Turkey eSIM – Travel Data Plans

A Turkey eSIM gives you mobile data from the moment you land – in Istanbul, Antalya, Dalaman or Bodrum – without paying your UK network’s daily roaming charge. You buy a plan here, we email the eSIM QR code within minutes, and you scan it at home before you fly. Plans run from 1 GB for a short break to unlimited data for a month, from £3.15.

It is a data-only eSIM: you get fast mobile internet for maps, taxis, WhatsApp and photos, while your normal UK SIM stays in the phone for calls and bank texts.

Turkey eSIM plans and prices

Which plan for which trip?

• A week all-inclusive in Antalya, Side or Marmaris: hotel Wi-Fi covers the evenings, so 3 GB (£5.13) or 5 GB (£7.88) is plenty for maps, messages and the odd photo upload.
• Istanbul city break: you will use maps, ride-hailing and translation all day – 10 GB for 15 days (£11.82), or unlimited for 3 or 5 days (£9.06 / £14.58) if you post a lot of video.
• Two weeks touring – Istanbul, Cappadocia, the coast: 20 GB for 15 days (£17.33) or unlimited for 15 days (£30.72).
• Family sharing one phone’s data: choose more data than you think – hotspot sharing to tablets and other phones uses it quickly. 50 GB for 30 days costs £27.18.

Is Turkey included in my UK phone plan?

Usually not. Turkey is outside the EU, so it is not part of the “Europe” roaming zones most UK plans include. You pay a daily add-on instead – for example, O2’s Travel Bolt On for Turkey is £7 a day, and Three’s worldwide daily roaming is £7 to £8 a day depending on when you joined. EE and Vodafone charge similar daily amounts.

On a 7-day trip that is around £49; on a fortnight, close to £100 – for one phone. A 20 GB Turkey eSIM for 15 days is £17.33. Check your own plan before you go: a few premium contracts include more countries.

Keep your UK number for calls and bank texts

Your UK SIM stays in the phone. With two lines active, set the eSIM as your mobile-data line and leave your UK line on for calls and texts, so one-time passcodes from your bank still arrive. Switch data roaming off on the UK line, so it never uses data abroad.

• iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data (or Cellular) → choose the eSIM for Mobile Data and turn off “Allow Mobile Data Switching”. Then open the UK line and turn Data Roaming off.
• Android: Settings → Network & internet (Connections on Samsung) → SIMs → set the eSIM as the mobile-data SIM and turn roaming on for the eSIM only.

Incoming texts on your UK number are usually free while roaming; making calls on it is charged at your network’s roaming rates.

How to set up your eSIM for Turkey

1. Choose your plan and pay with PayPal, card or bank transfer.
2. We email your eSIM QR code, usually within minutes. It is also saved in My account.
3. At home, on Wi-Fi, go to Settings → Mobile Data (or Cellular) → Add eSIM and scan the QR code. Do this before you fly – you may not find Wi-Fi at the airport.
4. When you land – at Istanbul (IST or SAW), Antalya, Dalaman, Bodrum or Izmir – switch the eSIM line on and turn on data roaming for it. You are online before you reach passport control.

Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked – most iPhones from the XS onwards and recent Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones do. If you see “Add eSIM” in settings, you are good to go. Phone locked to your UK network? See our unlock codes.

Coverage in Turkey

The eSIM connects to a Turkish mobile network, so you get 4G in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, along the Aegean and Mediterranean coast and in tourist areas such as Cappadocia, Pamukkale and the Lycian coast resorts – Fethiye, Kaş and Kalkan. Signal can drop on boat trips once you are well out at sea and in remote mountain areas, as it does for every network.

Good to know before you travel

• The 120-day phone rule: Turkey asks people who use a foreign phone on Turkish networks for more than 120 days to register it, or it can be blocked. A normal holiday is far below this. If you have a second home in Turkey or stay for months at a time, read up on phone registration before you go.
• Social media restrictions: Turkey has, at times, slowed or blocked X, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp for a few days, most recently in 2025. This affects all networks in Turkey, so keep a second messaging app such as Telegram or Signal installed just in case.
• Download offline maps of the areas you visit – handy in the Grand Bazaar and on long coach journeys.

Questions about this eSIM

Do I need an eSIM for Turkey?
You do not have to have one, but without it you either pay your UK network’s daily roaming charge or rely on hotel and café Wi-Fi. An eSIM is the cheapest way to have data everywhere – in taxis, on excursions and at the airport.

Can I keep using WhatsApp with my UK number?
Yes. WhatsApp stays linked to your UK number; it simply uses the eSIM’s data. Your contacts see the same number as at home.

Does the Turkey eSIM come with a Turkish phone number?
No – it is data-only. Call and message over WhatsApp, FaceTime or Telegram, and keep your UK line active for texts.

Should I buy a Turkcell or Türk Telekom tourist SIM at the airport instead?
You can, but it means a queue, your passport and choosing a package in a shop after your flight. The eSIM is ready before you leave home and you keep your own SIM in the phone.

When does my plan start?
Install it at home; the plan is meant to be used once the eSIM connects in Turkey. Do not delete the eSIM after installing – a QR code can only be installed once.

Can I use it in the UK?
No – it is a travel eSIM for Turkey. For a UK number, see our UK eSIMs.

Can I get a refund if my trip is cancelled?
Once the QR code has been emailed the order is complete and cannot be refunded, so please check your phone supports eSIM and choose your plan carefully before you buy.

Topping up a Turkish mobile for family or friends? Send credit straight to their number with Turkey mobile top up, or call them cheaply from the UK with an international calling card.