- More than 6 million Brits[1] don’t realise their roaming plan may not cover every European country and are at risk of being burned by surprise charges
- While a third (36%)[2] have European roaming included in their mobile plan, there are popular destinations such as Switzerland, Albania and Montenegro that often aren’t included as part of this
- Nearly a quarter (22%)[3] of Brits have been caught out by unexpected roaming charges, averaging an extra £20 on top of their usual bill
- Simrat Sharma, Uswitch mobiles expert, shares essential tips on how to avoid being hit by unexpected roaming charges while abroad
As millions of Brits prepare to travel abroad for the Easter holidays, Uswitch, the comparison and switching service, is urging holidaymakers to double-check their mobile provider’s roaming policies. This simple step could help travellers avoid unexpected and costly charges upon their return.
New data from Uswitch reveals that despite having free EU roaming included, over 6 million Brits don’t realise their mobile plan may not cover every country in Europe and other popular short-haul destinations. Countries including Switzerland, Montenegro, Turkey and Albania are often not included in standard EU roaming plans. These countries aren’t part of the EU or EEA, so different rules apply.
Table 1: List of providers who include free European or ‘EU and beyond’ roaming as part of their plans, and which countries are excluded:
| Providers | Short-haul destinations that are not included in free roaming plans |
|---|---|
| Asda Mobile | Andorra, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Monaco, Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey |
| Lebara | Andorra, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greenland, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey |
| TalkMobile | Andorra, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Greenland, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Turkey |
| O2 | Albania, Greenland, Montenegro, Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greenland, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Turkey |
| Giffgaff | Andorra, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Greenland, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Turkey |
| Tesco Mobile | Andorra, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Greenland, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Turkey |
| i.D Mobile | Andorra, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greenland, Moldova, Montenegro, Switzerland, Turkey |
| SMARTY | Andorra, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Greenland, Iceland, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey |
Source: Provider websites
Nearly a quarter (22%) of Brits have been caught out by unexpected roaming charges, receiving higher-than-expected phone bills after travelling abroad in the last two years. Nearly one in ten (8%) have received a £20 additional charge on top of their usual monthly bill[4].
Generation Z are the most likely to return home to an unexpectedly high phone bill after their holiday, with almost half (48%) admitting it’s happened to them in the last two years, compared to just over a third of millennials (36%) and 13% of Generation X[5].
With an estimated 3.5 million Brits expected to travel abroad over the Easter break[6], Simrat Sharma, Uswitch mobiles expert, shares tips for mobile users to avoid unexpected roaming charges:
“For those travelling abroad to short-haul destinations this Easter, it’s important to be aware of potential roaming charges when using your phone on holiday, even if you have free EU roaming included. While it’s great that many providers do offer free roaming in certain countries, there are usually exclusions, so it’s always worth double-checking.
“You can avoid running up expensive roaming bills by checking with your provider on their respective terms and rates for travel to varying countries. Rates can vary between users on the same network, so it’s essential to review your plan and understand your own personal data allowances and usage limits before you travel.
“If you’re unsure, we recommend you contact your provider directly to discuss roaming caps, your current deal’s coverage, and potential costs associated with roaming abroad.”
How to avoid hefty holiday roaming bills
- Know before you go: Even if you have roaming included as part of your mobile plan, it’s always worth double-checking that the country you’re visiting is included. Use Uswitch’s global roaming costs map here to find out the potential costs of using your data abroad.
- Check the cap fits: Even if you pay for a bundle to roam abroad, you may not have the same data allowances as you do in the UK. Check your provider’s fair usage policy to govern how much data you can use before you incur extra charges. You can also set up a spend cap with your provider to avoid surprise bills when you return.
- Keep it SIM-ple: If you’re with a provider that has roaming charges, it’s worth considering buying a one-month SIM-only or a travel eSIM deal that will cover you for your time away. Lebara, which runs off the Vodafone network, offers a Uswitch-exclusive 5GB monthly SIM-only contract for £7.95, which comes with free roaming in the EU and India.
- Switch off voicemail: When overseas, you can expect to pay the same per-minute rate for checking your messages as you do for making calls. Yet sometimes even receiving a voicemail on holiday can cost you. Before traveling, call your provider to ask them to temporarily switch off voicemail services to avoid these charges.
- Wi-Fi wins: Use hotel and cafe Wi-Fi connections whenever possible. You can also enable Wi-Fi calling or use services such as WhatsApp to make audio calls without using your minutes. Ensure access points are safe and secure before logging on and avoid activities like online banking on public networks.
- Take care with data passes: If you choose to purchase a data, call, and/or text top-up pass, remember to check the terms and conditions carefully. These may have an expiration time of midnight UK time, which could leave you caught out depending on your time zone. It is also worth remembering that once you opt into a paid-for pass, you also may be automatically opted out of your provider spending cap.
- If in doubt, engage flight mode: Flight mode is not just for when you’re up in the air - turning it on while abroad, particularly in countries with high roaming charges, can prevent accidental roaming charges for calls, texts, or data. This simple step ensures that your phone doesn’t automatically connect to expensive networks. You can turn it back off when you’re ready to use Wi-Fi or if you need to make a call.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Survey 1: Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 4th February 2025 - 7th February 2025
Survey 2: Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 4th April 2025 – 8th April 2025
1) Survey 2: Respondents were asked: “Some phone providers offer free EU roaming as part of their package or roaming in the EU at a reduced rate from other countries / regions. Do you understand the following to be true or false?
- 56% of respondents who have an EU roaming pass selected either true or don’t know to the statement “All countries in Europe are included in mobile phone providers free / reduced EU roaming packages”, equating to 6,205,493 Brits or over 6 million
2) Survey 2: Respondents were asked “Which of the following best describes how you access the internet on your phone when travelling in Europe?”
- 16% or 316 respondents said yes to: “I use my mobile data - My provider offers free worldwide roaming as part of my package”
- 20% or 410 respondents said yes to: “I use my mobile data - My provider offers free EU roaming as part of my package”
3) Survey 2: Respondents were asked "Thinking of the last 2 years, have you received a phone bill after travelling abroad that was higher than you expected?”. 22% of respondents said yes.
4) Survey 2: Respondents were asked “Thinking of the last 2 years, have you received a phone bill after travelling abroad that was higher than you expected?”
- 5% or 101 respondents said “Yes - £10.01 - £20 more on my bill”
- 3% or 64 respondents said “Yes - £20.01 - £30 more on my bill”
5) Survey 2: Respondents were asked “Thinking of the last 2 years, have you received a phone bill after travelling abroad that was higher than you expected?”
- 48% or 161 Gen Z (18 - 27) respondents said “Yes”
- 36% or 168 Millennials (28 - 43) respondents said “Yes”
- 13% or 74 Gen X (44 - 59) respondents said “Yes”
6) Survey 1: Respondents were asked “Are you planning on going abroad during any of the school holidays in 2025?. 7% or 132 respondents said yes to Easter. 132 / 2000 * 54196443 (UK adult population) = 3,576,956 (shorthand 3.5 million)
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to find their energy, broadband and mobile deals than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.