Starling today launches eSIM plans, offering the bank’s retail customers competitive data-roaming plans when travelling abroad - without any surprise fees.The eSIM plans bolster the bank’s industry-leading travel offering, which includes fee-free spending overseas, a daily fee-free ATM withdrawal allowance of £300, and free access to handy in-app travel tools. Starling’s eSIM plans, powered by Gigs, come in 1GB, 3GB, 5GB and 10GB options, designed for different holiday types and lengths of stay. Available in over 130 countries across the world, the bank’s digital SIMs offer premium connectivity and connect Starling customers to Gigs’ best available network provider at any moment. “When Starling launched ten years ago, our fee-free travel offering set the bar for traditional banks to follow. Our travel offering remains industry leading, and our eSIMs add to the convenient experience our customers love us for” said Bernadette Smith, Chief Customer and Banking Officer at Starling. Customers that sign up to an eSIM also benefit from global access to the Starling app; even if they use up their data allowance while abroad, they can still use the app without roaming charges. The eSIM plans last 30 days and can be purchased seamlessly within the Starling app in advance before activating automatically at the destination. The eSIM plans can also be topped up at the destination if required. “Starling is already the UK’s trusted travel companion for fee-free and secure spending abroad. The key piece missing was staying connected overseas,” added Hermann Frank, CEO and Co-Founder of Gigs. “Starling’s eSIM completes the travel toolkit, with users online the moment they hit the tarmac. This is the future Gigs is building: daily essentials seamlessly baked in and available with a tap, wherever customers need them.”Starling’s eSIM offering joins the bank’s roster of savvy travel tools, including its Spending Trackers, which help customers monitor how much they’re spending on holiday; Tags, which let customers build custom tags for specific trips such as ‘Honeymoon’ or ‘Vicky’s hen-do’ and then analyse their spend; and Travel Hub, which shares the real-time fee-free exchange rate for the currency in their chosen destination.NoYesDigital banking28 Jul, 2026