If you’re looking to head abroad soon, it’s important to be aware of any charges you could face for using your mobile phone when you’re outside the UK.
Since 31 December 2020, the EU rules on mobile roaming charges no longer apply in the UK. This means the amount your mobile provider can charge you for using your mobile phone in EU countries, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein is no longer capped.
Ofcom does not have the power to prevent mobile companies from charging customers for using their services when travelling. Each of the UK mobile providers has different approaches to roaming charges and fair use policies. It is important to check with your provider to see what their approach is before you use your mobile abroad.
Since 1 July 2022, the roaming rules as previously set out in UK legislation no longer apply. These covered things like roaming welcome messages and data roaming spend limits. Some providers have confirmed that they will still provide all or some of these services from 1 July, on a voluntary basis.
The table below illustrates some of the provider offerings regarding roaming that apply from 1 July 2022.
| Provider | Roaming notifications | Information on data roaming charges for EU | Protections against inadvertent roaming charges for Northern Ireland customers roaming in the Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE | At point of roaming: Yes When starting to use data roaming: Yes Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes | Customers joining or recontracting from 1 July 2021 pay £2.29 per day to use their allowance in the EU. 50GB monthly fair use data limit. Customers will pay £0.0036 per MB after they have reached that limit. | Republic of Ireland roaming treated as UK usage. |
| o2 | At point of roaming: Yes When starting to use data roaming: Yes Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes | No daily charge within the EU. 25 GB monthly fair use data limit for pay monthly customers. Customers will pay £3.50 per GB after they have reached that limit. | Customers in Northern Ireland are excluded from permanent roamer surcharges. Any charges for inadvertent Northern Ireland roaming over the 25GB fair use data limit are reactively credited. |
| Three | At point of roaming: Yes When starting to use data roaming: Yes Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes | Customers joining or recontracting from 1 October 2021 pay £2 per 24 hours to use plan allowances in Go Roam in Europe destinations. 12GB monthly fair use data limit. Customers will pay 0.3p per MB after they have reached that limit. | Daily roaming charge does not apply to roaming in the Republic of Ireland. Customers in Northern Ireland who inadvertently roam in the Republic of Ireland will not incur additional charges for exceeding the fair use limit and can use data free of charge up to their allowance limit. |
| Vodafone | At point of roaming: Yes When starting to use data roaming: No Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes - default set at £39.33 per month | Customers joining or recontracting from 11 August 2021 pay £1-£2 per day to use their allowance in the EU. 25GB monthly fair use data limit. Customers will pay £3.13 per GB (if they upgraded or joined Vodafone on 24 February 2021 or later) or £3.65 for 1GB /£18.25 for 5GB (if they upgraded or joined Vodafone before 24 February 2021) after they have reached that limit. | Republic of Ireland usage is inclusive for all customers. |
| Sky Mobile | At point of roaming: Yes Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes | Daily charge of £2 per day to use allowance. If customers reach their UK data limit, they can roll saved data from Piggybank, mix up to a higher data plan, or buy a 1GB data add-on for £6. | Daily charge does not apply to roaming in the Republic of Ireland. |
| Utility Warehouse | At point of roaming: Yes When starting to use data roaming: No Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes | Included in EU, 14GB fair use data limit for customers on the Unlimited or Value Prime 40GB plans. If a customer exceeds this limit they will be charged £0.0036 per MB on Unlimited plans and £0.0036 per MB on Value plans up to their domestic limit and then £0.02 MB. | Roam Like Home applies so no additional charges (subject to fair use). |
Your Co-op mobile | At point of roaming: Yes When starting to use data roaming: Yes Default data roaming limit (£45 per month exc VAT): Yes | EU roaming included within standard bundles. 5p per MB if the customer does not have a data bundle. | No but where Roam Like at Home applies then no extra charges. |
Phone providers can change the terms of a contract but they must give you at least one month's notice and a right to exit the contract without penalty if the change does not benefit you. However, you won’t have the right to exit the contract if the change being made is:
- exclusively to your benefit, for example a speed upgrade;
- purely administrative and has no negative effect on you, for example a change in the address or bank details of your provider; or
- directly imposed by law, for example, a change in the rate of VAT.
Some providers have contracts which set out that the monthly prices you pay will increase at certain times during the contract, for example increasing by inflation each year. This should be made clear to you when you sign the contract so you know what you will have to pay at different points in the contract. If this was made clear at the point you entered the contract, you won’t have the right to exit without penalty when the increase takes place. Ofcom rules also require providers to give customers certain information in writing before they enter a contract, this includes their roaming fair use policy.
Your provider should give you the option to set a bill limit or spend cap when you enter or renew a contract. Or you can request one, amend or remove an existing one, on reasonable notice at any time.
A bill limit allows you to you set a monthly spend limit on your bill. Once this bill limit is set, your provider must notify you when the limit is likely to be reached, and it can only be exceeded with your express consent.
See our guide for more tips about how to set mobile bill limits.
So if you are travelling abroad it is important to check with your provider what charges you may have to pay, before you leave the UK.
The 2G and 3G mobile networks are also gradually being switched off all across the world and this may impact your roaming experience - in some cases it may mean you will be unable to make calls or access data unless connected to wifi, particularly if you have an older handset. So it is important you check with your provider before you leave the UK.