Roaming with an Irish SIM: before you go and when it will not connect

What should you set up before roaming with an Irish SIM?

Turn on data roaming in your phone's settings when you land, and know your network's number for calling from abroad. Most Irish networks switch roaming on for every account, but Tesco Mobile prepay needs a Clubcard or the app first, 48's older plans work in Ireland only, and An Post Mobile will not roam with no credit.

• Tesco Mobile: new prepay customers "will need to pass a basic customer authenticity check" before EU allowances work. Registering a Tesco Clubcard to the account passes it; the EU roaming page also accepts signing in to the app. On-net (Tesco to Tesco) allowances do not work abroad.
• 48: "The Don, The Mitch, The Duke and standard are domestic only plans". The current plans and the Guido include EU and UK roaming; you can change plan when the current one expires.
• eir prepay: roaming is set up "within 5 days of joining". eir also says to top up before you go, and promotional allowances cannot be used abroad.
• Three: accounts are "sold with roaming activated", but if you have never used your Three phone abroad, Three asks you to contact it to check roaming is on. Free welcome or porting credit cannot be used for roaming.
• An Post Mobile: with no credit you "will not be able to … use roaming", and add-ons do not work abroad; cash balance does.
• For the USA, take a 4G or 5G phone: Three, eir and Clear warn that older 2G or 3G phones may get no service there.

What is the EU roaming allowance on each Irish network?

Between 10GB and 75GB a month on the plans in this table, and Sky's Unlimited plan sets no limit. Calls and texts usually come from your normal allowance. Above the data limit some networks charge a small surcharge, capped by EU law at €1.10 per GB plus VAT in 2026, while 48 and Lidl Connect stop the data.

Where a network's own pages give two figures, the table shows both. Tesco Mobile also lets you text ROAM to 1744 for your allowance, and eir lets you text "balance roam" to 50104. The EU, EEA and UK count the same on every network here, apart from Lycamobile's PAYG rates for the UK.

What should you do when your Irish SIM will not connect abroad?

Check that data roaming and mobile data are on, restart the phone or switch flight mode on and off, and wait: Virgin Media says the search can take up to 10 minutes. If it still fails, turn off automatic network selection and pick a network by hand. Some listed networks do not accept your SIM, so try another.

48: the SIM menu fix

48's guide: set the phone's network selection to automatic, then open the 48 SIM Menu, go to When Abroad, Network Selection, switch to Manual and pick "International – Roaming Profile". If calls work but data does not, delete the APN and enter 48months.liffeytelecom.com with the name 48 Internet. Back in Ireland, set the SIM menu to Automatic again.

Sky Mobile: SIM Toolkit

If you have no signal or only emergency calls, open Sky Menu or SIM Toolkit, then Roaming, and choose Automatic; if that was already set, tap Home, then Automatic again, then try Abroad. Sky's APN is mobile.sky. A roaming spend cap set too low, or at €0, also blocks use abroad.

eir: accept the charges text

eir's first check is whether you accepted the terms in the "advice of charge" text you get when you start roaming. Then check your allowance (text "balance roam" to 50104), make sure roaming data is on, and switch the phone off for at least 30 seconds.

Clear Mobile and Virgin Media: the APN

Clear says data may not work abroad unless the APN is isp.clearmobile.ie. Virgin Media suggests resetting network settings on an iPhone or resetting the APN to default on Android, then choosing another network by hand and, once it fails, Virgin Media again. In the Netherlands, Virgin's SIM application needs Roaming, Manual, International.

Data stopped: the spend cap

Networks must stop roaming data at a default limit unless you agree to continue. Three: text REMCAP to 50232. Vodafone: text PASS CAP to 50193. 48: REMCAP1 to 1745. Tesco Mobile: REMCAP1 to 1744. You can still call and text.

Can you test roaming before you travel?

Not really. None of the networks' pages or ComReg's describe a way to test roaming from Ireland. What you can check at home: that your plan includes roaming, that data roaming is allowed in the phone, that any step your network needs is done (a Clubcard for Tesco prepay), and that you have its number from abroad.

How much does roaming cost outside the EU with an Irish SIM?

Much more than at home, and every network prices it differently. Data ranges from 3c per MB on GoMo, Clear and Sky to €7 per MB on Virgin Media, and some networks sell day or week passes. Lidl Connect does not work outside its zone at all. A default €61.50 data limit applies unless you lift it.

Passes: Three sells a €5.99 Day Pass with 2GB in these five countries; Vodafone pay as you go uses Red Roaming at €2.99 or €4.99 a day with unlimited calls and texts and 500MB; eir sells 1GB for €29.99 by texting Data ROW (or Data USACAN) to 50104; Lycamobile sells 7-day packs. Tesco Mobile prices data by zone but does not publish which country is in which zone.

Near the border, your phone can connect to a network in another country and roam by accident: ComReg names Northern Ireland, and Greek islands near Turkey. Satellite networks on ferries and planes are not covered by roam-like-home. Choosing your network by hand avoids both.

Can you receive texts abroad outside the EU, such as bank codes?

Yes on most networks. Vodafone, 48, Virgin Mobile, Lycamobile and Lidl Connect say receiving a text outside the EU is free, and Lidl Connect says texts arrive "regardless of which country you are in", even where its calls and data do not work. An Post Mobile charges 30c a text; the rest do not say.

Is Ukraine included in EU roaming for Irish SIMs?

Yes, since 1 January 2026 under EU rules, and most Irish networks now list Ukraine in their roam-like-home zone. Tesco Mobile's rate tool still prices Ukraine like India or China, and Lycamobile's roaming page does too although its plan terms include Ukraine. An Post Mobile does not say. Check with those three before you go.

Using a Ukrainian SIM in Ireland

lifecell lists Ireland in its roam-like-home countries, with one Irish partner network, Eircom (eir). If it will not connect, lifecell says: set automatic network selection, switch the phone fully off for a few minutes, wait 5 to 10 minutes, then restart and pick the network by hand. Its APN is internet, Wi-Fi calling does not work in roaming, and roaming data stops at UAH 5,500 a month until you dial *108*7#. Support: +380 63 5433 111.

Vodafone Ukraine applies roam-like-home in Ireland if a prepay package is active (check with *101*4#) or a contract bill is paid. If it does not register, choose the network manually; roaming data pauses at €100 a month until you dial *600*17#. It warns that after 90 days abroad a host network may block roaming. Support: +380 500 400 111.

Kyivstar's site could not be opened from Ireland when we checked, so we have nothing from it to quote.

Can you live abroad on an Irish SIM?

Not for long at home prices. EU rules let a network check your use over at least four months: if you spent more days abroad than in Ireland and used more abroad than at home, it can warn you and, two weeks later, add surcharges. Any day your phone joins an Irish network counts as a day at home.