Avoid mobile phone roaming costs

Make telephone calls and send text messages from your mobile phone while abroad without spending a fortune.

By James Sherwood - 03/08/2010 print

Many people fear using mobile phones for telephone calls and text messages while on holiday in case they return to hefty bills for so-called “roaming charges”.

But there are ways you can use a mobile phone abroad and avoid an expensive post-holiday bill from your mobile network provider.

What is roaming?

Roaming occurs when your mobile phone leaves the country it was registered in, such as the UK, and enters another.

If you’re with Vodafone in the UK, for example, then your phone will offer you a selection of partner networks to connect with when you arrive at your destination. Some phones will do this automatically.

Roaming lets you access all your mobile phone’s usual features, including telephone calls and text messages.

Roaming costs can be like international call rates: very expensive. But this guide will help you avoid expensive roaming charges.

Avoiding roaming costs altogether

Turning your phone off (or just not taking it with you) is guaranteed to stop you incurring any expensive roaming charges while on holiday abroad.

But if you’re dreading the thought of being “phone-less” for two weeks or need to stay in contact with friends and family while on holiday, read on.

Roaming rules

Recently introduced roaming rules prevent operators from charging you more than €0.39 (32p) per minute for outgoing mobile phone calls made within Europe - even if the phone’s not in the UK.

Incoming calls from friends back in the UK must never cost you more than €15 (12p) per minute, the rules also state.

All operators must give you free access to your voicemail within Europe.

Three easy ways to avoid roaming costs

1) Text instead

It’s much cheaper to send text messages to the UK from abroad than it is to call.

Each network charges different prices for text messages sent to the UK depending on which country you’re visiting and whether you’re a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) or contract customer.

Vodafone charges contract customers 11p per text message to the UK from France, for example. O2 charges PAYG customers 10p to send texts from Europe to the UK and 49p from elsewhere in the world, such as the USA.

All networks will let you receive text messages for free when abroad.

2) Have people call you

You will be charged a fee when friends and family call your mobile phone abroad. The UK caller only pays the standard rate for ringing your mobile (usually a few pence per minute).

To avoid these costs simply text them your hotel telephone number and have them call you instead because calls from UK landlines to foreign hotels are often much more reasonable.

For example, a five minute call from a mobile phone in Australia to a UK landline could cost upwards of £5. The fee from a UK landline will be considerably lower if your caller’s using an international calling plan.

3) Foreign sim cards

Buying a pre-paid or PAYG local sim card in your destination country is another way of avoiding expensive roaming costs.

By removing your phone’s UK sim and replacing it with a locally bought one, your phone will be offered cheaper local call and text message rates. Make sure that your phone is unlocked before you leave though, otherwise the phone won’t work with sim cards from other networks.

Remember to save telephone numbers to your phone before removing your sim card.

Network specific travel bundles

Network operators have designed a range of special packages that give you access to cheaper calls and text messages while travelling abroad.

Vodafone Passport lets you pay your standard home rate to call the UK from over 35 European countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Each telephone call carries a 75p connection charge, after which you pay your standard home rate (usually a few pence per minute). Any inclusive minutes on your package will be used before you’re charged the standard home rate.

Receiving calls also carries a 75p connection fee. You then get 60 minutes of free chatter, after which you pay 20p per minute. The UK-based caller pays the standard rate.

Sending a text to the UK costs 11p. Inclusive texts from your package cannot be used.

XPERIA Arc S(white) £0.00	300 min 5000 texts	£19.00
XPERIA Arc(silver) £0.00	50 min Unlimited texts	£15.50
XPERIA Arc S(white) £0.00	200 min Unlimited texts	£15.50
XPERIA Ray(black) £0.00	50 min Unlimited texts	£13.50
XPERIA X10 mini pro(black) £4.99	50 min 150 texts	£9.99

O2 International Traveller Service (ITS) helps saves you up to 80% on mobile call costs from abroad by setting the cost of making and receiving calls while in certain countries to set per minute prices.

ITS is free if you have over 600 inclusive minutes in your monthly package, otherwise it costs £3 per month.

If you’re an O2 PAYG customer you can get free international calling minutes by topping up at least £10 before jetting off. Text “YOUR COUNTRY” to O2 on 21300 for more information.

If you travel abroad frequently then O2’s International Caller bolt-on for PAYG customers lets you pay 7p per minute to call UK landlines from most European countries. O2 charges a one-off £5 fee for the bolt-on.

Orange Europe Traveller lets you make 200 minutes of calls to the UK at 28p per minute (normally 38p per minute) and receive 200 minutes for free (usually 14p per minute). The bundle costs £5 for 30 days or £10 per month if you’re a more frequent traveller.

Orange World Traveller saves you up to 30% on mobile calls from parts of Europe and the USA. The bundle costs £5 per month.

To discover the standard call rates for your destination, text Orange on 159 if you’re a contract customer or 452 if you’re a PAYG customer.

T-Mobile Flexible Boosters offer everything from unlimited text messages to European calling minutes for £5 per month. For example, T-Mobile's Europe and Australasia 5 Talk Booster includes 60 minutes of calls to mobiles and landlines to the UK from selected European countries.

*Bear in mind though that all network providers change their foreign call costs from time-to-time, so it’s always worth talking to your provider before you leave.