Roaming

Tens of thousands of Three mobile users are set to lose a perk that allows them to roam at no extra cost in 71 countries. MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal that the mobile operator is 'forcing' certain customers to sign up to new plans, which means they'll lose their 'free' roaming benefit. It's a U-turn from Three, which had said it would keep inclusive roaming for those on older contracts.

Vodafone is to start charging new and upgrading customers roaming fees of £2 a day to use their monthly allowance in Europe from 31 January 2022 – though some will be able to cut the cost to £1 a day by paying for a multi-day pass. Vodafone is the second mobile firm to scrap free roaming in the EU following Brexit, after EE announced similar changes in June.

EE is to start charging new and upgrading customers a flat £2/day roaming fee to use their monthly allowance in Europe from March 2022. The mobile company had said the fee would begin in January but this has been pushed back by two months, meaning rival Vodafone will become the first to enact a roaming fee from the start of next year. 

Three is to start charging new and upgrading pay monthly and Sim-only customers roaming fees of £2/day to use their monthly allowances in Europe from 23 May 2022. In addition, the mobile provider will ditch a core deal that allowed many customers to use their inclusive minutes, texts and data in 22 non-European destinations and instead charge customers £5/day.

The regulator Ofcom has intervened after a change to Vodafone's roaming policy meant millions could be charged £5 to send a single text message while abroad. It's now given affected customers extra time to leave their contracts penalty-free and is refunding some who've lost out.

A British chef sailing the Greek islands racked up a bill for more than £8,000 after her phone inadvertently connected to a Turkish mobile network for just 40 minutes.

Millions of Vodafone customers could be charged £5 to send a single text message while abroad, thanks to a change in the firm's roaming policy which forces those using their phones in 60 countries including the US, India and China to pay a flat daily fee.

Some EE and BT Mobile customers who fail credit checks can't use their UK minutes, texts and data when travelling in Europe – despite new rules coming in this summer aimed at letting you use your UK allowance for free elsewhere in the EU.

Mobile network iD Mobile has been wrongly charging customers for using their phones abroad since the introduction of free roaming calls in the EU, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal.

Calling a foreign number in the European Union from your mobile? Bizarrely it costs more if you do it from the UK than anywhere else in the EU under new roaming rules, which come into effect today.