Nobody enjoys opening a phone bill after a holiday and finding a number they never agreed to. Learning How to Check Roaming Charges before you leave the UAE — and while you are abroad — is the simplest way to keep that from happening. This guide walks you through every method available in the Emirates, from operator rate tables and self-care apps to the alerts that land on your phone overseas and the final bill when you are back home.
Both UAE operators, Etisalat by e& and du, publish their roaming rates and give you several ways to track what you owe. The trick is knowing where to look before the charges pile up, not after.
Quick Answer
To check roaming charges, start with your operator’s official roaming page before you travel: look up your destination to see per-minute and per-MB rates or available bundles. While abroad, use the operator app, dial the free roaming codes (*177# for Etisalat, SMS commands for du), and watch for the welcome SMS and bundle-usage alerts. After your trip, review the itemised bill in the app or self-care portal and dispute anything that does not match the published rates.
How to Check Roaming Charges: Step-by-Step
There are three moments when you can check what roaming will cost you: before you fly, while you are abroad, and after you return. Here is what to do at each stage.
Before you travel: use the operator rate tables
The most reliable place to check roaming charges is the official rate page of your operator. Both Etisalat by e& and du publish standard pay-as-you-go roaming rates by country group, along with the prices of roaming bundles that are far cheaper than standard rates.
On the e& published roaming rates page, rates are grouped into GCC countries, the rest of the world, and satellite or maritime networks. du lists its standard roaming rates by GCC countries, Arab countries, and the rest of the world on du’s roaming page. Compare the standard rates with the bundle options for your destination before you decide how to travel.
If you are still unsure whether roaming is even switched on for your line, read our guide on how to activate international roaming first — rates mean nothing if the service itself is not active.
For Etisalat by e& customers
Etisalat gives you four practical ways to keep an eye on roaming charges:
- My Etisalat UAE app: the fastest option. Open the app to see your roaming bundles, remaining allowances, and charges accumulated so far.
- Dial *177#: this USSD menu is free both inside the UAE and while roaming abroad. You can check usage, view bundle options, and buy a discounted roaming pack directly from it.
- Text “roam” to 1010: a quick SMS route to check your roaming status and usage (standard SMS roaming rates apply).
- Automatic alerts: you will be notified when you reach 50%, 80% and 90% of your roaming data allowance, and again when an allowance is fully consumed.
One protection worth knowing: Etisalat blocks roaming data without a pack by default to shield you from standard per-MB charges. If you genuinely want to use data at standard rates, you text UBLOCK to 1010, and it reverts after 24 hours. Understanding how mobile roaming works helps make sense of why these safeguards exist.
For du customers
du offers a similar set of checks:
- du app: go to the roaming or Data Roaming section to see your remaining bundle allowances and any accumulated charges for the country you are in.
- mydata.du.ae portal: log in through the web portal to see the same detail if you prefer a browser.
- Text “roaming” to 5102: a quick way to check whether roaming services are active on your line.
- Text “data” to 5102: shows the roaming data bundles available for postpaid customers.
- Bundle alerts: du sends SMS notifications when you have used 70%, 80% and 100% of a roaming bundle.
When you land, you will also receive a welcome SMS from du with the applicable rates for that country. If your phone is lost or stolen while travelling, call du immediately on +971 55 567 8155 so they can suspend your line and stop further charges.
What the Charges Actually Cover
Roaming charges are not a single number — they are a stack of different services, each billed separately. When you check your rates, make sure you look at every line that applies to you:
- Outgoing calls back to the UAE: usually the rate travellers check first. Etisalat’s indicative standard rate is around AED 2.20 per minute in the GCC and AED 9.50 per minute in most of the rest of the world.
- Outgoing local calls in the visited country: du’s indicative standard rates range from AED 0.88 per minute in the GCC to AED 5 per minute in the rest of the world.
- Incoming calls: yes, you pay to receive calls while roaming. Indicative rates are roughly AED 0.81 per minute in the GCC and AED 1.25 to AED 4.25 per minute elsewhere, depending on the operator.
- SMS: outgoing texts typically cost around AED 0.22 in the GCC and about AED 2 elsewhere. Incoming SMS is generally free on both networks.
- Data: the most expensive item on standard rates. Etisalat’s indicative standard data charge outside the GCC is about AED 1 per 30KB for postpaid — which is why a bundle is almost always the smarter option.
