Whether you voted remain or leave, the European commission has come to your aid. Holidaymakers are about to get free mobile phone roaming across Europe and a host of other destinations from 15 June – for the next two years, at least.
Following a long campaign and a series of staged roaming price cuts, the commission will finally put in place a long-cherished aim – the ability of Europeans to make same-cost mobile calls and data downloads irrespective of which EU country they are in.
But fears remain that once Brexit takes place the gains could be reversed. And holidaymakers will still need to be careful about getting caught out in some non-EU countries such as Switzerland, Andorra and even the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which are not formally part of the EU or even the European Economic Area (EEA).
Some mobile operators are choosing to include these areas in their new roaming-free packages, but others are not. What’s more, Turkey appears to be half in, half out – Vodafone is treating it the same as the EU but others are not.
When does all this happen?
The EU started tackling the issue of high roaming charges more than a decade ago, but finally on Thursday 15 June cross-border roaming charges within Europe will cease.
From that date, call time, text and data allowances bought as part of a deal or monthly contract at home will be usable anywhere in the EU at no extra charge. Reading the Guardian on your mobile in Malaga will be the same price as accessing it in Manchester.
Why is it happening?
Roaming charges – the surcharge applied by providers when a phone is used outside its home country – have long been the bane of holidaymakers’ lives. In short, they have been a huge rip-off.
Back in 2007 Brits in Spain paid 50p a minute to call home, and even after the EU imposed a series of price cuts mobile users have typically been paying 16p a minute to make calls, with additional charges applied to send texts or make any downloads. Modest mobile users regularly returned home after two weeks away to a £100 bill. It some extreme cases – where a large amount of data was used – the roaming charges cost more than the holiday itself.
But the EC sought to crack down on this, and in 2013 proposed a single market for electronic communications within the EU and to abolish the charges. The result is that contract and pay-as-you-go customers will pay the same charge in Europe as they would if they were at home – bill shock should largely become a thing of the past, for those travelling to Europe at least.
What about using your smartphone to update Facebook or send an email?
You get the exact same deal whether you are in the UK or in another European country (subject to “fair use” rules). So if your contract allows you 1GB of data a month, you can use it in another EU country without surcharge. If you need more data you’ll pay the same as you would at home. This applies if you buy bundles of data or are a PAYG customer.
Will I still pay to receive a call while abroad?
Not in the EU. Back in 2007 there was a €0.27/minute charge to receive a call while roaming in Europe. This disappears on 15 June. But note that you will still pay this charge in many non-EU destinations depending on the operator/country.
Does this mean I can throw away my European sim card or second phone?
Yes. If you only travel within Europe there is no need to keep switching to a local sim unless you’ve got a much cheaper call plan in an EU country that you regularly visit. It will still be worth doing this outside Europe.
Can I ditch my UK contract and seek out the cheapest European mobile deal in, say Spain, and use it here instead?
You could try, but you need to be aware that the agreement between the EC and the European mobile operators association BEREC sets out rules that are designed to prevent people doing exactly that.
It has its own “fair use” rules in place and says the roaming is temporary. Customers have to be “normally resident” or have “stable links entailing a frequent and substantial presence” in the member state of that roaming provider, it says, to prevent consumers all moving en masse to the cheapest EU provider.
If you spend several months using roaming in another country you may find your service is suspended.
What about other non-EU European destinations and countries further afield?
Technically you could still be charged to roam in non-EU countries like Turkey, Switzerland or Norway. However, most of the big operators have chosen to include popular non-EU destinations in their free packages. There are one or two exceptions – for example, O2 pay-as-you-go customers get a worse deal than those on contract.
The Channel Islands are in most “free roaming” packages but not all. Some suppliers don’t include Turkey, which has been a popular holiday destination. Morocco is another notable absentee despite Marrakesh’s increasing popularity as a holiday destination. Calls from there typically cost £1.65 a minute, and it costs £1.30 a minute to receive a call.
What about on ferries?
In the past Guardian Money has revealed how the cross-channel ferry firms have a bizarre arrangement with a Bermuda-based telecom firm to provide a mobile service aboard its ferries. Customers have been landed with big roaming bills as the phone thinks it is in the Sargasso Sea rather than 10 miles from Hull.
If you’re taking a ferry this summer check with the provider of the ferry service, and perhaps wait until you land to see the cricket score.
What the providers are offering
Vodafone is dropping its roaming charges in 40 countries in its EuroTraveller zone, including Iceland, Turkey and Switzerland on 11 June. Along with most other providers, you’ll still pay to roam in Serbia and Montenegro. Check your contract as those on recent tariffs get better roaming deals outside Europe.
O2’s roaming-free Europe Zone will cover 47 countries for pay-monthly customers – but excludes Turkey. Oddly, it’s PAYG customers will continue to pay roaming charges in Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Switzerland, but contract customers will be free.
EE’s deal is almost identical to O2’s, except PAYG customers aren’t penalised. EE has said customers will only be able to use the first 15GB of their data allowance in the EU for free under “fair use” rules.
Three, which has led the way on roaming charges, now offers free roaming to 60 destinations including most of Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the US. Turkey, however, is not included. After two months in one country free roaming is suspended, warns its T&Cs.
Tesco Mobile’s customers get free roaming in its 48 “Home From Home” destinations (Turkey is again excluded). They will still pay roaming fees in Andorra after June.
Carphone Warehouse’s ID will offer free roaming in 29 countries. GiffGaff is still working on its offering but will have to offer free roaming in all EU countries as a minimum.
Virgin Media will offer free roaming, but only in EEA countries – which includes Norway and Iceland but not the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Switzerland. This means you’ll pay more to call from Jersey to Bournemouth than you would from Sicily or Slovakia.
All these changes come into effect on 15 June or sooner. If you are going somewhere unusual – including the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands – check what you’ll pay to roam before you go. In the EU, however, you are safe to live-stream your tan straight from your poolside lounger.
What Brexit might mean
Three has committed to keeping roaming free in Europe regardless of what happens in the Brexit negotiations – but other networks are more equivocal.
The mobile phone industry opposed the European commission’s plan to abolish roaming charges, not least because the fees have been hugely profitable. Legally, there would be nothing to stop the networks reintroducing roaming fees once the UK leaves the EU.
Politically, though, they might struggle to bring back charges under a government keen to be seen to be making Brexit a success. However, commercial considerations could win out. Several providers will not cut roaming charges in places such as Jersey from June, as they are not legally obliged to do so.
Three told Guardian Money it remains “committed to eradicating excessive” roaming charges. It said: “We will retain this great customer benefit regardless of Brexit negotiations, allowing our customers to continue saving when they travel.”
O2 said it would be “engaging” with the government and Ofcom to discuss what would happen post-Brexit. The regulator said it would be a matter for the government of the day to decide.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion