Using mobile phones abroad Using your mobile when abroad

If you're using your mobile phone abroad (roaming), you have to pay to make and receive international mobile calls.

This is because your UK network has to pay a foreign mobile network to direct calls to your mobile phone.

This cost is passed on to you rather than the person making the mobile call, so charges can be steep -  as much as £2 a minute - depending on which country you're roaming in, your mobile tariff and your mobile network. But there are ways to make cheap international mobile calls.

Cost of using your mobile abroad

Making mobile calls abroad Costs for making calls abroad can be high

Making international mobile calls from pay-as-you-go mobile phones may be more expensive than it is on pay-monthly mobile contracts. On some mobile networks, £10 pay-as-you-go mobile credit will give you less than 10 minutes' international call time.

Even sending text messages from abroad is pricey. Sending a text that would cost you 10p within in the UK could set you back four times as much overseas.

Be wary of surfing the internet on your mobile when you're roaming, too. If you think mobile internet is expensive within the UK, you'll get a shock when you find out how much more expensive it can be when you're abroad.

Be warned that mobile roaming calls, texts and internet use are almost never included in any 'free' minutes you might have with your mobile tariff bundles.

Our mobile internet costs guide can also give you more information on the cost of using the internet abroad.

Read our How to choose the best mobile phone deal advice guide for advice getting the right deal.

Lower international call costs in Europe

Charges for making and receiving mobile calls while in the EU dropped in mid-2007, following regulation from the European Commission. In some cases, this has meant significant savings on the cost of international mobile calls.

Texting in Europe

Texting in EU Thanks to European regulation text prices between EU countries are capped

In 2008, the European Commission announced that costs for sending roaming texts were also too high and, if the mobile industry didn't voluntarily drop prices, further mobile roaming regulations could follow.

Mobile service providers ignored this warning, so the Commission has now regulated mobile roaming text prices, too. From 1 July 2009, all mobile service providers were forced to drop their text prices to 11p per text sent. Receiving texts while abroad is free.

Using mobile internet in Europe

There have been instances of customers' mobile phone bills being much higher than expected, as a result of poor transparency about the cost of using mobile internet services abroad, resulting in 'bill shock'.

As of 1 March 2010, European mobile phone operators have to offer their customers a cut-off limit facility. This is to prevent 'bill shocks' for accessing the internet on their mobile phone while travelling in other EU countries.

Under the new EU roaming rules, customers will be warned when their mobile internet usage abroad reaches a certain limit, then their connection to the internet will be cut off. The monthly cutoff limit will be 50 Euros (about £45) and will automatically apply to all customers from 1 July 2010.

Planning ahead for using a mobile abroad

Once abroad, mobile calls to customer services can be expensive, costing as much as £2 a minute, so sorting any issues out before you go will save you hassle and money.

  • Before leaving, find out what your mobile service provider charges for mobile usage in the country you're travelling to.
  • Contact your mobile service provider in advance to check you can use your mobile in the country you're travelling to.
  • Check whether your mobile provider has to activate your mobile phone for use abroad.
  • Check network coverage of the mobile network in the country you're visiting.
  • If you need to access voicemail, ask your UK provider if you need to set up a new access code to do so.

Mobile phone frequencies

Phones can be dual, tri or quad-band and this will dictate which frequencies it works on. All phones sold in the UK will be at least dual-band, which means that they can be used throughout Europe. You will need a tri-band phone for North and South America and some areas may need a quad-band device. For South Korea and Japan you'll need a 3G enabled phone.

If your current phone is not compatible with where you're going, it's possible to hire a mobile handset from your provider or via a third party. Most new mobile phones are tri-band, but you check how many frequency bands a handset supports in the specifications part of our mobile phone reviews.

Which? works for you