UK mobile operators diverge on European roaming charges

Virgin Media and O2 will continue offering free roaming, while Three, Vodafone and EE will charge travellers extra

A split has opened up between the UK's major mobile network operators on whether to reintroduce roaming charges for data and phone calls when travelling in Europe, with Virgin Media O2 brands opting to retain free roaming while EE, Vodafone and Three customers will pay extra.

Roaming charges were abolished in the European Union in 2017 (although some countries retained data caps), but the EU-UK Trade Agreement, which came into force last May, removed the requirement for surcharge-free roaming - although later UK legislation placed a cap of £45 per monthly billing period "to protect consumers from unexpected charges".

Under roaming charges, most customers can expect to pay an additional £2 per day to use their UK allowances for calls, texts and mobile broadband when in EU countries.

Despite initial statements that they would not reintroduce roaming charges post-Brexit, Vodafone, EE (which is owned by BT) and Three have all since said they will apply roaming charges now the UK has left the European Union.

EE and Vodafone were due to reintroduce roaming charges early this month, although both companies have delayed their plans, EE to the end of January citing technical delays, and Vodafone until March. Three UK plans to reintroduce roaming charges from May.

However, Virgin Mobile and O2 customers will not face roaming charges, according to the BBC. Instead, their customers' existing UK deals will cover calls text and data usage while travelling in Europe.

Free EU roaming will also be retained for pay monthly, SIM-only and pay-as-you-go tariffs, parent company Virgin Media O2 says.

"We're starting the year by giving our customers some certainty: we will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe for customers on O2 or Virgin Mobile," said Gareth Turpin, chief commercial officer, told the BBC.

"With many Brits now looking to plan a trip abroad, we've got our customers covered and extra roaming charges will be one less thing to worry about."

Consumer organisation Which? has been advocating for a new UK-EU agreement to "stop companies chipping away at the roaming benefits customers have become used to."

Which? head of consumer protection policy, Sue Davies, welcomed the move, saying it was "reassuring" that Virgin Media O2 had offered "some certainty" to customers.

"As the UK continues to negotiate trade deals, it should take the opportunity to lower the cost of roaming for consumers travelling around the world," she said.