Brits have been urged to make sure they keep an eye on their mobile phones otherwise they face a £15-a-day fine. It could see some Brits who spend a year abroad charged a staggering £5,000 in total. Alex Dyer, Managing Director at Ski Famille, has shared how Brits can best avoid the problem at hand and what the “easy mistake” is when it comes to family holidays. Brits would do well to keep in mind that a roamin charge may apply when they head off on holiday.
Roaming charges are extra fees your mobile provider adds when you use your phone — such as making calls, sending texts, or using data — outside your provider’s home coverage area, usually when traveling internationally. These fees cover the cost of your home network connecting to a foreign network.
Families often travel with several phones and tablets, making mobile setup a normal part of holiday planning rather than a last-minute technical job.
Dyer said: “The easy mistake is checking only one person’s phone. Every line can have a different tariff, roaming zone or spending cap, so parents should open each network account before travelling and write down exactly what will trigger a charge. If an eSIM suits the destination and handset, install it while still on reliable Wi-Fi, select it for data and make sure background use is not quietly running through the UK line.”
The money at stake can multiply quickly in Europe too. Five family lines charged EE’s current £2.72 daily rate would cost £13.60 a day, while six would reach £16.32. At £2.75 per line on eligible Three or Vodafone tariffs, five lines would cost £13.75 and six £16.50.
The high price of roaming charges has affected Brits who are still in the UK too. Millions of Brits could be hit by unexpected roaming charges while on holiday in the UK. With Brits opting for staycations in other parts of the country they may be surprised to learn that roaming charges on their mobile phone, which is often triggered when entering a European country, could apply at home too.
More than one in four Brits (26%) planning a staycation this summer are heading to the South West – Cornwall, Devon and the Dorset coast – making it Britain’s most popular domestic destination, while the Kent coast and South East England follow in second place (13%). These trips could trigger roaming charges even when you’re in the UK.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
