Three to scrap roaming charges in five more countries

The network will expand the number of destinations on its Feel At Home service as it works towards ending 'rip-off' roaming charges.

Three is planning to ditch roaming charges for its customers in five more foreign countries.

From 1st July 2014, Three customers travelling to France, Switzerland, Israel, Finland or Norway will be able to text and call home as well as use mobile data in line with their normal UK allowance.

The five new destinations join 11 other countries included on Three’s Feel at Home service, which prevents customers from racking up sky-high mobile phone bills abroad.

Since 2013, Feel At Home has helped Three users save when using their phones in the USA, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Macau, Australia, Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland.

Three customers on pay monthly, pay-as-you-go, SIM-only and mobile broadband deals can use Feel At Home within the limits of their regular price plan and even if they exceed their bundle they can still benefit from reduced roaming rates. However, calls and texts to non-UK numbers will be charged at standard roaming rates and tethering or creating a personal hotspot is not included in the service.

Three is the only operator to have taken the plunge and scrapped roaming charges, albeit only in some countries. Other major networks such as O2, Vodafone and EE charge customers to control their costs abroad with bolt-ons or special packages.

Three says it’s tackling the issue of ‘rip-off’ roaming charges head on and scrapping its fees in five more places shows its commitment to eliminating roaming charges completely.

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Ending ‘rip-off’ roaming charges

Holiday 'bill shock' has become a big problem in recent years, with numerous horror stories of travellers using their phone abroad and returning home to sky-high bills.

Until the European Commission (EC) stepped in, mobile network operators were reportedly making profits of more than 200% for mobile calls made in another EU country, and up to 400% for calls received.

Since 2007, the EC has imposed maximum rates for operators in EU countries in order to cap roaming charges on calls and text messages. In July 2012 data roaming charges finally also fell under this regulation.

At the moment the maximum rate (excluding VAT) an operator can charge holidaymakers travelling in the EU for making a phone call is set at 24 cents (19p), while receiving a call is capped at 7 cents (6p), sending a text at 8 cents (6p) and using data (per MB) at 45 cents (36p).

From 1st July 2014 bills will get even cheaper as new limits come into force. Making a phone call will be capped at 19 cents (15p), receiving a phone call at 5 cents (4p), sending a text at 6 cents (5p), and using data (per MB) at 20 cents (16p). Overall data roaming charges will be capped at €50 (£40).

The EC ultimately wants the gap between domestic and foreign roaming rates to disappear.

In April this year the European Parliament voted to completely scrap mobile roaming fees in the EU, so that the cost of making a call, sending a text and using the internet in another EU country would be the same as at home.

However, the changes aren’t due to come into effect until December 2015 and won’t apply to countries outside the EU, which could leave operators free to hike roaming costs in other destinations to offset the new restrictions.

Three has jumped in before being pushed and helpfully beyond the limits of the EU too.

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Other ways to keep in touch abroad for less

If you're planning on going away and want to use your mobile, make sure you check out what you'll be charged by your provider. You may be able to arrange to use a special package or bolt-on to help you limit your costs.

There are also a range of apps you could use to help you keep in touch for less.

BT’s SmartTalk and Virgin Media’s SmartCall apps link a customer’s smartphone to their home calling plan so that they can use their inclusive minutes over a Wi-Fi connection while they're away .

Anyone with an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone or Nokia can download Skype. The app allows you to make free voice or video calls using a Wi-Fi connection. If the person you’re calling doesn’t have Skype you can instead make cheaper international calls to landlines or mobiles using Skype Credit.

And then there's WhatsApp, which allows you to send unlimited messages, pictures, videos and audio clips across platforms without charge over a Wi-Fi connection. It's available to iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia users.

You should bear in mind that all of these apps rely on you being able to secure a free Wi-Fi connection (which you could get at your hotel or at a coffee shop). Using your mobile's 3G or 4G data allowance for these apps while abroad will cost you more than it will save.

One alternative is to get a local SIM which will offer cheaper local rates. However, you need to make sure your phone is unlocked to be able to use one.

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