Roaming charges spiral out of control

The 4.8 million UK holidaymakers jetting off to Europe and the USA this Easter could still mean big business for mobile phone providers, as roaming charges remain some of the highest in Europe.

Roaming costs have been under the spotlight recently, with the EU announcing it will impose a further pricing cap on them, in addition to the earlier price reductions it has placed on providers – due to come into force in April.

However, research from price comparison website moneysupermarket.com shows Easter holiday makers could still potentially be charged up to £5m between them for a one minute phone call to the UK.

Pay-as-you-go 3 customers are facing the most expensive overseas call charges – shelling out £1 per minute to make calls in Europe. When receiving calls it is O2 pay-as-you-go customers who are hit hardest with charges of 99p per minute, whilst any Vodafone contract customers travelling further afield should be aware of the staggering £1.49 per minute they will be charged for calling home.

T-Mobile holidaymakers have the best bargain as they will only be charged 55p per minute to make or receive calls in Europe and the US, regardless of whether they are on a contract or pay-as-you-go.

Rob Barnes, head of mobiles at moneysupermarket.com said: “Costs for Brits using mobiles abroad are amongst the highest in Europe and may put some holidaymakers off keeping in contact with people back home in the UK.

“However, there are a number of ways people can cut the cost. For example they can subscribe to their network’s “roaming bundles” such as O2’s Chosen Country tariff, which once subscribed to, can save over £1 per minute. Vodafone also offers a Passport service with similar savings, yet people should be aware these require a monthly fee to be paid or a one-off set up fee. Those who travel abroad frequently should consider purchasing a local country or global SIM card. This option is consistently cheaper than calling via one of the UK networks and could bring the cost of making a call from Europe down to just 22p per minute with no charge to receive calls.”

Vodafone and O2 may introduce new standard roaming charges from April. However, it still remains to be seen whether other providers will follow suit.

Rob continued: “The onus to reduce costs of calling when abroad is also on the consumer and with this in mind my advice is prepare for your trip early. Begin by contacting your network directly, advise where you are travelling to and find out the costs of making and receiving calls. Once you know this you can decide whether to sign up to one of their roaming schemes or simply don’t use your phone unless it’s an emergency.”