Using your mobile abroad in Europe: What roaming will cost you
March 26th, 2009
photo: Panoramas
Fantastic news for anyone taking a holiday to Europe this summer.
Last year I wrote about how the EU was cutting the cost of using texts and data whilst abroad in the EU.
European MPs have now agreed on the following caps (subject to approval by EU member states). Here’s the lowdown on what it’ll cost you.
Cost of Roaming Outgoing Calls
| Start Date | Maximum Price (euros) | Maximum price (GBP equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 49 cents | 33p (was capped on different exchange rate) |
| July 2009 | 43 cents | 40p |
| July 2010 | 39 cents | 36p |
| July 2011 | 35 cents | 32p |
Cost of Roaming Outgoing Texts
| Start Date | Maximum Price (euros) | Maximum price (GBP equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
| Present | - | - |
| July 2009 | 11 cents | 10p |
Cost of Roaming Data (per MB)
| Start Date | Maximum Price (euros) | Maximum price (GBP equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
| Present | - | - |
| July 2009 | 1 euro | 92p |
| July 2010 | 80 cents | 74p |
| July 2011 | 50 cents | 46p |
Other measures
- To avoid unexpected large bills, operators must allow consumers to set spending caps for when they are abroad and must notify consumers when they reach 80% of that cap.
- Mobile operators will not be allowed to round call lengths up to full minutes before charging. However, a minimum charge equivalent to 30 seconds will be allowed.
About the Author: Hi! I'm Ken. I've been using mobiles for over 10 years and technology for a lot longer! I'd love to hear from you.
Hi – informative post. We have published a new consumer advice video on our website today about using mobile abroad here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/features/mobabvid.
[...] going to a country within the European Union, whichever network you are on: costs should be capped from July as [...]