You can use your mobile phone anywhere in the world for free. This is how roaming works in the EE network, both within and outside the EU.
Roaming fees in Europe will apply to new and upgraded customers of EE from January 2022 onwards.
You might worry about your phone being charged when you return from a trip overseas. Roaming fees have changed over the years, so this is not the case. Here’s how it works for customers with a plan on EE.
What is roaming?
Roaming is the use of your phone to travel outside your home country while still using your regular mobile provider’s network – e.g. O2, Vodafone or Three or EE. This could be pretty expensive, so frequent travellers might consider purchasing a spare handset for these regions or local providers.
Smartphones can now be used almost anywhere. New legislation has also helped to reduce costs, depending on where you are travelling.
Roaming on EE
Customers can use roaming on either monthly or PAYG plans. Text ROAMING PASS to 150 to receive a text confirmation and instructions on how to set it up, and you’re ready to go.
What does roaming look like for EE customers in the EU?
Although the UK is technically not part of the EU, it is still in a transition period. Therefore, fees are different depending on the date your plan was started.
If your pay-monthly subscription was established before July 20,21, you can use your usual monthly allowance of minutes, texts and data in any part of the EU.
This is because some non-EU countries, such as Norway and Switzerland, are allowed to roam freely in the area.
The EE website states the following;
“Customers can take their UK allowances to Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Canary Islands, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guyana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Islands, Romania, San Marino, Saint Martin (French), Saint Barthelemy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City (Italy).”
Turkey and Andorra remain outside of the free-roaming area, so if either of those are your intended destination, then you may want to invest in a Pay-As-You-Go SIM when you get there, or use local free WiFi connections to call home and stay in touch.
EE provides usage alerts, which should ensure that you don’t go over your allotted provision. The limit for EE data usage in the EU is 15GB, so even if your plan is in excess of that figure, you’ll be capped at 15GB.
It is possible to continue past this amount, but fees can be prohibitive if you do so. Calls within the EU cost 50p per minute, while numbers outside will set you back £1.20 per minute, but it remains free to receive them anywhere.
Texts to numbers in the EU are charged at 15p each, or 50p each for those outside the Union. The use of data requires the purchasing of an additional Roam Abroad Pass.
If you started your phone plan on or after 7 July 2021, you will be charged a daily fee of £2 for using your phone in the European roaming zone. Fortunately, these costs won’t come into effect until January 2022.
If you want to avoid this charge, you can purchase a Roam Abroad pass before you leave the UK, which can either be added by texting ROAMING PASS to 150, or by logging into your EE account and adding it as a Smart Benefit, if you have this included in your phone plan.
The Roam Abroad pass will allow you to use your plan’s minutes, text and data allowances for £10 per month, which will be charged on your monthly bill. This can be cancelled at any time.
Outside the EU
If you have a 4GEE Max plan that you signed up for after 10 May 2017, you can also use your monthly allowance of data, texts, and calls in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
If you don’t, you can get a Roam Abroad pass, which also covers the same five countries listed above.
If you have neither of these, then you’ll have to pay for your data. 500MB a day will cost you £4.80 in Canada and the USA, £6 a day in countries such as Australia, China, India, and Turkey, and £6 a day for 150MB in a range of South America, Asian and African countries.
EE provides a roaming costs calculator to help work out any potential costs you’ll mount up while away, which we strongly advise you to use.
It’s also wise to call EE well before you leave to discuss any queries you may have and to see if there are deals available for holidaymakers.
The roaming page on EE is a valuable resource, as it also features a live chat option, or you can ring 150 from your pay monthly phone for free, although PAYG costs 25p per minute.
Stick to your plan and you should have a fret-free break, be able to stay in touch, and not worry about what next month’s bill has to say.
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