HOLIDAYMAKERS will be able to manage their spending better from October, thanks to new rules around roaming fees in Europe.
Mobile phone networks will have to be transparent about roaming charges and price caps from October 1, following changes from communications watchdog, Ofcom.
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Before Brexit, Brits could use their UK data plans in Europe at no extra cost, but since then several operators including Three and Vodafone have reintroduced the charges.
Today, just 11 mobile networks will still let you roam for free, and some of those have data caps, which could see you paying hefty fees.
Here is our full list of the free networks, as well as a roundup of the standard roaming charges at the UK’s other major networks.
Free roaming networks
- Asda Mobile
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Asda will let you roam for free in 46 European countries.
The provider says you don’t need to tell it if you’re going away, you can simply carry on texting, calling and streaming as you would at home.
However, there is a catch. The plans have a data roaming limit of 5GB, regardless of whether your usual limit is higher than this.
For any data you use above this level, you’ll be charged 10p per MB.
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Asda says it will alert customers when they reach 80% of the limit, and also when all 100% is used.
You can see the full list of countries included on the Asda Mobile roaming page.
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- BT Mobile
BT Mobile’s ‘Roam Like Home’ offering lets its customers roam for free in 47 destinations.
The provider says that you can use your mobile plan allowance to use data, make calls and send texts back to the UK as well as to receive calls and texts for free when you’re roaming in these zones.
It doesn’t have a cap as such, but does say that there might be a surcharge if you use more than the fair use policy allowance of 50GB of data in one monthly billing period.
It also warns that when roaming in Northern Cyprus, you may connect to a Turkish network.
As Turkey isn't in the EU and isn't a Roam Like Home country, BT Mobile will charge you for any data or minutes used.
You can see the full list of countries and rules on the BT Mobile page.
- GiffGaff
GiffGaff plans can be used in the EU and some other destinations at no extra cost.
If you’re a pay as you go customer, the provider says it will charge you at your usual UK rates.
However, there is a cap of 5GB, and if you go over this you’ll be charged 3.2p/minute, 1p/text, 10p/MB.
If you’re travelling outside of the EU, then roaming rates apply.
A full list of all the countries with free roaming is on the GiffGaff website.
- iD Mobile
Roaming comes as standard on all iD mobile phone and SIM only plans.
This means customers can use their UK monthly allowances of minutes, text and data in 50 destinations worldwide.
There is a fair use data cap of 30GB, after which you are likely to be charged.
You can see the full list of countries included on the iD mobile website.
- Lebara
Lebara says that you can use UK plan allowances while roaming in the EU or India for no extra cost.
There is a fair use cap of up to 30GB on the unlimited data plan.
For roaming outside of Europe and India, you will need to buy an appropriate roaming add-on or use pay-as-you-go (PAYG) credit.
You can find out the rates for individual countries using this checker.
- O2
O2 is the only one of the four major network providers that has not brought back roaming charges.
If you’re travelling in what it calls its “Europe Zone”, you can call text or use data like you would in the UK and for no extra cost.
There is a fair usage cap of 25GB.
If you’re travelling outside of Europe, you can buy a bolt on, which gives you free roaming in a further 27 countries.
- Plusnet
Plusnet’s “Roam Like at Home” offering lets customers use their monthly plan allowance in more than 40 EU destinations, including France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
Plusnet has a fair usage policy in place which applies to any plans with a data allowance of 20GB or more each month.
If you use more than 15GB of your monthly allowance in one billing cycle, you might have to pay a surcharge.
You can see the full list of included countries on the Plusnet website.
- Smarty
Smarty lets its customers roam in the EU for no extra costs. If your plan includes calls and texts, they’ll also work as usual.
There’s a fair use limit on data of up to 12GB. After that you can choose to buy data add-ons.
You can see the full list of countries on the Smarty website.
- Talkmobile
Talkmobile is another network with free EU roaming.
For customers who joined or upgraded before March 14, 2023, the fair use limit is 15GB per month.
Customers who joined after that date have a much lower allowance of 5GB per month.
If you are running out of your EU Inclusive Roaming allowance, you can purchase a Euro Holiday Booster.
The full list of countries where you can roam is on the Talkmobile website.
- Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile has extended its free roaming offer until 2025.
That means that you can use your text, call, and data allowances at no extra cost in 48 destinations.
Tesco has not yet confirmed when in 2025 the changes will happen, so if you’re planning a holiday for the beginning of the year, contact the operator to see what the rules will be.
Networks that charge you to roam in Europe
Here’s the full list of network providers who currently charge for European roaming, and how much it costs:
- EE
EE is one of the networks that reintroduced roaming charges in the EU.
Not all customers will pay, as it depends on whether you are on a contract and when your contract started.
For any customers that took out new contracts after July 7, 2021, there is a daily charge of £2.47 for using your phone in European destinations.
You can also buy a ‘Roam Abroad’ pass, for £25 a month. This will allow you to use your phone without any extra charges, but you’ll need to go away for 11 days to save money.
You can see the full list of charges and countries on EE’s website.
- Sky Mobile
Sky Mobile customers can buy a Roaming Passport Plus pass for £2 a day.
This lets you access your UK data, calls and text allowances in over 55 popular holiday destinations, including the EU/EEA, the USA, and Australia.
If you’re roaming in other far-away destinations, ‘Rest of the world’ roaming charges apply.
These vary by country, but you can see a full list with charges on the Sky Mobile website.
- Three
If you’re a Three customer and you want to roam in Europe, you’ll need to buy a Go Roam Europe pass.
You can buy three, seven and 14-day passes.
The Three website says roaming costs £2 for Go Roam in Europe and £5 for Go Roam Around the World, but if you buy a pass in advance you get up to two days of free roaming.
Even with the pass, a fair use policy of 12GB per month applies.
- Vodafone
The only countries where you can roam at no extra cost with Vodafone are the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway.
Some selected Xtra plans will let you roam elsewhere, but at an added cost.
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Standard pay as you go customers will need to pay £2.42 a day in Europe or you can save money by buying a European Roaming Pass. These cost £12 for 8 days or £17 for 15 days.
You can find out more on the Vodafone website.
How to avoid roaming charges
Simrat Sharma, a mobiles expert at Uswitch, said switching to an eSIM - short for embedded SIM - can be cheaper than using international roaming.
“eSIMsmake it easier to change networks," she said.
"So for example, if you’reabroadyou can quickly connect to the local network to pay local rates - without having to add or swap a physical local SIM card for your device.
"This means traveleSIMsare almost always cheaper than using international roaming, as users are effectively tapping into the same network plans as locals.
If you’re regularly switching numbers or travelling to different locations, you’ll be able to keep them all safely in digital format rather than carrying around a number of small cards.
“The software can easily be accessed via your device’s app store and uploaded to your phone in a few quick steps."
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