Vodafone Slaps New £2 Daily Roaming Charge on EU Trips
Vodafone has dropped a bombshell on post-Brexit mobile users. From August 11, new customers face up to a £2 daily charge to use their monthly data, calls, and texts allowance while roaming in Europe. Upgraders aren’t spared either — anyone renewing their contract after that date will pay from January 6, 2022.
Goodbye Free Roaming Across Europe
Since June 2017, Brits enjoyed free roaming across the EU as mobile firms scrapped fees. But the Brexit deal missed locking in this perk. Vodafone explained:
“Rather than have all of our customers affected by including the additional costs of roaming into all of our tariffs, customers will be able to choose a plan that comes with roaming included, or purchase an additional roaming pass.”
They added that customers can avoid surprise bills, thanks to clear usage caps and the free Vodafone Spend Manager tool in the My Vodafone App.
Roaming Passes and Exceptions
- Daily roaming will cost £2 or drop to £1 if you buy an 8 or 15-day pass.
- Vodafone’s pricier Xtra plans keep roaming included.
- The Republic of Ireland remains roaming-free for all customers.
- Fewer than half of Vodafone users travelled outside Ireland in 2019.
BT-owned EE already reintroduced roaming fees in June, signalling a wider industry trend.
Experts Warn: Roaming Costs Are Back
Industry analyst Paolo Pescatore hit the alarm:
“Phone users will now need to be savvier when travelling abroad. Some will have roaming included on higher priced plans and premium devices, while others will be forced to look at switching to wifi and take out local e-sim options.”
Full Vodafone ‘Europe Zone’ List
The roaming charges apply across a huge list of destinations, including:
Aland Islands, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus (except Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France (including Corsica), French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St Barthelemy, St Martin, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.
Travellers beware: your roaming days just got a costly makeover thanks to Brexit.
