Using mobiles abroadMobile roaming

Roaming call costs for pay-as-you-go phones are usually more expensive than those for pay-monthly contracts. On some networks, £10 pay-as-you-go credit will give you less than 10 minutes’ call time.

Even sending text messages is pricey – a text that would cost you 10p in the UK could set you back four times as much if you pop over the Channel and is unlikely to cost less than 25p even with the cheapest mobile service providers.

And be wary of surfing the internet on your mobile when you're in another country too – if you think it's pricey over here, you'll get a shock when you find out how much more it costs while you're abroad.

Remember that calls, texts and mobile internet use abroad are almost never included in any 'free' tariff bundles. The one exception to this rule is 3, which lets you use your inclusive texts and minutes when you're roaming in certain countries where it has sister networks.

Lower costs in Europe

Charges for making and receiving calls in European Union countries have dropped following regulation from the European Commission that came into force at the end of June 2007. All providers have been forced to lower their prices for making and receiving calls in EU countries - in some cases this has meant significant savings.

The European Commission warned mobile service providers early in 2008 that it thought costs for sending texts were also too high, and if the industry didn't voluntarily drop prices then further regulation could follow. Mobile service providers chose to ignore this warning, so the commission is proposing to regulate text prices too. It's also keeping a close eye on the cost of using the internet abroad. 

For more information take a look at 'Regulation changes', and in the meantime read on for ways to avoid running up a mobile phone bill that could cost you more than your flight.