How long will 5GB last on holiday?

It’s always hard to know how much data you’ll need while you’re abroad. Will there be Wi-Fi where you’re staying? What will you need to use your phone for? How much will it cost?

Here at giffgaff, we include EU roaming up to 5GB in all our plans (plus unlimited calls and texts), but depending on how often you use your phone, 5GB might be more or less than you need. That’s why we’ve put together an easy guide to show you how much data you might need depending on what kind of tourist you are. Now you’ll never be caught out!

Did you know? The average giffgaff member uses 2.32GB of data while they’re abroad. We’re usually connected to Wi-Fi when we’re using apps like WhatsApp and Instagram, so we don’t consume as much data as we think.

What is roaming?

Simply put, roaming is using your phone while you’re abroad. Roaming, or data roaming, can help you stay connected to your friends and family while you’re exploring overseas.

However, depending on where you travel, data may cost more than it does when you’re at home.

giffgaff plans can be used in the EU and selected destinations at no extra cost up to the 5GB roaming cap. After that, you’ll need to add credit to your account to use your phone as normal or do an early top-up to get another 5GB of data.

Which apps do you use most abroad?

Recently, we asked what people typically use their data for while on holiday, to help us figure out how much data you’re likely to need on average. These were the results:

As you can see, general communication (74.4%) and social media (60.3%) are the most common ways people use data while abroad. Which is great news, because these apps probably use the least amount of data. Unless, of course, you’re uploading tons of pictures and videos to your social channels.

That said, if you’re one of the 45% who uses their phone for navigation or the 24.5% who stream music or videos on holiday, your data could be used up a lot faster.

So how much does it cost to use data abroad?

The amount it costs you to use data abroad really depends on how often you use your phone, and what for.

To help give you an idea of how much data you’re likely to need on holiday, we’ve created four traveller types to predict typical data roaming costs: the influencer, the adventurer, the casual explorer and the always-in-touch.

Find the type that fits you best to help you budget your data allowance.

The influencer

Just scrolling through your social media for a couple of hours a week isn’t likely to take you over more than 2GB of data, but uploading photos and videos will use up a lot more.

So, if you like to upload reels, photos, and videos of your holiday as you go, you could find you’re using far closer to, or even exceeding your free 5GB allowance.

Our tip for influencers: try to save most of your uploads for when you have a WiFi connection. That way, you keep your data solely for communications on the go, with minimal data impact. Or, if you like to upload on the go, you can get your hands on 5GB of data for as little as £8.

Average MB/hour:

• Instagram: 600MB
• TikTok: 840MB
• YouTube: 260MB-2.7GB depending on video quality

The adventurer

If you like exploring but always end up getting lost, you could find you gobble a lot of data. But did you know there’s actually a way to do it for free by connecting to WiFi before you go?

Checking Google Maps, or an equivalent, would usually use up a lot of data connecting to satellites, but it’s possible to download a map of the area you’re in so you can use it offline. Here’s how:

1. Open Google Maps
2. Go to your Profile and select Offline Maps
3. Pick Select Your Own Map
4. Move the map to cover the area you need
5. Click Download

You now have a map of your destination you can use without having to worry about using up all your data!

Average MB/hour:

• Google Maps: 2.5-5MB
• Waze: 0.5MB

The casual explorer

Instant messaging apps like WhatsApp aren’t going to cost you dearly in data, so long as you’re not sending too many photos or videos. However, if you like to keep up with your favourite YouTubers or stream music while you travel, you could find your data disappears fairly swiftly.

In general, we’d say an hour’s worth of music streaming eats about 80MB of data. Meanwhile, an hour of YouTube could cost you 260MB in standard def, with high definition eating through 1.65GB.

As you can imagine, this could all add up pretty fast. That’s why our top tip for casual explorers is to download your playlists before you travel and try to keep your YouTubing to WiFi while on holiday.

Average MB/hour:

• Spotify: 144MB
• Apple Music: 112MB
• WhatsApp voice call: 30MB
• WhatsApp video call: 300MB

The always-in-touch

If you like to keep in constant contact with all your friends and family back home, or even just with the people you’re on holiday with, you’ll need to know how much it’s going to cost you.

WhatsApp is the best app to use to communicate internationally as you won’t be charged like you are with text messages. As long as you’re messaging, WhatsApp doesn’t use up too much data; only about 2MB an hour.

If you’re using it for calls, expect a drain of around 30MB an hour. However, if you’re using the video call function, you can use as much as 300MB per hour on the app. (FaceTime uses a little less.)

Our advice would be to keep your video calls to WiFi to help make sure you’re never out of touch while you’re on the move.

Average MB/hour:

• FaceTime: 200MB an hour
• WhatsApp voice call: 30MB
• WhatsApp video call: 300MB
• Instagram: 600MB

Data roaming abroad with giffgaff

With giffgaff, you’ll get roaming in the EU and other destinations with 5G speeds where coverage allows.

You’ll still get unlimited calls and texts for the country you’re in and the UK, so try to limit texting and calling outside those places as you might be charged for it.

The average giffgaff member uses 2.32GB of data while they’re abroad, but our plans cover up to 5GB, just in case.

All our plans come with up to 5GB of data roaming at no extra cost. If you go over that amount, you can refresh your plan early. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay 10p/MB for the remainder of your plan. Check out our prices for other standard rates.

Check out our SIM only deals to find the perfect package for your travels abroad.