The day many of us never thought would arrive, is now right around the corner. Returning home to a massive phone bill after a relaxing holiday on the Costa del Sol will soon be a thing of the past. Finally, after a 10-year battle between the European Commission and network providers, mobile phone roaming charges will be abolished throughout Europe starting tomorrow June 15.
Some telecommunications service providers, such as Vodafone, embraced the new mandate a year in advance by scrapping roaming charges in 40 countries across Europe. For some of their European customers, they even waived roaming charges in the US. Now all network operators must follow suit whether they like it or not.
So what exactly is the end of roaming and what does it mean to mobile phone users? As from June 15, you will be able to make calls, text, and surf online using your home country’s SIM card from any country in the European Union. But like with anything that looks too good to be true, it pays to read the small print as there is a catch when it comes to data. The end of roaming in Europe has its advantages and disadvantages and we’ve summarised them for you below.
Advantages
- Short- and medium-term savings for everybody. No more nasty surprises upon returning home from a trip abroad!
- Total convenience. No need to worry about adjusting the settings on your mobile phone constantly while travelling internationally.
- 100% connectivity. Connect to the internet and stay connected all of the time. Make your friends back home green with envy by publishing all of your photos on Facebook immediately and never be afraid to access Google Maps if you get lost touring the south of France.
Disadvantages
- You can be charged extra roaming fees above a certain level of usage. Your network may begin charging you for the calls you make and texts you send, as well as the data consumed abroad if it exceeds the amount used at home over any given four-month period. Fortunately, you can always depend on doctorSIM to permanently unlock your phone and never pay a penny more for using your mobile phone in another European country.
- Data usage may not be free for everyone. To find out if you can use all of your data abroad, divide your monthly tariff, excluding VAT, by your monthly data allowance. If the result is below 3.85 you may be charged extra above a certain amount. You have nothing to worry about if the result is above 3.85.
- Monthly tariffs may start to increase especially if you live in a tourist-friendly European country and whose local networks are assuming the additional cost of that influx.
For more information: Unlock your phone online