Brits are being issued a stark warning about using mobile phones abroad after some holidaymakers were hit with £1,000 phone bills. The requirement for phone operators to offer surcharge-free roaming in the EU ended post-Brexit, leaving some unsuspecting travellers with hefty bills up to £1,000 after just one trip.
Several major networks have reintroduced charges, and bills can now escalate significantly as the daily limit on roaming costs also expired on June 30, 2022. According to Uswitch: “Vodafone, EE and Three reintroduced daily roaming charges for customers travelling to the EU.”
UK travellers are being advised to check their policies before they travel. They are also being advised to switch off data roaming services and set bill limits to avoid any unexpected fines.
The five-year EU Roaming Regulation agreement, which kicked off in June 2017, allowed UK travellers to use their domestic allowance of minutes, texts and data throughout the European Economic Area (EEA) without extra charges. The regulation also imposed limits on the wholesale roaming prices mobile operators could charge each other, reports the Express.
Set to end in 2022, it was extended until 2023 during the Brexit transition period, however, it is no longer mandatory and many operators have reverted to the surcharge system. Prior to the agreement in 2017, most mobile operators charged customers higher prices for using their service abroad to help cover the cost of wholesale roaming agreements.
According to the government, mobile roaming occurs when a mobile customer travels abroad and continues to use their home mobile service. The customer’s home network operator enters into agreements with overseas mobile operators, allowing customers to connect to their networks while abroad. This is known as wholesale roaming.