Yet another UK operator introduces roaming charges for EU travel
After Brexit became a reality, UK mobile operators were quick to promise that roaming charges for calls and data from within EU countries will not make a return. But, after the EU Trade Deal was finalized in 2021, it seems things changed.
EE was first to cave and reintroduced EU roaming charges for its customers. Three, Vodafone, and Sky followed suit. Now, Tesco joins in.
Tesco introduces EU roaming fees on January 1 2023
No announcement, no fanfare, Tesco changed its Terms & Conditions to include this change. Come January of 2023, any customers that have signed a new contract with the provider after June 6th 2022 (including) will need to pay for their mobile usage from within EU countries as follows — 10p per MB of data, 20p per SMS (no MMS while roaming), 55p per minute of regular voice calling.If you have entered a contract with Tesco before the aforementioned date, you will not be affected by the roaming charges until you renew or upgrade your service.
Frequent travellers will be able to make use of various roaming bundles that Tesco will have on offer, making it cheaper for those that find themselves abroad more often.
Virgin Media and O2 holding strong
Out of all major carriers in the UK, Virgin Media and O2 have yet to introduce roaming fees for EU countries. In fact, so much so that you may be feeling tempted to check out some phone deals on Virgin or phone deals on O2. Vodafone’s Xtra plans can also include no-fee roaming for the EU and other countries abroad, so it’s great if you can find your favorite phone bundled with the right plan (Vodafone refreshes its phone deals once per month or so).
By this point, EU roaming fees for all UK residents seem like an inevitability, with the only question being “when” the last operators will cave.