Ofcom issues warning to holidaymakers travelling outside the UK over phone bills

Vodafone, Three and EE users have been alerted of a post-Brexit reintroduction of roaming fees that could see their telephone bills swell upon return from an overseas holiday.

The charges vary from company to company but nothing is as it used to be, the industry players warn.

Ofcom advises to check your service provider’s pricing well in advance to avoid an unpleasant surprise.

The regulator also plans to introduce a series of changes that will make you better aware of the cost of staying connected when abroad.

Here are some details of the known roaming fees.

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Here is how much it actually costs to use data abroad

If you’re planning to leave the country this summer, it may be well worth checking your mobile contract as Vodafone, Three and EE are reintroducing roaming fees following Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Some users will now be charged to call, send text and surf the Internet.

Most major networks will make you pay around £2 per day to access mobile services outside of the UK which means that a family of four device owners will have to carve out £112 from their two-week-holiday budget if they want to stay connected.

EE charges £2 per day to get data, calls and texts in the EU but this fee is only added to those who took out new contracts or upgraded after July 7 2021.

Customers with older contracts can still roam in the EU for free.

Vodafone brought in its £2 per charge after August 11, 2021, and Three added the extra costs for some users after October 1 2021.

O2 has set up a 25GB cap on data, and £3.50 per day charge once you use it up.

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Here is how Ofcom tackles the issue of high bills

Ofcom believes that more can be done to protect British mobile network users travelling abroad.

Their new study revealed that nearly 1 in 5 holidaymakers are unaware of the roaming charges while a similar proportion do not even researchthem before heading off.

Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Director of Telecoms Consumer Protection, said:

Millions of UK holidaymakers head abroad every year and want to stay connected on their travels. But without clear information from their provider, they could find themselves facing an unexpected bill for calling home or going online.

According to Luna-Esteban, these alerts would mean that ‘you won’t be left in the dark about roaming charges and action you can take to manage your spending’.

Ofcom is proposing to oblige all UK mobile companies to inform customers when they start roaming, how much it will cost them and what they can do to save money.

Consumer group Which? explained thatBrexit saw roaming charges reintroduced leaving some EU-holidaying Brits with unexpectedly high bills.

She also urged people to check what charges apply to them before planning the getaway.

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Sources used:

- Mirror: 'EE, Vodafone and Three users issued with urgent alert - ignoring it could prove costly'