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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Exactly how much you'll pay to use phone abroad this summer from O2 to Vodafone
Most of the major mobile networks have reintroduced roaming fees following Brexit - and we've rounded up all the fees from O2, Vodafone, Voxi, EE, Sky and more If you're planning your summer holiday, you may want to take note of how much you could potentially be charged to use your phone abroad. Most of the major mobile networks have reintroduced roaming fees following Brexit. Before this, you could use your existing call, text and data allowances in Europe at no extra cost. New rules that were introduced last October mean that mobile providers must now notify customers when they start roaming while abroad. They will also have to notify customers of any "fair use" limits that apply to their phone package. "Fair use" caps the amount of your UK data allowance you can use while roaming in Europe. We've rounded up how much it will cost you to roam in Europe this summer... EU roaming costs by mobile provider EE: £2.59 a day for contract customers. £2.50 a day, or £10 for seven days, if you are pay-as-you-go. EE has a 50GB "fair use" limit. Three: £2 a day for contract customers. You can buy a three-day pass for £5, a seven-day pass for £12, or a 14-day pass for £24. You can also buy a Data Passport for £5 for unlimited data in 89 countries. No charge for pay-as-you-go. Three has a 12GB "fair use" limit. Vodafone: £2.42 a day if you're on contract. You can buy a European Roaming pass for £12 for 8 days or £17 for 15 days. £9 for 3GB for eight days if you're pay-as-you-go. Vodafone has a 25GB "fair use" limit. Sky: £2 a day. No "fair use" limit. Voxi: £2.45 a day for one day. You can buy a pass for £4.50 for two days, £12 for eight days, or £17 for 15 days. Voxi has a 20GB "fair use" limit. O2: No roaming fees. O2 has a 25GB "fair use" limit. GiffGaff: No roaming fees. GiffGaff has a 5GB "fair use" limit. Tesco Mobile: No roaming fees until 2026. How to cut your mobile bill The first thing you should do, is use a comparison website to see what other deals are available elsewhere. Take a look at how many minutes, texts and how much data you currently use, so you can find similar plans that suit your needs. You may find you're actually paying too much right now for allowances you're not using. If you've found a cheaper deal, you can switch to this if you're out of contract. Alternatively, you may want to haggle down your current provider. When haggling, explain the better deals you've seen elsewhere then ask if the company can match or beat that price. The best time to do this is normally when you're near the end of your existing contract, or when a price rise has been announced.
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
CK Hutchison announces completion of Vodafone and Three's merger in UK
[LONDON] Vodafone and CK Hutchison have completed the merger of their UK operations, creating a new business called 'VodafoneThree', which will invest £1.3 billion (S$2.3 billion) in its network in the first year, the companies said on Monday (Jun 2). The combination will overtake BT's EE and O2, jointly owned by Telefonica and Liberty Global, to become market leader. The US$19 billion tie-up was approved by regulators in December after they were persuaded that the investment pledged by the two companies outweighed concerns about a reduction to three from four networks. Vodafone and Three said they would invest £11 billion over the next 10 years in building one of Europe's most advanced 5G networks. Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group chief executive, said the merger would create a new force in UK mobile, transform the country's digital infrastructure and propel the UK to the forefront of European connectivity. 'We are now eager to kick-off our network build and rapidly bring customers greater coverage and superior network quality,' she said on Monday. The new company's logo is Vodafone's 'speechmark' and Hutchison's '3' side by side, referencing the VodafoneThree name. The group, which is 51 per cent owned by Vodafone, did not say which Vodafone and Three brands, which also include the Voxi and Smarty value offers, it will retain. REUTERS
Sky News
16-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News
How to get a better mobile deal - from the £8 rule to best perks
Small mobile network providers have outclassed the big four in a survey of more than 4,000 customers - especially when it comes to value for money. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, all of whom are charging annual price rises, were outshone by the likes of Smarty, Voxi and Talkmobile in customer scores collected by Which?. With that in mind, our Money team joined forces with the consumer champion to produce a guide to getting a good deal - from perks to haggling, roaming charges to annual price hikes. Here Which?'s head of home products and services Natalie Hitchins gives her top tips... Some of the best perks on the market are the data flexibility and data roaming offered by the smaller providers. Several providers offer free EU roaming. iD Mobile and Lebara offer 30GB of roaming, Smarty offers 12GB and Talkmobile and Giffgaff both offer 5GB. At GiffGaff, you can change the data allowance on your 18-month contract as needed - meaning you aren't stuck paying for data you don't need if your circumstances change. Voxi also offers data-free use of social media, video and music streaming apps. Some providers, like Sky and iD Mobile, also allow you to roll over unused data. This means low data users can opt for a cheap deal and still have the security of top-ups from any data that's gone unused the previous month. Don't pay more than £8 a month for sim-only contract The biggest mistake most people make is paying more than £8 a month for a sim-only contract. You can get great rolling sim-only deals with plenty of data from smaller providers - like Smarty, Talkmobile and Voxi - for a fraction of the cost of the big four providers. It's always worth shopping around and checking prices at the smaller providers before you settle on a contract. Another common mistake is paying for more data than you need. Our research has found that although 17% of people are paying for unlimited data, only 13% of consumers use more than 20GB per month. Check the signal Check what the signal is like in your area before you decide on a network - you can do this using the Ofcom website and by checking the website of the provider you're looking to switch to. If you're still unsure or want evidence of which is the best, you can just get a one-month sim-only deal with a network and see how it performs, then try a different one next month. Consider second-hand If you're in the market for a new phone and aren't bothered about having the latest model, don't overlook second-hand websites. Our research shows you can get good savings on a smartphone by looking at the second-hand and refurbished market. Comparison sites or buy direct? Comparison sites can be a really good place to start to get an understanding of what's available and what might be the best deal for you. The most important decision to make before you start shopping around is whether you'd be better off on a bundled contract with a phone, or a sim-only contract where you use your existing phone, or buy one outright. Which? has a mobile contract calculator you can use to decide which type of contract is best for you. Can you haggle? Absolutely! Haggling is expected by providers and is a good opportunity to discuss the elements of your deal and upgrade or downgrade if the package doesn't quite fit your needs. Our latest research found that the average mobile customer saved £61 a year by haggling, but this was bested by an average of £58 for both O2 and Vodafone customers and a startlingly high £101 for EE customers. Mid-contract price hikes Look out for any annual price rises included in the contract. For sim-only contracts with the big four providers - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone - customers will see their bill increase by £1 to £1.80 a month from this month and for those on bundled contracts with EE, costs will increase by £4 a month. Most smaller providers do not impose mid-contract price hikes so Which? would recommend choosing one of these over the big four for a cheap, flexible sim-only deal. You should also check what the extra charges are if you use more than your texts, calls or data allowance. Exit fees and contract length Importantly, make sure you know how long a contract lasts - typically it'll be 24 months, 12 or one month. If your contract is longer than one month, check what the exit fees are if you need to get out of the contract early - this helps to ensure you don't encounter any nasty surprises down the road. Choosing a rolling one-month contract will give you flexibility if you want to switch to a different provider. Roaming charges It's also worth looking out for details of any roaming charges when you join as some networks will charge you to send texts, make calls and use data abroad.
