Travelers warned of mobile phone roaming charges of £7 a day

Mobile phone users are urged to check their contract before heading abroad – as some networks charge almost £7 a day for certain locations.

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 aren’t required to warn customers about the extortionate rates they may rack up during the holidays.

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

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

Provider O2 is now the only network that does not impose roaming charges in Europe for every recently signed contract.

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

For the latest contracts, EE, Vodafone and Three have all reintroduced roaming charges – charging £2.29, £2.25 and £2 a day respectively.

Outside of Europe, some providers impose an even higher roaming fee on top of the daily bill. Vodafone charges an extra £6.85 per day outside of Europe and Tre £5 per day – while O2 charges £6 per day.

Britons abroad paid around £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, it’s right Ofcom is taking this issue seriously. But customers don’t have to wait – so the regulator needs to act now.’

To avoid an unexpected nasty bill, Doc says it’s important to read the fine print of your contract to find out the charges for calling and using data abroad.

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

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

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

“But without clear information from their provider they face unexpected bills to call home or go online.

“The alerts would mean they wouldn’t be left in the dark about the allegations.”