05 September 2023 , 10:52
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A woman ended up with a painfully high bill after she made a simple and very easy mistake while on holiday.
When Molly Saxton set off on a Caribbean cruise with her family, she wanted to stay connected with her now husband and friends via social media and over text. Little did the 24-year-old know that she was landing herself in financially hot waters by doing so.
Molly got back to the UK and discovered that her monthly phone bill cost was 3,290% higher than usual. The distraught cruise passenger explained: "Before the holiday, I made sure to pay for a data and text bundle to make keeping in touch with people on the cruise cheaper. I had a feeling that I’d exceeded these but didn’t worry too much as I expected my phone provider to place a cap on spending, or at least notify me if I was running the risk of using too much.
"You can imagine my shock when I saw that my usual monthly phone bill of between £30-£35 ended up being £1,186.59. While I expected a slightly larger phone bill due to using it abroad, I didn’t for one minute think that it would be anywhere near £1,000 - I could have gone on another holiday with that money.
Avoid nasty shocks by checking the rules with your provider before you set off (Getty Images/EyeEm)“The high costs were down to excess use of the data and text bundle as well as accidental roaming while at sea. I had no idea that your phone could automatically connect to maritime roaming in this way, neither did my friends or family.
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“Thankfully, my phone company did agree to half the bill after speaking with them, and I've learnt a lesson from this. Now when I go on holiday, I really limit my phone use, and will only really use it when I know I can connect to Wi-Fi in bars, restaurants or hotels."
Experts at mobile phone retailer Fonehouse are warning those setting off on a cruise this year to avoid being similarly stung. Most UK networks charge roaming fees when you're outside of the country. Before you go abroad, it's important to check with your provider how much it could cost for you as roaming charges can vary widely by provider and destination.
Some providers offer daily charges, which could cost up to £70 a week. Others may charge for calls, texts and data usage which can end up being expensive. Before you set off, check what bundles your network offers as some have travel bolt-ons, which could work out cheaper. A rolling one-month sim only contract which includes roaming at your destination for no extra cost is also a good option.
While on board a cruise, if you have drifted away from the nearest land-based cell tower, your phone will have connected to an at-sea or maritime provider which will be considered as roaming by your provider. This can be very expensive, especially because it tends to add up quickly. That means that using data, making calls or texts will be charged at a premium.
When you’re in port, your mobile will operate from the carrier of the country that you are visiting. Even then, the rates can be high as roaming charges differ from country to country and will depend on your provider.
If you want to avoid roaming charges whilst on a cruise:
- Always remember to put your phone in airplane mode once you board your cruise to avoid connecting to an at-sea provider.
- Have any films, music or books already downloaded as you can still use offline applications whilst in airplane mode.
- You can connect to the cruise ship's WiFi while on board but you will have to purchase an internet pass.
- Contact your mobile provider to see if they have any travel plans for customers going on a cruise.
- Check with your provider how much it could cost for you as roaming charges in the countries you will port in.
- Use Wi-Fi wherever possible in port.
Have you been hit with an unexpected charge on holiday? Email us at [email protected]