These figures are indicative standard rates published by the operators and can change, so always confirm the current numbers on the official pages linked above before you travel. Roaming bundles typically cut these costs dramatically, which is a big part of avoiding unexpected roaming charges. For charges on calls you make from the UAE to other countries (not roaming), see our separate guide on how to check international calling charges.
Checking Your Bill After the Trip
Once you are home, open your operator app or self-care portal and look at the itemised statement for the travel period. Roaming usage is normally listed separately from your domestic usage, broken down by country, date, and service type (calls, SMS, data).
Postpaid customers should compare each line against the rates published for their destination. Prepaid customers can check their recharge and deduction history in the app. If something does not add up — for example, data charges appearing when you had bought a bundle — note the dates and amounts, then contact your operator’s customer care. If the operator cannot resolve it, you can escalate by learning how to submit a telecom complaint.
Your Rights Under UAE Telecom Rules
You are not relying purely on the operators’ goodwill here. The TDRA’s consumer protection regulations require UAE licensees to give subscribers on standard roaming tariffs a way to find out the applicable roaming prices for calls, SMS and data — and to provide that information free of charge the first time your phone connects to a network abroad. That is the legal basis for the welcome SMS you receive when you land.
There are also price caps on roaming within the GCC, introduced after the regulator coordinated with its Gulf counterparts, which is why rates inside the GCC are noticeably lower than elsewhere. These protections are one reason checking charges in the UAE is more straightforward than in many other countries.
Why Your Bill Might Look Wrong
If the numbers you see after a trip do not match what you expected, run through this list before assuming the worst:
- You connected in a non-partner network: bundles usually only work on preferred partner networks. Connecting to another network can trigger standard rates.
- Background data was running: app updates, cloud backups and email sync can consume data silently, especially on standard per-MB rates.
- The bundle was not actually active: some packs activate on first use in the destination country. If you never triggered activation, usage may have billed at standard rates.
- You crossed a border: a day trip to a neighbouring country starts a new rate zone — and a new set of charges.
- VAT and rounding: published rates sometimes exclude 5% VAT, and per-minute billing rounds up, so a 61-second call bills as two minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it free to check my roaming charges?
Checking via the operator app or self-care portal over Wi-Fi is free. Etisalat’s *177# menu is free both in the UAE and abroad. SMS-based checks may carry standard SMS roaming rates while you are overseas, and the TDRA requires the first price-notification message on a visited network to be free.
Why did I get a welcome SMS with prices when I landed?
That is your operator complying with UAE telecom rules. The message tells you the applicable roaming rates for your destination so you can decide whether to use the service or buy a bundle before the charges add up.
How can I check roaming charges for someone else’s line, like a family member’s?
You cannot see another person’s live usage without access to their account for privacy reasons. If you manage a family or corporate account, log in to the primary account holder’s app or portal, which usually shows usage for all lines under that account.
Do incoming calls really cost money while roaming?
Yes. Unlike at home, receiving a call abroad uses the visited network’s resources, so both operators charge per-minute rates for incoming calls while roaming — typically around AED 0.81 per minute in the GCC and higher elsewhere.
What should I do if my roaming bill is far higher than expected?
First, download the itemised bill and match each charge to the published rates for your destination and dates. Then contact your operator’s customer care with the specific lines you dispute. If the issue is not resolved, escalate through the formal complaint process with the operator and then the regulator.
Are roaming bundles always cheaper than standard rates?
For any meaningful usage — a few calls, regular messaging, or any data beyond a few megabytes — yes, bundles are dramatically cheaper. Standard pay-as-you-go data rates in particular are priced as a fallback, not as something anyone should use for a whole trip.
The Bottom Line
Checking roaming charges comes down to three habits: look up the official rates before you fly, use the app or free codes to track usage while you are away, and read the itemised bill when you return. The tools are all provided by your operator — and backed by UAE regulations — so a surprise bill usually means the checks were skipped, not that they were unavailable. Spend five minutes before your next trip, and your phone bill will be one less thing to think about when you land.
Last Updated: 8 October 2026
About the author: Zaviyar Sultan is a UAE-focused writer at Paxi, covering driving, visas, banking, insurance and everyday UAE life. His guides are researched from official UAE government and regulator sources and updated regularly.
Paxi is an independent informational website, not affiliated with the UAE government or any agency mentioned; content is general information only, not legal, immigration or financial advice; verify critical details with official sources before acting.