News, 173,190 Indian students were in the UK on 1 January 2025. That figure is secondary; the MEA PDF returned 404. Our guide for students going abroad covers the bridge to a local plan.

For the bridge, a 30-day plan fits: 5 GB costs ≈ ₹861 (12 Oct rate), charged US$8.99. Keep your Indian SIM in the phone for OTPs. More in the student eSIM guide.

Plans with a UK number

One of our UK plan families adds a UK number with a set number of minutes and SMS; on the UK eSIM page those plans sit under “With a local phone number”. They allow local calls only, so calls to India still run over WhatsApp on data. A UK number does not replace your Indian number, and no UK plan of ours carries it.

The 10 GB plan with a UK number for 30 days, including 100 minutes and 100 SMS, costs ≈ ₹1,915 (12 Oct rate), charged US$19.99. The data-only plan with the same 10 GB and 30 days costs ≈ ₹1,340 (12 Oct rate). Pick the number version for deliveries or a landlord’s call.

Bank OTPs while data runs on the eSIM

Bank OTPs arrive as SMS on your Indian number, and our UK plans cannot receive them. A plan with a UK number receives texts sent to that UK number, not to your Indian one. Keep your Indian SIM active as a second line with its data off, and ask your operator whether SMS reaches it in the UK.

One r/Jio user wrote on 31 Mar 2026: “I lived for 6 months in the UK, and never had any service issues with Jio … SMS were never missed.” That is one traveller’s experience, not a promise. No page can promise that every OTP will reach you.

UPI apps are tied to the same Indian number, so check with your bank or UPI app before you count on UPI abroad. The guide to keeping your Indian SIM for OTPs explains the dual-SIM settings.

Your card is charged in US dollars. Your bank converts the amount at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction (forex markup) fee. How card payments work.

What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in the United Kingdom?

Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.

The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your Indian line stays on for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off.

The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats the United Kingdom as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. On this plan it sets itself, so leave it alone; you don’t need to type one.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find EE; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.

Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.in with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)

For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, ≈ ₹289 (US$2.99). For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, ≈ ₹870 (US$8.99). If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, ≈ ₹2,030 (US$20.99), with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.

I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your Indian number every day, a Jio, Airtel or Vi roaming pack carries them (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.

FAQ

Get an eSIM for the United Kingdom, from ≈ ₹289 Pay by card in US$. Your bank converts the US$ charge at its own rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans