Revealed: The hidden cost of using your phone in Europe – here's which providers offer truly free roaming and how to avoid getting stung

'Fair use' data caps: firm-by-firm roaming policies

When you use your phone in Europe (the exact list of countries and regions included under 'Europe zones' can vary by provider, so check first), how much data you can use may be limited by your network's roaming fair use policy. 

To help you avoid getting caught out, we've researched and compiled the policies of over 20 different major mobile providers, ordered from most to least restrictive:

Outside of Europe, inclusive roaming isn't typically offered and charges and add-on bundles vary by provider. 

In the UK, there aren't prescriptive fair use caps in place for data use, though providers may curb what they deem to be 'excessive' use. 

Some providers aren't very transparent about these caps and charges in Europe – so double check before you go

We found that European data roaming caps aren't always clear when you sign-up

Our research shows that two of the providers with the most restrictive policies – Asda Mobile and Lycamobile – don't make fair use caps initially clear on their websites when you sign up, as shown in the screenshots below.

Meanwhile iD Mobile, which recently changed its policy so that customers joining or upgrading on or after 21 June 2023 have a much less restrictive cap (something the provider now makes clear on its website), previously did not make this transparent.

We also found that the texts you get on landing in Europe don't always clearly explain data limitations

When you land, if you have signal, your network will instantly send you a text message outlining the country you've landed, what part of your allowance you can use and if there's a fair use policy in place.

It should also tell you what charges you might incur if you exceed these or do something that's not included, for example, a daily charge if roaming isn't included as part of your plan.

However, we've uncovered that some providers with fair use data policies in place don't tell you in the text message when you arrive what this limit is. This includes 1pMobile, Giffgaff, iD Mobile, Lycamobile, O2 and TalkMobile.