Travellers warned of £7-a-day mobile phone roaming charges

Mobile phone users are being urged to check their contract before flying abroad, as some networks charge nearly £7 a day for certain countries.

Last week, industry regulator Ofcom called for new powers to force networks to text customers about roaming charges. But the rules are not expected to be introduced until next year.

As it stands, cell phone companies are under no obligation to warn customers about the outrageous charges they may incur while on vacation.

One in five people have no idea what they are paying, according to the regulator.

Expensive roaming charges in the EU were abolished in June 2017, allowing tourists to use their mobile phones on holiday at no extra cost. But British customers are no longer entitled to this right since Brexit.

Provider O2 is now the only network that does not charge roaming charges in Europe for recently signed contracts.

However, most networks still offer free roaming in the EU, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and in some cases Switzerland, for those sticking to old contracts – usually those signed between July and October 2021.

For more recent contracts, EE, Vodafone and Three have reintroduced all roaming charges – £2.29, £2.25 and £2 per day respectively.

Outside Europe, some providers charge an even higher roaming fee on top of the daily bill. Vodafone charges £6.85 extra for each day in countries outside Europe and Three charges £5 per day – while O2 charges £6 per day.

Britons abroad paid an estimated £539 million in unexpected roaming charges last year, according to price comparison website Uswitch.

Ernest Doku, mobile expert at Uswitch, says: ‘Given how confusing policies and plans can be, Ofcom is right to take the issue seriously. But customers are not allowed to wait, so the regulator must act now.’

To avoid a nasty bill, Doku says it’s important to read the fine print of your contract to find charges for calling and data usage abroad.

He suggests taking advantage of free Wi-Fi spots in hotels and cafes — as long as they’re secure — to cut down on mobile data usage. If you like to rely on this, make sure that the data roaming option is turned off in the settings to avoid unexpected charges.

And while you may pay to receive calls, you never pay to receive text messages, so encourage friends to send them. Or just put your phone in airplane mode when you’re not using it.

Ofcom’s Cristina Luna-Esteban says: ‘Millions of holidaymakers going abroad want to stay connected.

‘But without clear information from their provider, they are faced with unexpected bills for calling home or using the internet.

“Alerts would mean they wouldn’t be left in the dark at cost.”