The roaming fee tricks that everyone STILL needs to know
FOR many holidaymakers heading abroad this summer, one irksome cost has disappeared. Roaming charges for using a mobile phone in most of Europe were outlawed last month under European Commission rules.
The changes mean we now pay the same as we do in the UK to make calls, send texts and use data when we are in any of the 27 other European Union countries. The new ‘roam like at home’ rules also apply in European Economic Area countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
This is great news, but be warned: there are potential pitfalls. For example, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that roaming is now free wherever you are in Europe.
Some operators have extended roaming at no extra cost beyond EU countries – for example, with Vodafone to the Channel Islands, Albania, Switzerland and Turkey. However, with EE, O2 and Three, you still have to pay high fees to roam in Turkey.
Operators are also allowed to impose ‘fair use’ restrictions for data usage where domestic plans include unlimited data, and charge if you exceed their limits.
But while some operators have decided to set such a limit – with Three for a contract customer it is 12GB a month – not all are following suit, so check with your provider.
Beyond those European countries where roaming charges have been abolished, staying connected when travelling can still be very expensive.
With O2, for example, the standard rate for pay-monthly customers in popular holiday destinations such as Barbados, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates is £1.50 a minute to make a call, £1.25 a minute to receive a call, 40p to send a text and £6 to use 1MB of data (1MB is a tiny amount – downloading a song typically uses at least 3MB).
Moreover, from next month roaming charges outside the EU will be subject to 20 per cent VAT, so unless operators absorb the tax rise, rates may shoot up.
But there are ways to avoid, or at least minimise, roaming costs outside the EU…
USE THREE
ITS Feel At Home arrangement, which lets customers roam using their UK call, text and data allowances, covers a number of major long-haul holiday destinations. These include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka, and Brazil and Singapore have just been added to the list.
Just bear in mind that in these countries you still have to pay extra for calls to local numbers made within the destination you’re visiting – such as making a reservation with a New York restaurant while you are in the Big Apple.
SIGN UP FOR AN ADD-ON ROAMING PACKAGE WITH OTHER OPERATORS
IT IS likely to work out far cheaper than roaming on their standard rates. For example, the O2 Travel add-on, which pay-monthly customers can use in dozens of countries outside its Europe Zone, gives unlimited data, 120 minutes for calls and 120 texts for £4.99 a day.
USE FREE WI-FI
I CANNOT think of a hotel or self-catering rental I’ve stayed at abroad in the past year which hasn’t offered some free internet access. And a growing number of cities are offering free wi-fi hotspots, such as New York (see link.nyc).
Even in EU countries where data roaming now costs nothing extra, it’s better to use wi-fi so that you don’t eat up any data allowances.
You can track down freeaccess hotspots around the world on a wi-fi app (wifimap. io), and Facebook has also just started rolling out a feature for locating free wi-fi.
With free wi-fi, you can make voice or video calls with family and friends on internet-enabled services such as Skype, WhatsApp and Apple’s FaceTime without costing a penny. They really are the best way to stay in touch during your travels.