EE roaming charges in the USA
EE's network is superb — in Britain. Take an EE phone to Florida and do nothing, and you'll either pay a daily charge to unlock your allowance or, on older arrangements, pay out-of-bundle rates that make hotel minibars look reasonable. Here's how EE's US roaming actually works in 2026, what a fortnight really costs, and the £16.99 alternative that lets you keep your EE number running the whole time.
What EE charges in the USA
- Daily roaming passes — from around £6 a day to use your UK allowance in the US. The pass triggers automatically the day you use your phone, midnight to midnight UK time — so an evening arrival can burn a full day's charge on one WhatsApp.
- Roam Abroad Pass — around £25 a month as an add-on covering the USA; it's included at no extra cost on some Full Works plans. If you genuinely have it included, EE roaming is your cheapest option — check the EE app under your plan's inclusive extras before assuming.
- No pass, older plans — out-of-bundle US rates are punitive per megabyte. Nobody should roam in the US on these; if this is you, turn data roaming off before the plane doors shut.
The fortnight maths on daily passes: 14 days × £6 = £84 per phone. Two EE phones in one family: £168. Three: £252 — for data you've already paid for once at home.
The catches worth knowing
- It's your UK allowance, not extra data. The pass unlocks the allowance you already have — burn through it on holiday uploads and you're into add-ons on top of the daily charge.
- UK-midnight billing days. Florida runs five hours behind the UK; a pass "day" flips at 7pm Orlando time, so one evening of use can straddle two charged days.
- Everyone pays separately. There's no family rate — each EE line in the party pays its own daily charge.
The alternative: pay once, keep your EE number
A US eSIM sits alongside your EE SIM. You put 15GB of full-speed US data — £16.99, valid 30 days — on the eSIM, switch your EE line's data roaming off, and your phone quietly routes everything over the eSIM: maps, park apps, and crucially WhatsApp, iMessage and calls over wifi-style data — all still attached to your EE number. EE can't charge a daily pass you never trigger.
- One phone, two weeks: £16.99 vs £84 — you keep £67.
- Family of three: £44.99 with the automatic bundle vs £252 — you keep £207.
- Data-hungry teens: the daily-refresh plan gives a fresh 2GB every day for 14 days, £29.99 — around a third of the EE fortnight.
Setting it up (five minutes, before you fly)
- Check your phone is eSIM-capable and unlocked. EE unlocks phones free — do it in the EE app a week before flying; most phones sold since 2022 are already unlocked.
- Buy your plan — QR by email instantly. Install on home wifi; the clock only starts when you land (180-day window).
- On landing: enable the Florida eSIM's data roaming, and set EE line → data roaming off. That single toggle is the whole trick.
- Leave the EE line switched on for calls/texts if you want them — just with its data off, nothing can trigger the daily pass on modern plans. Cautious? EE's own advice for avoiding charges is airplane-mode-level abstinence; the eSIM means you don't have to live like that.
Compatibility answers (EID check, which iPhones/Samsungs qualify, hotspots) are in the FAQ.
Quick answers for EE customers
Do I need to tell EE before going to the USA? No — roaming passes activate automatically the moment your phone uses anything abroad, which is exactly the problem: there's no "are you sure?" step. If you're taking the eSIM route, the only prep is flipping the EE line's data roaming off before take-off.
Will I still get texts — bank security codes, boarding passes? Yes. Receiving texts abroad is free on EE, and it stays free with our eSIM setup because your EE line stays active — only its data is off. One-time passcodes from your bank arrive as normal while the eSIM handles the internet.
What if someone rings my EE number in Florida? Answering a call without a pass is billed at EE's US roaming rates, and it can trigger a daily pass on pass-based plans. The relaxed play: let unknown calls go to voicemail and ring family back on WhatsApp — which travels over the eSIM's data for nothing.
Does the Roam Abroad Pass cover the whole family? No — it's per line. Two parents and a teenager each need their own £25/month pass (or their own daily passes), which is how a family fortnight quietly becomes £150+. Our family bundle covers three phones for £44.99 once, total.
Is EE's speed the same in the US? You roam as a guest on EE's American partner networks, and roaming traffic can be deprioritised at busy times — a theme-park afternoon being peak "busy". Our eSIM connects natively to major US networks with 5G, no guest status.
When EE roaming is the right call
Fairness corner: if your plan genuinely includes the Roam Abroad Pass, or you're going for a weekend and £12–18 of passes beats buying a plan — roam and enjoy. For everyone else on a one- or two-week Florida holiday, the maths hasn't been close for years. See how the other networks stack up in our O2, Vodafone and Three guides, or jump to how to pick a US eSIM.