Are you still getting ripped off by ridiculous mobile phone charges while abroad?

via Flickr/Connie Ma

Most recently a 19 year old girl who racked up a staggering £21,819 mobile phone bill whilst away in Turkey.

Fortunately many phone companies – such as Three – are now offering NO roaming charges whatsoever in many countries.

And in more great news, roaming costs in the EU are due to be abolished in June 2017 but until then they are very much in use, even though they have been cut following pressure on network providers from Ofcom.

How much mobile roaming charges could cost you

The folks over Endsleigh insurance have calculated just how much you could be charged if you’re caught out:

• Upload a photo to Instagram/Facebook/Twitter – in Europe £0.28, rest of the world £12
• Download a 2MB email attachment – in Europe £0.28, rest of the world £12
• Use Google Maps for 10 minutes – In Europe – £0.84, rest of the world – £36
• Have a 5 minute Whatsapp conversation (just text – no images) – In Europe – £ 0.28, rest of the world – £12
• Browse the internet for 20 minutes – In Europe – £1.40, rest of the world – £60
• Stream TV (watching 30 min episode on BBC iPlayer for example =90mb) – In Europe – £12.60, rest of the world – £540!
• Stream radio – In Europe – In Europe – £2.10, rest of the world – £90
• Stream music (on Spotify) – In Europe – £0.70, rest of the world – £30

How to avoid mobile roaming charges

Sarah Newell, Gadget Sector Manager at Endsleigh says: “We’ve seen bills rack up into the £1,000s, so would advise on planning ahead to avoid a nasty surprise when you get back. Check data roaming charges with your provider, get prepared with a data bolt on or usage cap, or switch off data roaming on your phone altogether!”

And here are the top tips for avoiding excessive roaming charges

1. Turn off push notifications in apps

Many smartphone apps are designed to notify you of any updates without you even opening the app. This is where the danger is, as the apps will be adding to your bill without your knowledge. You can completely stop all apps doing this by simply switching off data roaming in your phone’s general settings. This will also stop new emails coming through, unless of course you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Alternatively you can individually turn push notifications off in each of your apps’ settings.

2. Use data Bolt Ons or data cap usage

Check with your network provider before you go abroad, as each will have different charges depending on where you’re going abroad. Some providers like EE, O2 and Vodafone offer data Bolt Ons to cover your use abroad. Others will cap your usage when it hits a certain limit, like Tesco Mobile. Three has recently scrapped roaming charges in France, Switzerland, Norway, Israel and Finland, which is great news it you’re with them.

3. Switch off video auto-play

Apps like Facebook and Instagram now automatically play videos as you scroll through your feeds. In Instagram you can change your preference to preload video only when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. To switch off preload video, go into your Instagram Settings > Video > Preload > select only on Wi-Fi. In Facebook you can completely switch off auto-play to avoid using data unnecessarily. To switch off AutoPlay go to your Facebook Settings > Video Tab > AutoPlay Videos > select Off.

4. Disable weather apps

If your phone has a weather widget that’s constantly updating to let you know what the weather’s like outside, it’s using data. Disabling this in your phone’s settings will stop that, and will also save your battery.

via Flickr/Steve Corey

5. Preload Google Maps with Wi-Fi

Having Google Maps open for 10 minutes could cost up to £36 abroad, which is probably more expensive than a taxi to be taken there! Luckily Google Maps has started saving cached versions of maps in your phones, which means you no longer need to be connected to the internet to use the app. If you need to work out a route, switch off your data roaming, turn on GPS and Wi-Fi and find an area with free Wi-Fi (e.g. your hotel, a restaurant or free Wi-Fi hotspot). Next open up Google Maps and the app will automatically load up your current location and store it in your smartphone. Simple as that!

6. Switch on aeroplane mode

If you don’t need to stay in touch with anyone, simply switch your phone to aeroplane mode in the settings. That way, you’ll still be able to use your phone as a camera. It also uses far less battery power in this mode.

7. Use a pay and go SIM

For longer trips (like inter-railing or working abroad) consider purchasing a pay as you go SIM when you get to a destination where you think you will be using your phone a lot. Research local networks beforehand, and find out what other costs are involved, for example, unlocking your phone to accept the SIM, international charges to call the UK and data bundles in that country.

8. Switch off your voicemail

The person calling you won’t be charged, but you will usually have to pay to retrieve a voicemail, so consider switching voicemail off or changing your message to let people know you’re abroad. You could always suggest messages are sent via text, that way you can receive the message without being charged and decided whether to reply.

9. Switch off high volume email accounts

When you open your email, they ALL get downloaded to your phone automatically. The majority of emails will just be text, but it’s more the sheer volume of them that uses the data. You don’t even need to view attachments, before you’ve incurred a cost, as you’re charged for downloading the emails to your phone. This goes for your junk folder too (which will probably be full of emails that are, well, junk). If you really must check your email then consider turning off accounts that receive a high volume of emails. You could also create a separate email address for urgent/important emails and switch off any others whilst you’re abroad. To switch off email accounts on an iPhone go into Phone Settings > Mail > Accounts > select the desired account and switch mail off.

10. Connect to Wi-Fi

Lastly, and this is an obvious one, but if you need to stay connected, use the Wi-Fi at a café, bar, hotel or restaurant. There may be a small fee for access, but at least it’s upfront, not waiting amongst your post when you get back.