Best eSIM for Bulgaria (2026): prices compared for UK travellers

Quick answers

Bulgaria is in the EU, so O2, giffgaff, SMARTY, iD Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Lebara include it in your normal allowance.
EE, Vodafone and Three charge around £2.72 to £2.75 a day, which adds up to roughly £19 a week or £80 a month.
The cheapest fixed-data eSIMs start at about £1.50 for 1GB, and 10GB for 30 days is about £8 to £12.
Main networks are A1, Vivacom and Yettel. Coverage is good in towns and on the main roads, weaker in the mountains.

Trip finder

Work out your trip

Change the days or add more countries. We'll find the cheapest way to stay online.

Loading the trip finder...

Prices

Bulgaria eSIM prices compared

All 10 plans we track, cheapest first within each length.

Provider	Data	Lasts	Price (approx. in £)
Sim Local	1GB	3 days	£2.08US$2.75 · £2.08/GB	Go to Sim Local Provider link
Saily	1GB	7 days	£1.50US$1.99 · £1.50/GB	Go to Saily Provider link
NomadVivacom, Yettel	1GB	7 days	£3.40US$4.50 · £3.40/GB	Go to Nomad Provider link
UbigiBest value 10GB+A1, Vivacom	10GB	30 days	£8.30US$11.00 · £0.83/GB	Go to Ubigi Provider link
Sim Local	10GB	30 days	£8.87US$11.75 · £0.89/GB	Go to Sim Local Provider link
Saily	10GB	30 days	£9.05US$11.99 · £0.90/GB	Go to Saily Provider link
NomadVivacom, Yettel	10GB	30 days	£12.07US$16.00 · £1.21/GB	Go to Nomad Provider link
Saily	20GB	30 days	£15.08US$19.99 · £0.75/GB	Go to Saily Provider link

Show all 10 Bulgaria tariffs

Provider	Data	Lasts	Price (approx. in £)
AiraloVivacom	Unlimited	7 days	£20.00US$26.50	Go to Airalo Provider link
HolaflyA1, Vivacom, Yettel	Unlimited	7 days	£20.75US$27.50	Go to Holafly Provider link

Prices checked 25 September 2026. Most travel eSIM companies charge in US dollars, even to UK customers, so your bank converts the price when you pay. We show pounds at that day's rate (US$1 = £0.75458) with the dollar price underneath.

Price per GB in Bulgaria

Each provider's best-value 30-day plan of 5GB or more, as a price per GB. Lower is better; orange = cheapest.

Saily£0.75

Ubigi£0.83

Sim Local£0.89

Nomad£1.21

Roaming

What UK networks charge in Bulgaria

A week in Bulgaria: what it costs

7 days of data on each UK network's roaming (where there's a daily price) against the cheapest 5GB+ eSIM (Ubigi). Orange bar = eSIM.

Vodafone£19.25

Three£19.25

EE£19.04

VOXI£18.20

Sky Mobile£14

Cheapest eSIM£8.30

O2Included

giffgaffIncluded

SMARTYIncluded

iD MobileIncluded

LebaraIncluded

Tesco MobileIncluded

Lyca MobileIncluded

Your network	Per day	A week	Details
EE	£2.72 a day	£19.04	Europe daily charge (sources vary £2.47-£2.72; weekly £16.50) Check with your network
O2	Included	£0	Europe Zone included up to 25GB
Vodafone	£2.75 a day	£19.25	Europe Zone B daily roaming; 8-day pass £16, 15-day £21 Check with your network
Three	£2.75 a day	£19.25	Go Roam in Europe £2.75/day (£2 on plans before 18 Dec 2025), 12GB fair use
giffgaff	Included	£0	included up to 5GB (EU zone)
SMARTY	Included	£0	included up to 12GB; EU data pass £3/day if more needed
iD Mobile	Included	£0	included up to 30GB
VOXI	£2.60 a day	£18.20	European roaming pass £2.60/day (8 days £15, 15 days £20), up to 20GB
Lebara	Included	£0	Roam Like Home in EU, up to 30GB Check with your network
Tesco Mobile	Included	£0	Home From Home, UK allowance, no end date
Sky Mobile	£2 a day	£14	Roaming Passport £2/day (£10 for 5 days), 25GB fair use; free for VIP Diamond
Lyca Mobile	Included	£0	EU roaming from bundle, fair use applies Check with your network

Checked 25 September 2026. Roaming prices depend on your exact plan and when you joined, so check with your network before you travel.

Do you even need an eSIM in Bulgaria?

Check your own network first. If you are on O2, giffgaff, SMARTY, iD Mobile, Tesco Mobile or Lebara, EU roaming is normally included in your plan, up to a fair use limit. For a one or two week holiday you probably don't need anything else.

If you are on EE, Vodafone or Three, you will usually pay a daily charge of around £2.75. That is fine for a long weekend, but for a fortnight or longer a 10GB eSIM for about £8 to £12 works out much cheaper.

An eSIM also makes sense if you stay in Bulgaria for months at a time. UK networks' fair use rules can kick in if you spend more time abroad than at home, and a local or travel eSIM avoids that.

Which eSIM to pick

Short trip, light use: a 1GB to 3GB plan from Saily, Sim Local or Nomad is plenty for maps, WhatsApp and a bit of browsing.
Two weeks to a month: 10GB for 30 days is the sweet spot. Saily, Sim Local and Ubigi are all around £8 to £9.
Heavy use or working remotely: the unlimited plans from Airalo and Holafly cost more, but you won't have to watch your data. Holafly limits hotspot sharing, so check that if you tether a laptop.
Going on to Turkey or elsewhere in Europe: Saily's Europe plan covers both Bulgaria and Turkey on one eSIM.

Our experience

We spend time in Bulgaria several times a year, around Yambol in the south east. We will add our own speed and coverage notes from our next trip here.

FAQ

Common questions

Is roaming free in Bulgaria for UK phones?

It depends on your network. O2, giffgaff, SMARTY, iD Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Lebara include EU roaming on most plans. EE, Vodafone and Three normally charge around £2.72 to £2.75 a day.

Which mobile networks does Bulgaria have?

The three main networks are A1, Vivacom and Yettel. Most travel eSIMs use one or two of them.

Can I use an eSIM on my phone?

Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked. Most iPhones from the XS onwards and most recent Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones do. You keep your normal SIM for calls and texts and use the eSIM for data.

Do travel eSIMs give me a Bulgarian phone number?

No. The eSIMs on this page are data only. WhatsApp, FaceTime and other apps still work as normal, and your UK number stays active on your main SIM.

More destinations