As we approach the last half-term break of the year, many people will be thinking of squeezing in an overseas holiday to escape the autumn temperatures at home.
And with most of us taking our mobiles with us when we travel, it’s important to think about any extra charges you might face for using your phone abroad.
New Ofcom rules mean UK mobile customers will be better protected against unexpected roaming charges while using their phone abroad and at home. Mobile providers now need to let customers know when they start roaming, and must give them information to help them decide whether to use their mobile phone abroad – including making any potential charges clear.
So, we asked people about how they use their mobile when they’re holiday on abroad, to find out how they typically prepare for an overseas trip, and how the recent rule changes might help them.
What they told us
Almost nine in ten people we asked said they’ll be taking their mobile with them on their next holiday.
And our findings underlined the importance of preparing before you travel, with one in ten people telling us that on their last holiday they ran out of data or ended up with a higher-than-expected mobile bill.
Just half of people - 53% - said they check their mobile plan before travelling abroad, and 17% said they rarely or never check how much it’ll cost them to roam while overseas.
One way of avoiding extra costs is to buy a mobile SIM for use abroad. However, only one in ten people told us they would check or purchase this.
Thankfully, some people do take steps to avoid extra mobile charges. For example, just ove a third of the people we asked said they make fewer calls or send fewer texts, or none at all, when they’re abroad. And around a third said they download films and content as preparation to watch or listen to while they’re on holiday abroad, which is a way of avoiding using alot of mobile data when travelling.
And one in four said they buy a roaming deal from their provider, or put a spending cap on their roaming plan for the duration of their overseas trip. For travellers with kids, it’s important to keep an eye on their mobile use too, to avoid any unexpected charges when you get home.