Brits heading on holidays this summer should know how much whipping their phone out to Google a landmark or take a destination selfie is going to cost them.
Since the UK left the European Union two and a half years ago, residents are no longer covered by a 2017 bloc-wide law that made roaming, text, and calls free in all Member States.
Many people have been caught out by the new rules, returning from their holidays to face a huge bill. One man recently revealed he wracked up a £200,000 bill during a four-day holiday in Turkey.
While you're unlikely to owe your phone company the equivalent of a small mortgage at the end of your trip, knowledge is definitely power when it comes to avoiding any extra costs that could cast a shadow over a holiday.
Below are the current roaming, call, and text rates for the UK's main providers.
EE
Under EE you can use your minutes, texts and data allowances in its European roaming zone - which includes most countries on the Continent - for £2.29 a day (up until midnight UK-time).
You don't need to do anything to opt in. If you use your allowances you'll pay £2.29 for that day, and if you don't, you won't be charged anything.
O2
The phone company offers free data roaming in the EU, so your data (subject to roaming limit), minutes and text allowances will work in the Europe Zone, just like they do at home.
If your UK monthly data allowance is over 25GB, you'll have a roaming limit of 25GB when roaming in the firm's Europe Zone. This means you can use up to 25GB of your allowance at no extra cost.
O2 sends customers a text if they're getting close to the limit, and again if they reach it. You can still use data if you reach the limit, but you'll be charged at £3.50/GB.
Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile has different rules for customers based on when they joined.
If you took out a pay-monthly contract on or after June 16 2022, you'll be charged to use your data allowance in Europe from next year. So far the company hasn't yet confirmed what the charges will be or exactly when they'll come in.
If you joined or upgraded before June 16 2022, you will not be charged the new fees unless and until you choose to upgrade your plan. Regardless of when you signed up, your allotted calls and texts are free in the EU.
Three Mobile
Those customers whose plans started on or after October 1 2021 can unlock their data, call and text for a daily roaming charge.
For Pay Monthly customers, roaming costs £2 a day in Europe and £5 a day in Go Roam Around the World destinations. The Republic of Ireland and Isle of Man are excluded from the daily roaming charge.
If you’re on a Three Your Way plan, it comes with up to 56 days of roaming included. If you run out – or you’re on a Standard plan – you can also buy three, seven, or 14-day Go Roam Passes. With a £5 a day Data Passport, you can get unlimited data to use when roaming.
Vodafone
If your plan doesn't have inclusive roaming in the firm's Europe Zone - which includes all European countries other than Ireland, the Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway - then it will cost you £2.25 a day to roam.
You can reduce this cost with a European Roaming pass, available as £10 for eight days or £15 for 15 days.
BT Mobile
BT Mobile has specific charges for different parts of the world, with calls costing 45.72/minute, texts 14p and roaming 13p per MB in most EU countries.
To stop you from getting hit with an unexpectedly big bill, the company caps the amount of data you can use when abroad to £35.
GiffGaff
GiffGaff has one of the most generous policies out there. The company's plans can be used in the EU and selected destinations just as customers would use them at home and at no extra cost.
If you opt to pay as you go and use credit instead, data, calls and texts will be charged at the firm's pay-as-you-go UK rates while you roam in the EU.
Sky Mobile
The company has a roaming passport which costs £2 a day and lets you access your UK data, calls and text allowances in over 55 popular holiday destinations, including the EU, the USA and Australia and more.
