Since June 2017, UK travellers have been able to enjoy their mobile plan in Europe without any extra charge, thanks to the European roaming regulation.
But now that we are out of the EU, many people are understandably wondering if this agreement still remains in place.
So what is really happening to roaming charges?
What does the Government say?
According to the EU trade deal, the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway has ended. This means that the decision whether to charge for roaming is now in the hands of the operators.
However, it states that both sides (UK and EU) will encourage operators to have "transparent and reasonable rates" for roaming.
The deal also legislated a £45 roaming charge limit per monthly billing period and the obligation to send customers alerts when they are at 80% and 100% data usage.
What do the four major mobile networks say?
The great news is that the four major networks went well beyond the trade deal recommendations. O2, EE, Vodafone and Three, have all declared that they do not plan to reinstate roaming charges:
O2 said: "We're committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the UK. We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe."
Vodafone said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges.
EE said: "Our customers enjoy inclusive roaming in Europe and beyond, and we don't have any plans to change this based on the Brexit outcome. So our customers going on holiday and travelling in the EU will continue to enjoy inclusive roaming."
Three said it "already offers roaming at no extra cost for its customers in over 70 destinations including the US, Australia and New Zealand. We will retain this great customer benefit regardless of Brexit negotiations."
Although it seems that charge-free roaming in Europe will stay, we will make sure to inform you if this changes at any point in the future.
In need of more information about roaming? Please do not hesitate to contact 03456 200 200 or info@2circles.com
Sources:
The four main operators in the UK declined to comment on the specifics of the commercial deals they have done with other operators, but said they did not plan to reintroduce roaming charges.
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