Travellers off to Europe urged to check data plan or risk being overcharged

26 June 2023 , 15:17

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A lot of travellers this summer could end up overpaying for their data roaming (Image: Getty Images)

Planning your next trip abroad? As well as packing sunblock, swimwear, and a few Euros, you might want to consider switching to a new phone network.

That’s because some of the most popular UK networks have reinstated EU roaming charges – adding huge extra costs onto customers' bills each time they travel abroad for family holidays, destination weddings, couple trips, and solo city breaks.

Most of the extra charges include more 4G and 5G data than most people typically need – with mobile networks charging a premium for the extra (and unnecessary) mobile data included with the add-on. That’s according to new research from GiffGaff, which shows its customers only use an average of 2.3GB of roaming data when on holiday.

Countries including Spain, Portugal, France, Greece and the Netherlands are in the top ten places for data roaming, using roaming here is pretty common and is not known to rack up a hefty bill as long as it fits with users 'fair use' terms.

The likes of Vodafone, EE, O2 and Sky Mobile charge customers for using their phones abroad, usually within a limit of 25GB of fair usage each year. As EE and Vodafone charge an average of £2 a day and Sky Mobile charge £2 a day through its Roaming Passport.

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GiffGaff is setting itself apart by offering customers 5GB of inclusive roaming data, so customers don't have to spend a penny more for the privilege of using their phone on a Spanish beach (for example).

Ash Schofield, CEO at giffgaff, commented: “We understand the importance of a worry-free holiday experience so we continue to include up to 5GB of inclusive roaming data across our plans to cover the essential holiday searches."

All giffgaff data plans include a 5GB EU roaming allowance, plus unlimited calls and data. If a customer needs more data while away, they’re able to refresh a monthly plan early via the giffgaff app to access another 5GB of data for as little as £8 or pay for any additional data from credit.

The free 5GB of roaming data is only available to those who take out a plan with 5GB of data or more, so customers should expect to pay at least £8 a month all the way up to £35 a month for unlimited UK data, calls and texts. Those who need more than 5GB of EU data roaming will be charged extra at 10p per MB.

GiffGaff isn’t the only network that doesn’t charge for EU roaming, with O2 offering customers access to 25GB of mobile data to use at no extra cost when traveling in Europe.

Harriet Morphy-Morris