Two-thirds of Irish consumers unsure about EU roaming rules, survey finds ⋆ Alertify

Two-thirds of Irish consumers unsure about EU roaming rules, survey finds

Switcher.ie has found two-thirds of Irish consumers are not sure about EU roaming rules, while a quarter admitted to being landed with an unexpectedly high roaming bill after a trip abroad. Find out more about EU roaming Ireland below.

“Roam like at home” eu roaming ireland

The EU’s ‘Roam like at Home’ rules, which were introduced last year, offer protection to those travelling within the EU. And, while these rules are great for those of us that are travelling to another EU country, the danger is that some of us aren’t quite aware of what the rules actually mean, or we’re confused about what countries they apply to.

In general, if you are travelling to any of the 28 countries of the EU, and/or the countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), you’ll get the same amount of calls, texts and data as you do at home.

The exception to this is if you have an unlimited data plan. If this is the case, you’ll need to check your data allowance with your mobile provider before you travel, as it will be capped.

99% of holidaymakers will take their phones on holiday with them this year, with one in four (42%) saying they will use their phone the same amount or more than they would at home

Eoin Clarke, Managing Director of Switcher-dot-ie, explains why leaving your data switched on in Europe can be expensive.

“If you’re one of the many Irish consumers heading away this summer, make sure you check charges for roaming before you jet off. A quick call to your network can help you to make informed choices about your mobile use while you’re away and avoid a nasty post-holiday bill.”

He added that: “If you’re travelling within the EU, make sure you understand what ‘Roam like at Home’ means for you. If you’re a talker or a texter, the rules should work out really well for you.

“However, if you’re a heavy data user, you’ll need to be careful about how you use your data in the EU to avoid excess charges – try downloading content over WiFi, rather than streaming, and turn off automatic updates for apps.”

In destinations like Asia, the US and Australia, charges for calls to home can be over €3 per minute, while sending a single text costs up to 75 cent, and accessing the internet via roaming costs between €5 and €10 per MB.

Few users check roaming charges

Despite the high costs involved for roaming in certain destinations, today’s research shows that only 14% of us will check charges with our phone provider and adjust our usage accordingly while travelling.

Four in ten of us will leave roaming on while all the time while we’re abroad, while around a quarter will turn it off completely and only use WiFi.