THE cost of text messaging from abroad looks set to fall following moves by the European Commission to force mobile companies to cut their tariffs. But holidaymakers departing over the next few weeks should take care before they travel to avoid eye-watering bills on their return.
All too often, tourists are shocked to arrive home to a telephone bill of more than £1,000, according to uSwitch expert Steve Weller. “People use their phones overseas with little understanding of how much it is costing them,” he says. “But it is po
ssible to keep bills to a minimum if consumers take a few simple measures.”
Before you travel, contact your company to set up what is called “roaming”. This allows you to receive and make calls and texts abroad. Some packages include roaming as standard, but most will require it to be specifically switched on.
Once roaming is activated, family and friends can contact you abroad for the same price as phoning you while you are in the UK. However, you pay through the nose to receive their calls, so it is important to keep these charges to the minimum.
When you call your phone operator, tell them which countries you will be visiting, but also check what your current package charges for making and receiving telephone calls and text messages abroad.
The European Commission has already acted to cap charges by introducing a maximum tariff of 19p per minute for calls you receive and 38p per minute to make calls. Your phone company should have switched over to this maximum tariff as a matter of course, but some have not. Therefore, if your current package is more expensive, instruct your operator that you wish to switch to the European tariff.
Even at this price, you should use your phone sparingly.
However, the position is different when it comes to data transmissions, which include texts, e-mails, internet and so forth. These are currently completely unregulated, and costs can be crippling. The Commission had given companies until July 1 to cut these charges and now looks set to impose a maximum tariff there too. We are expecting an announcement within the next three weeks – though this will come too late to help those travelling soon.
Weller says: “This is a massive problem area and we are hearing awful horror stories, of people arriving home to bills running into thousands of pounds because these charges ratchet up so quickly.
“People don’t understand what they are doing. They use their phone over here to download data, go onto the e-mail, and get regular updates from all kinds of sources. All of these are prohibitively expensive once you leave the UK.
“So holidaymakers go abroad and use their internet connections and YouTube as if they were at home. They get updates on their phones and don’t realise it is costing them a fortune.”
While checking out what you are paying, it may be worth switching your phone before you go abroad, or on your return. Don’t forget to bargain hard with your existing provider. Companies have under-the-counter deals which they pull out for customers they think are about to move elsewhere.
Here are five tips when looking for a better deal:
Watch out for extrasSome packages that look cheap have a sting in the tail. They may charge extra for itemised bills, retrieving voicemail and hefty fees for dialling 08 numbers. The internet is a good place to compare prices, and the cheapest place to buy.
Be wary of ‘free’ insuranceSome deals offer free insurance for three months. People forget to cancel it at the end of the period, and find themselves paying for expensive cover. Many household insurance contracts will cover your phone when away from home.
Think before you upgrade If you are after this summer’s hot phone, such as Apple iPhone 3G or Nokia N96, you may do better by buying the handset outright and opting for a Sim-only deal, with 30 days’ notice. The cheapest is currently Liberty Sim from Virgin Mobile and costs £15 monthly for 300 minutes and 300 texts. Yearly contracts are priced in such a way that it looks as though the phone is free. It isn’t. The cost is spread over the life of the contract.
Sell your old phoneDon’t just stick it in a drawer. You can usually sell your old handset via eBay or
www.mobilephonexchange.co.uk. Carphone Warehouse also offers up to a £20 trade-in discount on its new phones.
Consider a family tariffThese can save money by allowing a family to share an allowance of free phone time. But beware if sharing it with teenagers.
How to hang up on heavy chargesKeep your mobile bill down when abroad with these simple steps:
Turn off your internet connection before you go
Turn off your voicemail so that you don’t pay for people to leave you messages
Tell family and friends to only text you in an emergency
Text people instead of calling
If you are going abroad with family or friends who you want to keep in touch with by mobile, buy a local Sim card
• Have your phone unlocked before you leave the UK. Your phone company can do this or will send you a code so you can do it yourself
