From today, EU mobile roaming charges fall so UK mobile users visiting EU countries will never pay more than 15p per min to make a call, 4p per min to receive call, 7p to send a text message and 16p per MB of mobile data – but there’s still much confusion around roaming.
Brits have racked up £394million for using their mobiles within the EU – a quarter (25%) have been hit by larger than normal monthly bills, averaging £56 each
Vulnerable: Many are unsure what countries are in the EU – 41% wrongly think Switzerland is, while 38% think Turkey is
Holidaymakers who go to Turkey and opt out of networks’ automatic caps could easily amass a roaming bill of £258 over two weeks
Confusion: One in eight (13%) wrongly believe all roaming charges are due to be scrapped worldwide in 2015; while almost one in 10 (9%) incorrectly think roaming charges have already been scrapped completely in the EU
Almost three quarters (71%) of Brits have never checked with their networks to see if there are roaming bundles they can use abroad; 18% don’t switch off roaming settings on their handsets.
British holidaymakers have racked up eye-watering mobile roaming bills of of £394million according to new research from independent price comparison and switching service, Uswitch.com, which means the scrapping of EU roaming charges in late 2015 cannot come soon enough.
A quarter (25%) of Brits have returned from trips to the EU to be landed with a larger than normal mobile phone bill, averaging £55.59. Almost a quarter (23%) paid £50 or more on top of their usual monthly bill, while over a fifth (21%) paid between £20 and £30 more than normal, and 19% paid £30 to £40 more.
Those holidaying within the EU are already protected from high mobile roaming charges and, from today (July 1st), mobile networks will be forced to cap roaming charges within EU countries even further. The new caps mean it now costs just €0.19 per minute to make calls, €0.05 per minute to receive calls, €0.06 to send a standard text message and €0.20 per MB of mobile data, down from €0.24 per minute to make calls, €0.07 per minute to receive calls, €0.08 to send a standard text message and €0.45 per MB of mobile data1].
The same caps don’t apply to holidaymakers setting foot outside the EU and, with some not clued up on which countries are in the European Union, may be vulnerable to bill shock. More than four in 10 (41%) wrongly believe Switzerland is an EU country, while 38% think Turkey is a member state. A quarter (25%) incorrectly think Iceland is in the EU and 12% think Tunisia is. Considering that Turkey is the UK’s second most popular holiday destination of 2014, and Switzerland is the ninth favourite, according to travel comparison site Top10.com, some bill payers could be in for a nasty shock.
In fact, Brits heading to Turkey for a fortnight this summer could chalk up a £258 mobile phone bill just by making two five-minute calls, listening to a two-minute voicemail message, sending 10 text messages and using 10MB of data each day. Fortunately, UK networks automatically impose their own roaming caps of around £40 on their customers, but these are very easy to opt out of, usually by text message.
There is also much confusion over roaming rules. One in eight (13%) have the wrong end of the stick, believing that roaming charges are due to be scrapped worldwide in 2015. And almost one in 10 (9%) incorrectly think roaming charges have already been scrapped completely in the EU. This is not due to happen until late 2015.
Almost six in 10 (58%) Brits plan to take their mobile phones overseas within the EU this year, while over a fifth (22%) plan to take their mobiles further afield.
More than half take their phones abroad so they can receive texts (54%), and use the camera function (53%) while half (50%) will send text messages. More than a third (36%) will receive calls whilst away, three in 10 (30%) will make calls, while a quarter (25%) will use social media apps and browse the internet (24%). Almost a fifth (19%) will use their mobiles to check the weather forecast.
Almost three quarters (71%) of Brits have never checked with their mobile provider to see if there is a money-saving roaming bundle they can use whilst abroad, and a third of Brits (33%) have no idea of their network’s roaming charges. Almost a fifth (18%) don’t switch off roaming settings on their handsets when overseas and almost eight in 10 (79%) have never purchased a local SIM card to make cheap calls while abroad. Almost two thirds (63%) say they can’t do without their phones on holiday.
Ernest Doku, technology expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Not knowing which countries are in the European Union could cause havoc for mobile users this summer as they could wrongly think they are protected from roaming charges in popular destinations like Turkey or Switzerland.
“Brits need to add ‘check roaming charges’ to their pre-holiday to do lists. Talking to your network before you jet off will very likely spare you a big bill later, as they may be able to advise a bundle, or at the very least let you how much it costs to use your phone abroad.
“Limit the damage by making the most of free Wi-Fi at hotels and cafés and keep data roaming switched off. Don’t be tempted to opt out of caps imposed by your network, however much you want to connect to the internet on the go. And, when it comes to calls and text messages, a great way to keep costs down to a minimum is to buy a local SIM card, put it in your phone and simply top it up.”
Ailene Barr
Phone: 020 3872 5610
Email: ailene.barr@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
As of July 1st 2014, roaming tariffs in the EU are falling. For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/roaming-tariffs
There are 50.1million UK adults (ONS) and Ofcom’s figures suggest that 94% of UK adults have a mobile phone, and 61% of these are contract phones. 94% of 50.1million is 47,094,000 and 61% of that figure is 28,727,340. 24.7% have been stung by EU roaming charges in the past, which means 7,095,652 have been stung, and their bills averaged £55.59 which means the total bill = £394,447,294.
