Vodafone to reinstate mobile phone roaming charges in Europe for Brits
Vodafone has announced that irs UK customers will have to start paying roaming charges when they visit Europe. This decision follows shortly after the announcement that EE would also reinstate roaming charges.
Ernest Doku, the mobiles expert at Uswitch, said: “Any reintroduction of roaming charges means that consumers are paying a fee to use data and minutes they have already paid for. In the aftermath of Brexit, the UK’s biggest mobile providers all said that they had no immediate plans to change their charging models for consumers roaming within the EU.” He goes on, “It’s disappointing for consumers to see that the situation looks to be shifting, with a risk that roaming at no additional cost could soon be a distant memory for UK residents.”
Vodafone users will soon have to pay roaming fees of £2 per day to access their monthly allowance in European countries from January 2022. This news has been a disappointment and surprise to many, as the four major providers – EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone – had vowed that they would not reintroduce roaming charges following Brexit.
“Existing customers will not be impacted by these changes while they remain on their current price plan, and roaming in the Republic of Ireland will still be included for all customers,” Vodafone said.
Fair Usage Limitations
This change will only impact new and upgrading customers, leaving existing customers who have not yet upgraded unaffected. In addition, Vodafone said on Monday that customers travelling to the Republic of Ireland would be exempt from the charges.
Guy Anker, the deputy editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “This is a worrying move as Vodafone has become the second network to confirm it will introduce roaming charges from January, after EE’s announcement in June. Back then, we predicted more would follow and sadly, that has proved to be the case.
“However, Vodafone customers shouldn’t panic as right now none are affected – it’ll only hit those who sign up for a new contract, whether they’re a new customer or renewing their current deal. Plus the roaming charges won’t kick in until January, and that’s still months off.
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“But it is a good trigger to check if you’re paying a cheap rate by doing a comparison. If you’re already on a good deal and will stay on one into the new year then simply do nothing and let it roll on as that way you won’t get hit by the charges if you’re going abroad – though if you’re tied into a contract, diarise when it ends as your rate may rise then.”
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