Starting from June 15, 2017, travelers in the EU will no longer have to pay roaming charges when visiting another EU country. Any existing or new mobile contract that includes roaming services will switch to a “roam like at home” plan. This new EU regulation will cover data services, voice calls, and SMS.
So, what does this really mean? It means that phone calls, SMS, and using the internet on your mobile device while in another EU country will be included in your domestic bundle. In other words, the minutes, texts, and data you use while abroad within the EU will cost the same as they do at home.
What about international calls? The new rules apply to communications—calls, texts, and data—when you are roaming in the EU. This means they apply when you are physically in another EU country. However, the cost of calling a foreign country from home, including calls within the EU, is not regulated by this policy.
Do these rules apply to unlimited plans? Yes, if you have unlimited calls and texts, you can enjoy the same unlimited access when roaming in the EU. For those with unlimited or very cheap mobile data plans at home, your provider may set a fair use limit on data usage while roaming. If you hit this limit, your operator must inform you in advance and send you a notification when you reach it. Beyond this limit, you can still use data roaming but for a small additional charge (a maximum of €7.70 per GB + VAT, which will gradually decrease to €2.50 per GB by 2022).
How long do these benefits last? The rule is that as long as you spend more time at home than abroad or use your mobile phone more at home than abroad over any four-month period, you can enjoy domestic prices while roaming anywhere in the EU. This is known as fair use. If you don’t meet these criteria, your mobile provider may contact you and potentially apply extra roaming fees.
What if you exceed the “roam like at home” limits? If you go beyond the fair use policy, your provider may add a small extra charge for your roaming usage.
Which countries are included? Starting June 15, 2017, you can roam like at home in all 28 EU countries. Additionally, this will soon apply to countries in the European Economic Area such as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway shortly after that date.
Will you be informed about these changes? Yes, your mobile provider should notify you about the end of roaming charges and how it affects your specific plan, including any fair use policies. Your contract will be updated accordingly. After crossing an EU border post-June 15, 2017, you will continue to receive an SMS informing you that you are now roaming and reminding you of any applicable fair use policies.
Is there anything you need to do to activate this? No, it’s automatic. From June 15, 2017, your operator will stop applying roaming charges without any action needed from you.
If you need more details, you can visit the European Commission’s official website.