Survey participants were given a list of countries and asked if they thought they were in the EU or not. The results are in the table below:
|
Country
|
EU/Non EU
|
% that think this IS an EU country
|
% that think this is NOT an EU country
| |
Turkey
|
Non EU
|
38%
|
62%
| |
Albania
|
Non EU
|
23%
|
77%
| |
Belarus
|
Non EU
|
21%
|
79%
| |
Ukraine
|
Non EU
|
28%
|
72%
| |
Switzerland
|
Non EU
|
41%
|
59%
| |
Tunisia
|
Non EU
|
12%
|
88%
| |
Iceland
|
Non EU
|
25%
|
75%
| |
Montenegro
|
Non EU
|
20%
|
80%
| |
Bulgaria
|
EU
|
60%
|
40%
| |
Croatia
|
EU
|
55%
|
45%
| |
Romania
|
EU
|
66%
|
34%
| |
Cyprus
|
EU
|
61%
|
39%
|
Based on the average costs in the table below, taken from the networks’ websites. The calculation is as follows: (£1.03 x 5) x 2 + (£1.03 x 2) + (32.4 x10) + (£2.83 x 10) = £18.43 x 14 days = £258.02
|
Network
|
Make calls (per min)
|
Receive calls (per min)
|
Send 1 SMS text message
|
Data (per MB)
|
Automatic data caps?
| |
Virgin Media
|
95p
|
60p
|
35p
|
£5
|
Yes - £45
| |
EE
|
£1.50
|
£1.50
|
50p
|
£3 for 20MB (15p per MB) to use in 24hrs or can buy 200MB for £50 to be used across 30 days
|
Yes - must buy a data add on for data to work at all
| |
Orange
|
£1.30
|
70p
|
40p
|
£3 for 20MB (15p per MB) to use in 24hrs or can buy 150MB for £75 to be used across 30 days
|
Yes - must buy add on for data to work at all
| |
T-Mobile
|
£1.50
|
£1.50
|
40p
|
£3 for 20MB (15p per MB) to use in £24hrs or can buy 200MB for £100 to use across 30 days
|
Yes - must buy add on for data to work at all
| |
O2
|
£1.50
|
£1.25
|
40p
|
£6
|
Yes - £40
| |
Three
|
£1.40
|
99p
|
35p
|
£3
|
Yes - £40
| |
Vodafone
|
24.5p
|
7.1p
|
8.1p
|
45.9p
|
Yes - £42.50
| |
Tesco
|
69p
|
69p
|
40p
|
£8
|
Yes - £40
| |
GiffGaff
|
£1
|
£1
|
30p
|
£5
|
No - capped by how much credit you have
| |
TalkTalk
|
24p
|
65p
|
6p
|
45p
|
Yes - £25
| |
Average
|
£1.03
|
85.4p
|
32.4p
|
£2.83
| |
Respondents were asked to answer true or false to certain statements: ‘roaming charges are due to be scrapped worldwide in 2015’ (12.7% said true, 87.3% said false), and ‘roaming charges have already been scrapped completely in the EU’ (9.3% said true, 90.7% said false)
Respondents were asked: ‘Have you ever asked your mobile phone provider whether it has a roaming package that you can switch to when you are abroad?’ – 23.2% said yes, 71.1% said no, 5.7% said don’t know
Respondents were asked:’ Do you turn roaming off when you’re abroad?’ – 72% said yes, 18.1% said no, 9.8% said don’t know
Respondents were asked: ‘When travelling in the EU, have you ever returned from your trip to be surprised by a large mobile phone bill?’ – 6.6% said ‘yes, on more than one occasion’, 18.1% said ‘yes, once’, 71.3% said ‘no’, 4% said ‘don’t remember’. Those who answered yes were then asked how much more they paid. 4.4% said less than £10, 16.2% said £10-£20, 21.4% said £20-£30, 19.2% said £30-£40, 15.9% said £40-£50, 14% said £50-£100, 5.9% said £100-£200, 3% said over £200. The mean is £55.59.
Source: user search data from travel comparison website Top10.com
Respondents were asked: ‘Do you plan to take your mobile phone abroad this year?’ - 45.7% said yes, within the EU, 9.8% said yes, outside the EU, 11.9% said yes, both in and outside the EU, 26% said no, 6.6% said don’t know
Respondents were asked: ‘How do you intend to use your phone abroad this year (please tick all that apply)’ and selected from a longlist of smartphone features
Respondents were asked: ‘Do you know how much your mobile phone provider charges for using your mobile phone for calls, text, voicemail and internet while you are abroad? – 32.9% said ‘I don’t know what the cost is’
Respondents were asked: ‘Have you ever purchased or used a different SIM card for international calls from your mobile phone while abroad?’ – 18.7% said yes, 79.2% said no, 2% said don’t know
Respondents were asked: ‘Do you really feel that you need your mobile phone when you go on holiday? – 63% said yes, 31.3% said no, 5.7% said don’t know
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