As you dream about your summer holidays, the Cubo team need to keep you in reality for just a few minutes to make you fully aware of potential roaming charges when using your mobile phone abroad. Since the UK left the EU, the ‘roam like at home’ rules no longer apply and UK law requiring mobile operators to alert customers of roaming charges has ceased. Many operators have voluntarily continued to send customers alerts. But Ofcom found that the quality of information being provided can be inconsistent and unclear.
“The last thing holidaymakers want when returning from a trip abroad is an unexpected mobile phone bill. At the moment, some customers aren’t getting clear information from their provider to help them manage their mobile use and plan their spend.”
Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Director of Telecoms Consumer Policy
From 1 October 2024, mobile networks need to notify customers when they start roaming and provide clear, free to access information so customers can make informed decisions about whether – and how – to use their mobile phone abroad.
This includes ensuring customers understand any roaming charges, including:
- any fair use limits or time limits that apply.
- setting spend caps to limit their spend.
- where to find additional information about roaming.
Don’t let this be you!
Over the years, we have seen customers have roaming charges which amounted to more than the cost of their holiday – Don’t let this be you! It’s important to note that data outside of the Europe Zone is charged at £6 per MB without a Rest of the World Pass or suitable Bolt On – that’s a staggering £6000 per GB used.
Below are some real life nightmares that we have encountered:
- After a luxury trip to the Maldives, one of our customers received £1565.50 worth of charges after using his phone as normal for roaming and for calls. The Maldives was not included in his Business Roaming Traveller Package as it is categorised as a Rest of the World Zone 2 destination.
- Cruises have resulted in some astronomical charges as maritime travel is classed as a Rest of the World destination. Recently, one of our customers on O2, ran up a bill of £700 in less than minute on-board a cruise ship after turning on his phone and receiving a backlog of text messages at once.
- Andorra is another problematic country. Although, situated in Europe, the country is classified as a principality and is not included in O2’s Europe Zone, instead being classified as a Zone 6: Rest of World destination. This has ruined many holidays with one of our customers being charged over £1200 after returning from a skiing holiday.
What do the networks say?
In summary, there is a magnitude of information provided by the networks. However, this can often be confusing for the end-user. If we look at Vodafone or o2, countries are attributed to Zones with differing charges and roaming costs for each location. There are also a range of Bolt Ons and Roaming Passes available and it’s important to understand your policy – before you travel! In reality, there are so many variables relating to roaming charges including:
- Network
- Contract type
- Contract length
- Tariff
- Business size
- Country you are travelling to
- When you took the contract out
- Fair use policies
What should I do?
The best thing to do is to contact us at least one week before you go. We can remind you of your rates, and advise if there are any suitable bolt-on options that could help minimise them. You may need to review, and possibly increase any spend caps on your account if you plan to use your phone abroad. Alternatively, if you don’t want any unexpected charges, users can turn their handset off, put it on airplane mode or ensure their data is turned off and all background apps are closed properly.
Give us a call on 028 9448 5422 or email mobilesupport@wearecubo.com for advice before you travel.
