How much does it cost to use minutes, text, and data abroad?

Business travel may have taken a hit during COVID, but it’s back in action. Traveling for business is crucial at times; it enhances exposure and growth, but it always comes with a cost. We need to make our travel budget-friendly; this is where your network plays a major role. 

Let’s learn how much it costs to use minutes, text, and data abroad and what plans to choose if you frequently travel for business purposes. Let’s travel to grow! 

The cost of using a mobile phone abroad depends on the plan you choose and what country you’re traveling to. Major networks charge £2 daily for roaming in European countries and £5 daily for roaming in the rest of the world.  

You can use the charge-checker on your network’s website and enter the country you’re traveling to and the payment method you use to determine how much it will cost. All networks offer add-ons and business plans that include roaming charges at lower prices. The daily charge mentioned above is when you use your UK plans outside the UK.

Let’s take the example of Frank. Say he brews beer and loves attending German beer festivals yearly. He wants to learn about the cost of using his current plan while in Germany. So if he’s on pay monthly, he already has 25 GB of data. He is in a region covered in the roaming section of the plan he subscribed to.

Here’s a breakdown of how you can check how much it costs and what your options are. When it comes to figuring out the cost, two important factors come into play:

1. Where are you traveling to?
2. What plan do you use?

Let’s have a look at these two factors.

Where are you traveling to?

Roaming in Europe 

All major networks in the UK allow using your subscribed plans in roaming destinations included in the plan. To ensure your travel destination is covered in the plan, you can check the list of these countries from your network’s website.

Roaming in Europe zones will be free of charge if you signed up for your plan before 2021. However, all new contracts after mid-2021 come up with an additional charge of £2  daily for roaming in European countries. The daily charge only covers standard calls, texts, and data use.

Roaming Outside Europe

Got Business elsewhere? There’s a wide range of countries covered by networks for roaming other than Europe but buying a plan that either includes roaming in other countries or choosing an Add-on to accompany you on the trip is recommended.

Vodafone offers a Business traveler package that often comes with other business plans and includes 100 destinations worldwide. You can also go for Vodafone Global roaming which will cost you a daily charge of  £5 when roaming. 

What Plan do you use?

Pay as you Go

Buying Roaming Extra is recommended if you’re using the Pay as You Go plan. If you exceed your UK data limit, you will be charged the same rates abroad for extra data usage in the UK, given that you are in inclusive roaming destinations. Charges are slightly higher if you’re roaming in destinations out of Europe.

Roaming on Pay Monthly

All Pay monthly plans already have 25 GB of capped data for traveling to inclusive roaming destinations covering most European destinations. So if you’re on Pay Monthly, there’s no need to worry about additional charges.

Add-ons

Travel-related businesses require a lot more than the above plans offer. Vodafone offers two add-ons:

International Saver extra

Covers 100 destinations and offers 100 minutes for £5 and 500 minutes for £10.

Call Abroad Extra

Covers 200 destinations and offers 75 minutes for £10 and 200 minutes for £20.

Best Roaming plans for business travel 

Vodafone’s Business traveler 

For a small business, Vodafone offers the best travel packages. With the Business Black package, you can enjoy business travelers using UK texts, minutes and data in Europe and the world zone without extra cost.

Vodafone’s Unlimited Max + 4 Xtra benefits 

This is the best one so far as it includes unlimited data minutes and texts in the UK and offers inclusive roaming in 83 world destinations for only £26.67 per month. If you travel often and require network roaming occasionally, plans with Xtra benefits will be amazing. Vodafone is also offering 5G for free in these plans.

Which network is best for network roaming – A short Comparison

Let’s look at other network plans as well and see if they are the best fit for you.

Three Network

Three does not have a business travel plan, but it charges £2 daily for roaming in countries inclusive in the European zone and £5 for other countries, which is the same as Vodafone; however, Three does not cover a wide range of destinations. Three Network also offers add-ons for international calling. 

EE

There is a £2 daily charge to use your minutes, texts, and data allowances in our European roaming zone, which is the same as Vodafone.

O2 

Among the competition, O2 gives profitable deals with EU roaming at no extra cost in VOLT business plans. However, these plans don’t offer unlimited data in the UK. Depending on your requirement, if you’re trips to Europe are frequent, and you don’t require unlimited data and minutes in the UK, O2 deals are worth considering for roaming in Europe.

Vodafone

By comparison, all networks offer the same costs. However, the distinguishing factor here will be network coverage. Vodafone branches out to more than 200 locations all over the world. With Vodafone Business 

solutions and distinctive zones, it is ultimately the best network for roaming. It offers different add-ons and roaming packages in business plans and has more lucrative deals. Vodafone also ranks the highest among partnering with other networks in countries, making roaming much easier. 

Ready to Roam? Here are a few tips before you leave. 

If  Frank is leaving for Germany, let’s make sure he makes the most of it. Here are a few tips we can give him before he leaves so he can save more on phone coverage. 

Did you know? 5% of travel expense comes from a mobile phone! 

Tip#1 

Check your website to confirm the cost of roaming. See if you have a monthly payment plan that already includes a roaming package, allowing you to enjoy your home plan abroad without any extra cost.

Tip#2

If you’re using a plan that does not have a roaming package or traveling to a country that is not included in the roaming package, subscribe to an add-on or buy a suitable roaming pass to save your mobile expense. 

Tip#3

Use Spend Manager or your network app to check your bill and see if it’s not costing you extra. It’s better to limit data so it won’t charge extra once the limit is up. 

Now that you know what it will cost you to use data roaming, have a good trip! If you’re still unsure about the charges, visit the roaming tab on your network website for a detailed price view after selecting your travel destination. 

Just like Frank had a blast at the festival, you can travel too without worrying about phone coverage. We’ve got you covered. Before you pack for traveling, visit us in our nearest store or call us, and we’ll select the best roaming package for you, or you can subscribe to a business traveler package and learn more about its features.  

Think about how traveling can help grow your business.

 Let’s Go, Grow!

Got any queries? Contact us at info@initiis.co.uk 

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do I get charged for calling abroad from the UK?

It depends on the country you’re calling to. Use the roaming charge checker and enter your calling destination to see how much it costs. If international calling is crucial for your business, consider business plans that include international calling at discounted rates.

Which countries are included in my plan for roaming?

Vodafone has split countries into zones. Almost all pay monthly plans include cou

nties listed in Europe Zone 1, covering most European countries. Europe Zone 2 includes the Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, San Marino, and Switzerland. That is not included in the package and will require an add-on, or you will have to pay £5 daily for using the UK plan in these countries. The ‘Rest of The World’ covers all other countries and is included in Vodafone Global roaming package.

Can I use my phone as a hotspot abroad?

Yes, you can. There are no extra charges for using hotspot broad when roaming internationally. Pro tip: Check the spend manager to limit how much data you’re using to avoid any additional cost. 25 GB data cap is provided in all pay monthly plans to use when roaming internationally.  

Can I add a temporary roaming plan to my existing plan for my holiday?

You can purchase add-ons for texts, minutes, and data to your existing plan. Roaming Extra is a great package if you’re on Pay As You Go plans, and there are European Roaming passes costing £8 for 8-day and £15 for 15-day roaming.