Data roaming allows you to use mobile networks when traveling to another country. Making a call, sending a WhatsApp message or browsing the internet abroad without having to be connected to a WiFi network is possible thanks to agreements between mobile phone companies from different countries. But it comes at a price that is important to know to avoid unnecessary surprises this vacation.
Currently all companies are required to include roaming in all countries of the European Economic Area (European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) in their rates at no extra cost. In April 2022, the European Parliament and Council extended the ‘Roaming like at home’ program until 2032. This was accompanied by an extension of the rules that require customers to have the same connection quality and speed as in Spain in any of the member states whenever conditions on the network allow it.
The use of roaming in the European Economic Area will be considered abusive if data consumption in other countries is higher or if the user spends more days in one of those countries than in Spain. If this happens, the customer will be charged an additional rate that may not exceed the limits imposed by the EU: 3.2 cents per minute of voice calls, 1 cent per SMS and 4.5 euros for 1 gig of mobile data.
When leaving the EU, the United Kingdom ceased to be part of European regulations and therefore the operators are not obliged to maintain free roaming in the country, although by law they are obliged to notify at least one month in advance if there is a price change. As stated on their websites, companies such as Movistar, Vodafone or Yoigo do not add additional costs for a trip to London, for example, but others such as Orange or Jazztel already do.
In the rest of the countries the cost of data roaming depends on each company. For example, of the large Spanish operators, only Vodafone offers the service for free in the United States. There are specific rates and bonuses for places where roaming involves an additional cost, so it is best to review the rates that apply for each trip.
The Federation of Consumers and Users (CECU) is in favor of creating a program such as ‘Itineracia como en casa’ that includes many more countries. From the association they defend that “access to a free and affordable telecommunications service throughout the world should be an objective to be achieved.”
Rubén Sánchez, spokesman for Facua, especially recommends having roaming deactivated in areas bordering non-EU member states such as Morocco or Andorra because in those places it can happen that repeater antennas capture a user’s mobile and a fee is charged of those countries when connecting to the foreign network. Although in such a case the client can claim and demand the return arguing the error.
Sánchez also recalls that the operators are obliged to notify the client of the rate that will be applied to them in the country in which they are located. “We have received claims from users of even more than 10,000 euros, especially for internet browsing, who had not received notification of what the rate was going to be in the country and we have managed to get the amount overcharged back,” he says. he.
It is important to be clear that international calls are not included in roaming. With data roaming, you can use mobile services such as browsing the internet or calling home from other countries, but if you call from the country you are visiting from to another country other than Spain, you will be charged the price of a international call.
In the event that roaming is not free at the travel destination, there is also the option of international eSIM cards. An eSIM is a virtual SIM card that is purchased online and configured directly on the smartphone instead of having to physically insert it into the phone and works alone or in combination with a physical one. It allows you to message and use applications that require mobile data with a data plan of the country you are visiting.
“We recommend sticking to the rate that we are going to pay and assessing whether it is more worth buying a prepaid card from a company in that country with a cheap data rate,” they advise from Facua.
