Staying connected in the UK.

The UK has some of the best mobile coverage anywhere, so you will have fast service in cities, towns and most of the countryside whatever you use. That makes this a money decision. The default, roaming on your US plan, is the expensive way: AT&T and Verizon charge about 10 to 12 dollars a day to use your plan in the UK, so a week is around 70 to 84 dollars before you have done anything special.

T-Mobile is the exception worth checking first: its current tiers include a genuine high-speed allowance abroad, roughly 5GB on Experience More, Magenta MAX and Go5G Plus, 15GB on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next, and 30GB on Better Value, slowing to 256kbps only once that is used up. The entry Essentials tier is the one throttled from the start. Google Fi and Visible set their own terms, so read your own plan rather than assuming. Check your plan's fine print: included does not always mean fast.

For most US visitors, a travel eSIM is the cheapest way to get real data in the UK. A Nomad eSIM is a few dollars per gigabyte, far below stacking up day-pass fees, and it activates before you fly and works the moment you land, with no SIM counter. You keep your US number reachable for calls and texts on your normal plan while the eSIM carries the data.

Coverage is not the deciding factor: a Nomad eSIM rides a major UK network, and since the big networks blanket the country, the brand barely matters here. Set it up before departure, since installing it needs a connection.

Good news underground: the London Underground now has mobile coverage on most lines, rolled out across recent years, so you are no longer offline between stations on the major routes. Aboveground, buses, trains and stations are all well covered, and free Wi-Fi is common in cafes and on much of the transport network.

One footnote that does not affect you: since Brexit, some UK networks charge their own customers to roam in the EU, but that is a UK resident issue, not a US visitor one, so ignore it. For paying as you go, see cash or card in the UK, and the UK money guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on United Kingdom

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Tipping in the UKThe UK tips more than most of Europe but far less than the US. The main thing to watch is the discretionary service charge already on restaurant bills, which is optional. Here is what you actually owe.
• Do US citizens need an ETA for the UK?Short answer: yes, if your trip crosses the UK border you need one before you fly. The one exception is a pure airside connection at Heathrow or Manchester. The UK ETA is not a visa, and it is quick and cheap, but only from the official source. Here is what it costs and how to get it right.
• The UK's tourist tax, and where it actually applies.There is no UK-wide tourist tax. What exists is a patchwork: Edinburgh charges one now, Glasgow and other Scottish cities follow in 2027, Wales can from 2027, and England has none at all. For almost everywhere in the UK today there is nothing to budget.
• Do I need cash in the UK, or can I use cards?Short answer: you can do the whole trip without cash. Contactless runs everything, including all of London's transport, and many places no longer take notes at all. Here is how to pay, and the couple of things to get right.
• Bringing your dog or cat to Great Britain.Compared with Japan or Australia, the UK is quick: the lead time is weeks, not months, because there is no rabies blood test for pets coming from the US. The cost surprise is the flight, since pets almost always travel as cargo into Britain, not in the cabin. Here is the order, the official route, and what to budget.
• Can tourists get a VAT refund in the UK?Short answer: no, not in England, Scotland or Wales. This is the opposite of what most European trips teach you, and it catches shoppers out at Heathrow. Here is what changed, and the only two ways left to shop tax-free.
• London taxis, Uber, and the Heathrow transfer.London gives you real choice: a hailable black cab or a pre-booked Uber. But the money is made or lost on the airport run, where the train quietly beats a cab by fifty pounds or more. Here is how it all compares.
• Do you need a rail pass in Britain?British rail pricing punishes people who turn up and rewards people who commit months ahead, by a factor that can reach five. That makes the booking date the thing to get right, and a pass mostly the wrong tool.
• What does getting sick in the UK cost a visitor?Americans get the UK wrong in both directions at once. The walk-in really is free, including the emergency department. Being admitted really is not, and the bill is set above what the NHS charges itself.