How International Travelers Can Avoid Expensive Roaming Charges in the GCC

February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 gccexchange 0 Comment

In 2025, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area experienced a massive surge in travel, led by Saudi Arabia and Dubai, which welcomed an estimated 122 million visitors (Arab News). It’s an excellent place to go, with everything from the weather to the culture attracting more tourists than ever.

That said, traveling to the GCC areas is different from traveling to Europe or the UK, and roaming costs can add up a little too quickly for most people’s liking.

Below, we’ll explain how international travelers can avoid expensive roaming charges.

Buy an eSIM Before You Go

Always buy an eSIM before you go if you’re traveling to a country with no data allowance on your normal plan. For example, if you’re from the UK, you can use a specified amount of your data abroad, especially in Europe.

Sadly, the GCC usually sits outside of the included areas, so getting something like a Holafly eSIM travel option is definitely a good option before you go. eSIM packages are relatively inexpensive, and you get great coverage, especially in the growing tourist areas of the GCC.

Disable Your Other SIM

Always disable your other SIM when you’re using an eSIM. You will usually see this as an option when you’re installing the new SIM, but it’s just something worth considering.

You’ll see the option to put the eSIM as your primary line, and that’s enough.

Use Wi-Fi When You Can

Even if you get an eSIM, we’d recommend using Wi-Fi when you can. Not all eSIM packages give you unlimited data, so it is always ideal to use Wi-Fi if you’re in a hotel or at a cafe, for example.

And if you’re nervous, you can download a free VPN, such as Proton VPN, to protect your browsing. It’s essential to remember that not all Wi-Fi connections are secure, and you definitely can’t trust all public networks.

Your phone should tell you whether a network is secure or not, but even then, we wouldn’t trust it.

Why Roaming in the GCC Can Be Expensive

Roaming in the GCC doesn’t have to be expensive if you’ve followed everything we’ve said so far.

That said, it definitely can be expensive, and we’ve already hinted at the reason why. Usually, if you’re from the UK, you can travel to Europe and use some of your data. Or, if you’re from New Zealand, you use some of your data in Australia

That doesn’t apply to the GCC. Unless you disable your roaming and get an eSIM, you will definitely receive a big bill.

And interestingly, in the GCC, they have higher wholesale charges levied between carriers, and routing calls through home networks can be anywhere between 15% and 700% higher than local rates. There are new regulatory caps, but roaming is still so costly. It’s better to be prepared before you go than to find out when you arrive.

You can easily avoid expensive roaming charges if you plan for your travel to an area in the GCC. Go stress-free and come back without substantial phone network provider debt.