Capped mobile roaming charges finally come into play

A lucky few will finally be able to benefit from the new Eurotariff, making calls abroad from a mobile phone cheaper. MEPs first backed plans to cap roaming charges back in May and operators have since faced stringent regulations requiring them to offer cheaper tariffs to their customers.

Despite the introduction of this EU legislation, recent Mystery Shopper research by SimplySwitch.com, the price comparison and switching service, highlighted the extent to which customers were kept in the dark during the peak summer holiday period. With three out of the big seven operators unable to tell customers when they would be introducing the new ‘Eurotariff’, and some operators, including Vodafone and 3 mobile stalling tariff introduction until the last possible moment (July 31st), many customers remained confused about their call charges.

Those customers who responded to a ‘Eurotariff’ offer from their operator at the end of July will finally be able to reap the rewards from tomorrow, benefiting from cheaper calls just as the Summer holiday season draws to a close.

Karen Darby, from SimplySwitch.com comments: “With the British summer being a washout this year, many Brits have opted for overseas holidays. It’s a shame that so many have missed out on savings which could have been introduced far earlier.

“Excessive mobile phone charges have been stinging travellers for far too long so this legislation is great news for customers and could save the public millions. The act shows that MEPs have fought a noteworthy battle on behalf of consumers, despite huge amounts of pressure from the heavyweight telecoms firms.”

SimplySwitch.com has revealed that a staggering three quarters (77%) of British mobile owners didn’t know how much they were charged for making or receiving calls abroad. In addition, a quarter (25%) of Britons placed ‘extra charges’ as top of their operator criticisms whilst almost two thirds (63%) claimed an offer of a better tariff would cause them to switch providers.

While the new legislation will evidently lead to better deals for customers, Karen Darby does have the following warning for mobile phone customers:

“There’s no doubt the ‘Eurotariff’ is welcome news, however I would advise anyone who hasn’t yet accepted an early offer from their operator to do their research before they go abroad. Unless an initial offer was accepted, customers may still be on higher roaming rates until the automatic switch over at the end of September.

“In the meantime, those jetting off on holiday over the next few weeks can still benefit from ‘bolt on’ deals that can reduce call prices by up to 80%. These usually cost between £2 and £3 per month, and customers are free to sign for just the month that they’re on holiday.”

If you are looking for a more competitive mobile phone package, search for the best new mobile deals at SimplySwitch.com.