Buying a Sim Card at London Gatwick Airport in 2023

Planning a trip to London and looking for the best way to get connected in the UK? Avoid high roaming charges and slow overseas data plans. Get yourself an e-sim card for the UK or buy a UK prepaid sim card at London Gatwick Airport on arrival. This is a complete guide with everything you need to know about buying a UK sim card at London Gatwick Airport: where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per August 2023, my recommendation and experiences and even information about international sim cards for the UK.

Getting connected is the first thing I do when landing in a new country. Finding out where and how is always a little challenge, but mostly I end up buying a local prepaid sim card or I order an e-sim card. As I am trying to visit every country in the world I constantly fly all around the world in search for new adventures and that is why on Traveltomtom you can already find more than 200 sim card guides: New York, Miami, Newark, Mexico City, Costa Rica, Bogota, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Europe, Dublin, Barcelona, Milan, Riyadh, Muscat, Tel Aviv, Cairo, Hong Kong, Bangkok and many more.

So next time when you are planning your next adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and e-sim card advice for your destination. Bookmark me!

On Traveltomtom you can also find guides for buying a UK sim card at London Stansted and London Luton Airport as well about buying a sim card at London Heathrow and Manchester Airport.

UK sim cards and traveling in Europe in 2023

Since 2017 the EU banned roaming fees within the European Union, but since Brexit the UK is officially not a member of the EU anymore. Some UK mobile phone providers changed the rules and now charge a daily fee for using your UK sim card in other parts of Europe. Read more about it in my article about the best way to stay connected when traveling to the UK or find out everything about EU roaming and how it works exactly in my guide for buying a local prepaid sim card in Europe on arrival.

There are also still sim cards for all of the EU including Switzerland, Norway and the UK. Check out my comparison of the best sim cards for traveling in Europe in 2023 and find the one that suits your trip.

E-sim cards for the UK

Buying an e-sim card on the internet before your trip to the UK is the most convenient and easiest way to stay connected when traveling to the UK in 2023. No more swapping sim cards or visiting a phone shop, you can arrange everything online within just a couple minutes. You order, get a QR-code, follow the instructions and you are all set in no time.

Check out the following UK e-sim card deals:

1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
2 GB data for 15 days = $7.5 USD
3 GB data for 30 days = $10 USD
5 GB data for 30 days = $15 USD
10 GB data for 30 days = $22.5 USD
20 GB data for 30 days = $36 USD

Click here to directly order one of the above e-sim card deals for the UK and find more info.

All the above e-sim cards for the UK from Uki Mobile are data-only and calls are NOT supported. The data allowance is only valid in the UK, there is no free EU roaming with these e-sim cards. They operate on the networks of Three and O2.

If you are looking for UK e-Sim cards that supports calls as well as EU roaming then check out the following international e-sim cards for the UK:

5 GB data only in all of Europe for 30 days = $17.90 USD
10 GB data in all of Europe + $2 calling credit for 30 days = $24.90 USD
8 GB data in all of Europe + unlimited calls in Europe for 14 days = $29.90 USD
20 GB data in all of Europe + unlimited calls in Europe for 14 days = $49.90 USD
20 GB data only in all of Europe for 30 days = $34.90 USD

Click here to order one of the above international e-sim card deals for the UK or find more offers and info in the link.

Before ordering an e-sim card for the UK, make sure your phone is e-sim card compatible. Your phone also need to be unlocked. This also counts for prepaid sim cards you buy in the UK on arrival. They only work in unlocked phones.

You can also still order a physical sim card for the UK that will be shipped to your home address before your trip. For less than $50 USD you get 20 GB, but there are more offers. Click here to see all the international sim card deals for the UK or find more info.

RELATED: best cheap London Airbnbs, find here 15 charming homes for under $100 per night in London city center!

London Gatwick Airport

There are 4 airports in London so make sure you are looking at the right airport for buying a UK sim card. London Gatwick Airport is located about 40 minutes South of London. It is mostly European flights that arrive here, but there are also some intercontinental flights arriving at London Gatwick Airport as well. LGW Airport can easily be reached by train from London city center.

