Does roaming work in the Canary Islands? UK and EU phone plans explained

Yes. The Canary Islands are part of the EU, so a SIM from any EU or EEA country, and since 1 January 2026 from Ukraine or Moldova, uses its home allowance in Tenerife with no roaming surcharge, within fair-use limits. UK networks are not bound by EU roaming law: some include Spain, others charge a daily fee.

Yes. The Canary Islands are one of the EU's nine outermost regions, alongside the Azores, Madeira and six French territories such as Réunion and Martinique. The European Parliament's fact sheet on these regions says they are an integral part of the EU and that EU legislation applies fully there.

BEREC, the body of EU telecoms regulators, spells it out in its latest retail roaming guidelines: the Roaming Regulation and the Roam Like at Home principle also apply to calls, texts and data within the EU's outermost regions. For your phone bill, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote count exactly like Madrid.

UK networks list the islands too. EE's Europe Zone names the Canary Islands, O2 includes them among its 48 EU roaming destinations, Three lists “Canary Islands (Spain)” under Go Roam in Europe, and Sky Mobile covers them with its roaming pass. On any other network, look for Spain or the Canary Islands in its destination list before you fly.

With an EU or EEA SIM, calls, texts and data in the Canaries come out of your normal allowance at your domestic price, and receiving calls or texts costs nothing extra. The European Commission says that when the same network generation, for example 4G, is available where you travel, you should normally have access to it. The rules have been extended until 2032.

Two limits matter:

• Fair use on unlimited or very cheap data. If your bundle is unlimited, or its price per GB is below the EU wholesale cap, your operator may set a roaming data limit. It must be at least twice the bundle price excluding VAT divided by the wholesale cap per GB, which falls every year until it reaches €1 per GB in 2027. BEREC's worked example: a €40-a-month unlimited plan (excluding VAT) gets at least 40 GB at a €2 cap, and more as the cap falls. Your operator must warn you in advance and alert you at 80% of the limit.
• Periodic travel, not permanent roaming. If, over four months, you spend more time abroad than at home and use more roaming than domestic service, your operator can ask you to explain. You then have 14 days to change your usage before it may add surcharges.

On prepaid SIMs, the EU data allowance is at least your remaining credit, excluding VAT, divided by the wholesale cap. Any surcharge above a limit is capped by EU law, and the text you receive on arrival should set out your personal prices.

UK SIMs are outside EU roaming law, and since 2021 several networks have reintroduced charges for Europe. Some still include Spain; others charge a daily fee to use your UK allowance. The table shows what each network's own roaming page said. Prices change, so check yours before you travel.

EE, O2, Three and Sky name the Canary Islands in their destination lists. Vodafone and giffgaff list Spain but did not name the islands separately on the pages we checked, and Lebara's page did not list destinations, so confirm with them before you travel.

Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are in the European Economic Area, so their SIMs get Roam Like at Home in the Canaries. Since 1 January 2026, Ukrainian and Moldovan SIMs do too, and EU SIMs get domestic prices in those two countries.

Switzerland is not covered: the European Commission states that EU roaming rules do not apply there, so Swiss operators set their own prices. Swiss law has its own protections instead. Since 2021, providers must bill roaming by the second or kilobyte and set a roaming cost limit when you sign a contract, which you can change at any time. Switzerland's Federal Office of Communications (BAKOM) suggests flight mode with calling apps over Wi-Fi, a roaming package or a local prepaid SIM.

US, Canadian and other non-EU plans are outside Roam Like at Home, so the cost depends entirely on your provider. Apple's advice applies to every network: to avoid fees and higher rates, contact your carrier before you go and compare its international roaming plans.

Only on land networks. Roam Like at Home covers terrestrial mobile networks, so in a harbour or at an airport you should not pay extra. Once a ship or plane connects you to a satellite network, EU price caps no longer apply and charges can be high.

EU operators must alert you when you connect to such a network and stop mobile service once extra charges reach €50, or another limit you set, unless you choose to continue. Some let you opt out of roaming on planes and boats altogether. UK networks sell separate passes: EE, for example, has a 24-hour maritime pass (£16 as of October 2026) that you can only buy on board. The simplest protection is flight mode, or data roaming off, while you are at sea, then the ship's Wi-Fi if you need it.

• Check your plan before you fly. Open your network's roaming page (linked in the table) and note whether Spain is included, any daily fee and any fair-use cap. Read the text you get when you land: for EU SIMs it should include your personal prices and the local emergency contacts.
• Use the data roaming switch. On iPhone it is under Settings › Mobile (or Mobile Data) › Mobile Data Options › Data Roaming. On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings › Connections › Mobile networks › Data roaming. With it off, the phone will not use mobile data abroad.
• Don't assume Wi-Fi Calling is free. EE says calls made over Wi-Fi Calling abroad are charged at its standard international rates and advises turning it off. Messaging apps over hotel Wi-Fi use data, not your call allowance.
• Watch local and special numbers. Sky says calls and texts to non-UK numbers, including local Spanish numbers, cost extra on its roaming pass. The European Commission warns that a number that is free to call at home may not be free from abroad.
• Know what triggers a daily fee. EE's daily charge starts when you use your minutes, texts or data abroad and covers usage until 23:59 UK time. Sky's pass starts once you call, text or use more than 10MB.

If your phone itself gives up while you are here, read what to do if your phone is broken, wet or stolen in Tenerife.

A Spanish prepaid line makes sense if your home plan charges a daily fee, caps EU data low or is not covered by Roam Like at Home, or if you want a Spanish number for a long stay. At EE's £2.72 daily charge, 14 days of use comes to £38.08.

A1 Computers sells three prepaid tourist plans on the Orange network, each with a Spanish number, no contract and hotspot allowed. Prices at the time of writing, IGIC included:

• Tourist 100: 100 GB for 28 days, with 18 GB of EU roaming, €20.
• Tourist 250: 250 GB for 30 days, with 32 GB of EU roaming, €35.
• Tourist 300: 300 GB for 30 days, with 35 GB of EU roaming, €45. Full speed for 300 GB, then 2 Mbps.

Choose an eSIM, with the QR code emailed once our team has checked your ID during online order hours (Mon–Sat 10:45–21:00, Sun 10:45–13:30 Tenerife time), or a physical SIM collected at Local 4, CC San Eugenio, Costa Adeje. Spanish law (Ley 25/2007) requires ID for every prepaid line: a passport, a national ID card from any country, a DNI or an NIE. The phone must be unlocked to accept another network's SIM, as Apple notes for iPhone.

On a dual-SIM phone you can keep your home number on the second line, but calls or texts on it can still trigger a daily fee on networks that charge one. Current prices are in the SIM shop. For setup, read how eSIM works in Tenerife or buying a tourist SIM in Costa Adeje.