HOLIDAYMAKERS are set to benefit from new rules which could save them £100s on their phone bill.
From today (October 1), Ofcom has imposed new regulations for energy providers which will help protect mobile phone users from being unexpectedly charged while abroad.
Under the new rules, providers must warn customers when they start roaming in the EU or elsewhere to protect them from what’s known as “inadvertent roaming“.
This is when you are travelling across a border and connect to another country’s network without meaning to.
For many major UK networks, roaming can cost as much as £6 per MB – which is the equivalent of listening to two minutes of music.
This means spending just 20 minutes on your phone could cause you to rack up a £60 bill without you even knowing.
But from today, providers will need to alert customers when they begin roaming or reach their spending caps.
They will also have to signpost customers to free information on the roaming costs of where they are visiting.
Before Brexit, phone users could use existing call, data and text allowances in Europe at no extra cost.
But now it is a very common experience to face unwanted charges. Ofcom said in March that 14% of UK customers had experienced inadvertent roaming in the previous 12 months.
This also rose to 22% of customers in Northern Ireland, where devices inadvertently roamed signals from the Republic of Ireland.
In cases such as this, people have even reported facing roaming charges from their own home.
Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, has previously criticised the lack of regulations which were in place for holidaymakers.
She said: “The new rules do fall short by not suggesting that providers should give compensation to UK residents who have inadvertently fallen foul of roaming charges, and failing to outline what this looks like.
“When the UK negotiates future trade deals, it must seize the opportunity to lower the cost of roaming for consumers travelling around the world.
“The UK and EU should also agree a deal on roaming charges that stops people facing extortionate bills from providers.”
From today further prevention of unexpected bills is possible, however there has been no mention of those who have been previously charged gaining compensation.
Uswitch’s mobiles expert Ernest Doku pointed out that “while this is good news there is still inconsistency between providers – meaning a lack of clarity for consumers, who were hit with £539 million in unexpected roaming charges in 2023.”
The amount you will be charged varies depending on your network provider.
Inadvertent roaming rates can also vary extortionately, so it’s important to let your provider know before you travel.
When managed correctly, here is what you will have to pay when roaming abroad:
O2 doesn’t charge customers roaming charges for using their phones abroad although it does have a 25GB “fair use” data cap.
To review your roaming charges before you travel, visit your provider’s website and either get in touch using the phone number or via your online account.
If you don’t want to pay for roaming and want to stick to Wi-Fi, go to your phone settings, then Mobile Data, and switch off Mobile Data Roaming.
You won’t be able to connect to data while abroad, but you’ll also have the peace of mind that you’re not being charged.
Simrat Sharma, a mobiles expert at Uswitch, said switching to an eSIM - short for embedded SIM - can be cheaper than using international roaming.
“eSIMs make it easier to change networks,” she said.
“So for example, if you’re abroad you can quickly connect to the local network to pay local rates – without having to add or swap a physical local SIM card for your device.
“This means travel eSIMs are almost always cheaper than using international roaming, as users are effectively tapping into the same network plans as locals.
If you’re regularly switching numbers or travelling to different locations, you’ll be able to keep them all safely in digital format rather than carrying around a number of small cards.
“The software can easily be accessed via your device’s app store and uploaded to your phone in a few quick steps.”
If you want to save on extra roaming costs, it’s always best to connect to Wi-Fi whenever you can.
Most hotels and cafes now offer wireless internet free of charge – if there’s a password, go up and ask the staff.
You should also check before you join your provider whether they offer a roaming add-on, which automatically provides you with a small allowance for data roaming free of charge.
Mobile users often set their budget for the month by installing a cap on their data usage.
UK networks now enforce automatic caps on data usage worldwide, which is usually between £40 and £49 – although you can set your cap much lower.
One quick way to cut the cost of your mobile phone contract is by going SIM-only.
You can get one of these deals if you have already paid for your handset.
They come with a certain amount of minutes, texts and mobile data.
Since you are not paying for the cost of the mobile with a SIM-only package, you can save a hefty amount of money.
We also recommend you dedicate a good amount of time to shopping around and speaking to other providers.
Comparison sites like Uswitch, MoneySuperMarket and Compare the Market are good places to start, but it’s also useful to ask personal opinions and experiences of people you know to work out what will suit you.
Once you’ve found the best deal for you, you can use it to haggle with your current provider if it is offering you a worse price or package.
If your provider refuses to reduce its price, you can always walk away and take the different deal with the new provider.
Ofcom‘s coverage checker is also a useful tool to find out what provider network is strongest to use based on the signal in your area.
And if you’re on certain benefits, you could also be eligible for a social mobile tariff, which could save you £100s a year.
To find out whether you might be eligible, visit the government website or contact your local council.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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