Low cost mobile provider Giffgaff are updating their data roaming policies and the new changes will affect all customers. The mobile brand who specialise in budget SIM deals are making changes to their EU roaming charges.
The changes relate to customer's EU roaming allowance and will come into effect on August 9, 2022 but the company are ensuring that they can still continue to offer value to its members at home. From August 9, Giffgaff members will be able to use up to 5GB of their 'goody-bag' allowance in the EU and selected destinations at no extra cost.
However, once the 5GB is up there will be a charge of 10p/mb while roaming. The extra charge is the same as Giffgaff’s out of bundle charge in the UK. Despite the charge once customers have reached the 5GB limit, members will still have unlimited minutes and texts across the EU, subject to Giffgaff's fair usage policy.
The new charge may come as a blow to many customers amid the cost of living crisis but Giffgaff has said they have to mitigate costs. A Giffgaff spokesperson said: "We know that having data while in the EU is important to you all, however, as some of you might know, we incur interconnect costs when people roam in the EU.
"Under the EU legislation, all UK mobile networks had to absorb this cost. Considering the difficulties that arise from the cost of living crisis, we wanted to do as much as we can to help so we have taken the decision to mitigate some of that cost, so that we can at least give our members up to 5GB to roam in the EU, at no extra cost.
"Providing 5GB of data while you’re abroad enables the vast majority of our members to still roam in the EU within their current 'goody-bag' allowance and if they happen to need more the price per MB would be exactly the same as they would be charged if they were in UK.
"Making this change has enabled us to put in place our Fixed UK Prices, we believe that prioritising freezing UK tariffs and giving you peace of mind for your bills at home is the right thing for us to do."
Giffgaff have also said that in 2019 their customers used less than 5GB when roaming in the EU each month. Roaming is when a mobile phone is used outside of its home network, so overseas, and connects to another available cell network. Before the UK left the EU, Britons could use their monthly allowances of calls, data and texts while in 28 destinations in the EU for no extra charge.
You can visit the Giffgaff website for the latest SIM deals here. They are currently offering a 15GB data SIM deal with unlimited, minutes and texts for £10 a month.
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