South and North Terminal

Most intercontinental flights from Middle East and Caribbean are arriving at the North Terminal and flights from Turkey, USA, Africa and Asia are mostly arriving at the South Terminal. For buying a sim card at London Gatwick Airport there is no difference at which terminal you arrive. They sell the exact same UK prepaid sim card plans at both terminals at the exact same places.

Where to buy a sim card at London Gatwick Airport

Unlike many international airports there are no mobile internet operator stores at London Gatwick Airport. At London Gatwick Airport you can only buy a UK sim card at a vending machine or at one of the WH Smith shops, a convenience store.

The vending machines selling UK sim cards for tourists can be found at baggage claim in both the South and the North terminal at London Gatwick Airport. The WH Smith stores are also located in both terminals, but in the Arrival Hall and can’t be missed!

At the WH Smith shops you can expect some kind of service, however staff is busy selling drinks and snacks to travelers as well, so don’t expected to be treated like a king. The sim card vending machines actually gives pretty detailed information about the prepaid UK sim cards they are selling.

There are 5 different mobile internet providers in the UK: EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and Virgin. At London Gatwick Airport they do not sell O2 and Virgin sim cards, but instead they sell Lebara Mobile and Lycamobile sim cards.

Sim card vending machines London Gatwick Airport

The vending machine sell the following prepaid UK sim cards: Vodafone, Lycamobile, EE and Three.

Vodafone – £20

200 UK minutes
Unlimited UK texts
5 GB data UK + extra 4GB
Valid 30 days

As of what I make up out of it, the data package is only valid in the UK. Anyway when you see all the other available UK sim cards at London Gatwick Airport Im sure you will understand that buying a Vodafone UK sim card is not the best option for tourists.

Three – £30

Unlimited calls/sms in the UK
12 GB data
Valid for 30 days

Your data that comes with a Three sim card is valid all over Europe and Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and USA.

EE – £20

150 UK or international minutes to 34 destinations
150 UK texts
10.5 GB data
Unlimited EE to EE calls and texts
Valid for 30 days

EE – £25

250 minutes UK or international
500 UK texts
13 GB data
Unlimited EE to EE calls and texts
Valid for 30 days

Additional service is that EE is the only mobile internet provider that has a wifi connection at London Underground stations. There is no phone signal in the London tube, but you can connect to EE wifi at stations when you have a EE sim card.

Lycamobile – £25

3000 minutes and sms in the UK
100 international minutes to selected countries
6 GB data
Valid for 30 days

Lycamobile – £35

Unlimited calls/sms in the UK
100 international minutes to selected countries
15 GB data
Valid for 30 days

Lyca Mobile uses the network of O2 in the UK.

Best sim card London Gatwick Vending Machine

Evaluating all the above available UK sim cards from the vending machines I can easily advice you not to buy a Vodafone UK sim card. To me the best UK sim card at the vending machine is the EE sim card. I don’t really call or text so I would not even use the 150 minutes and 150 texts, but the 10.5 GB for £20 is good value for money.

Buying a UK sim card at a WH Smith shop

The WH Smith shops at London Gatwick Airport sell EE, Three and Lebara Mobile sim cards. They offer a wide range of prepaid sim cards for the UK.

EE sim card

WH Smith shops offer the exact same EE sim cards as the sim card vending machines.

Three sim card

They also offer 3 different Three UK sim cards for £20, £30 and £45. The packages are slightly different than the prepaid sim card vending machine All of these packages offer you 3000 UK minutes and 3000 UK texts. The difference is the data bundle: 1GB, 12GB and Unlimited data. So for £45 you have unlimited 4G internet for 1 month.

The Three sim card at the vending machine gives you unlimited text and calls within the UK, the Three sim card at the WH Smith shop is limited to 3000 minutes and calls, for what it’s worth! 😉

Lebara Mobile UK sim card

Lebara Mobiel £20

500 international minutes to 41 destinations
500 UK minutes
1GB data
For £2 extra 200 international minutes

Not the best UK sim card for tourists at all as you can easily call through Whatsapp, Viber, Skype for free nowadays and 1GB data is gone in 1 hour.

Lebara Mobile £30

Unlimited international minutes to 41 destinations
Unlimited UK minutes
1000 UK texts
5GB data
£5 additional PAYG credit

No clue what exactly PAYG credit means and no one could explain me either. If you have read my Spain sim card, Netherlands sim card or France sim card articles, you would already know that Im not a fan of Lebara Mobile. Their prices are no way near competitive! Lebara Mobile is a hard no-go when you are looking for a European sim card for tourists.

Best UK sim card London Gatwick Airport in 2023

The WH Smith shops sell the same UK sim cards as the sim card vending machines and at both places you can buy the same prepaid sim cards for tourists. The conclusion of my comparison is that EE is the best sim card for the UK at London Gatwick Airport in 2023. They offer 10.5 GB data for just £20 ($24 USD) and you even get 150 minutes and sms to use in Europe.

However, you can already buy an e-sim card for the UK with $10 GB data for $22.5 USD. Cheaper and easier to get. You can get this e-sim card for the UK by ordering it on Airalo.

This is data-only though, if you also want to make calls then order this international e-sim card on SimOptions with 8 GB data + unlimited calls/sms for $29.90 USD.

Where to stay in London? Check out these amazing cheap Airbnbs in London. In the link you will find 15 places within the city center all for less than $100 per night. On a trip to Europe? Check out the best sim cards for traveling in Europe in 2023 in this link.

Order a sim card for the UK online

Not looking forward buying a sim card at London Gatwick Airport on arrival? Then get your sim card shipped to your home address before your trip. The following pre-activated sim cards work in all of Europe as well as the UK.

Check out the following international sim card deals:

Three data pack 10 GB – $24.90

10 GB data in all of Europe and UK
Unlimited calls/sms within Europe and UK
Valid 30 days

There are also 3 UK international sim cards for 1 year and for 2 years. Click on the link below for more info!

O2 Go Card – $24.90

10 GB data in all of Europe and UK
$2 calling credit – top up possible
Valid 30 days

Orange Holiday Europe – $49.90

20 GB data
Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
120 minutes worldwide
1,000 sms worldwide
Valid 14 days

Click here to order one of the above international sim card deals for the UK directly online or find more info.

Also another reminder that you can also order e-sim cards for the UK directly online and arrange everything within a couple minutes. Order a data-only e-sim card for the UK on Airalo or buy a UK e-sim card including calls/texting through SimOptions.

How to get from London Gatwick Airport to London City Center

There are multiple coaches connecting Gatwick Airport with London city, but the best way to travel to London is by train. You can’t miss the signs for train station all over Gatwick Airport. They will lead you to the South Terminal. Buy your ticket at one of the vending machines or you wireless payment on your credit card or debit card. If not sure ask one of the helpful staff guiding you in the right direction!

This is the ticket machine for buying tickets from London Gatwick to London city. There are a ton of options, pretty confusing, so I always ask some of the staff to help me.

There are express trains that take you directly to the city and in off-peak hours it will only cost you £8.30 if you buy an Oyster Card or simply tap on with your credit or debit card.

Most of the times Im able to buy a day pass for the London public transport for £17.10, which allows me to take the Underground and busses in London till 04.00am the next morning. Definitely a good ticket to buy when you want to reach the hotel and explore London directly after.

I hope all the above information about buying a sim card at London Gatwick Airport was helpful for you. Let me know if you have any specific question, please leave me a comment below. For more info and a comparison of the best UK sim cards in 2023, click on the link. In this article I will compare all the available prepaid sim cards you can buy and compare the 4G/5G network coverage per mobile internet provider in the UK.

Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of August 2023 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.

Enjoy your trip to London!

Some links in this article about the best sim cards at London Gatwick Airport are affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage in case you decide to purchase something after clicking on an affiliate link. This is at absolutely no extra costs to you!