Tesco Mobile extends free European roaming for all users until 2025 – here's what you need to know

Tesco Mobile – which piggybacks on the O2 network – first announced it would charge for European roaming last year, but later postponed the move.

It's not the only O2 piggybacker to change its policy – for example, Sky Mobile introduced charges in May 2022. Meanwhile, O2 itself has said it won't reintroduce fees – bucking the trend among the biggest networks.

Mobile firms were banned from charging customers extra fees to use their UK allowance of minutes, texts and data (subject to a fair use cap) while the UK was part of the EU. But these rules no longer apply now that the post-Brexit transition is over.

For a full list of providers that still offer free roaming, see our Cheap mobile and data roaming guide.

All Tesco Mobile customers will be able to roam for free until 2025

All pay-monthly and pay-as-you-go (PAYG) customers, including new customers, will be able to use their call, text and data allowances in 48 European destinations at no extra cost until 2025. This applies regardless of when you took out your contract or upgraded. 

If you're a PAYG user and you run out of minutes, calls or data, you'll be charged the standard UK rates, same as at home.

(This story previously stated that PAYG customers were not included in the free roaming extension – this was incorrect, as Tesco Mobile has confirmed that its PAYG users can also roam for free. We're sorry for the error.)

This isn't the first time Tesco Mobile has delayed its plans to charge for European roaming

Tesco Mobile first announced that it would introduce charges for roaming in Europe in June 2022.

The changes were initially due to come into effect in January this year – but were delayed to May 2023, then to 2024, and have now been pushed back again to 2025.

Tesco Mobile hasn't shared any more information about exactly when its roaming charges will be introduced or how they will work – the firm told us more details would be announced "in due course".

Check you're not overpaying for your mobile

If you've been with the same mobile network for a while, it's worth checking if you can save £100s by switching as the best mobile deals tend to be for newbies.

Many smaller providers, as well as biggie O2 – which Tesco Mobile piggybacks on – still offer free European roaming. So you should be able to keep this perk – and potentially stay on the same network – while saving on your bill.

Here are our quick steps to cut mobile costs:

1. Check if you're still in contract. An easy way to do this is by texting INFO to 85075. This is free, and you should get a text back within seconds showing if you're out of contract (and therefore free to switch).

2. Benchmark prices elsewhere. You can use our Cheap Mobile Finder tool to see what other deals are out there.

3. Ditch and switch. To keep your number, text PAC to 65075. You'll be given a code to send to your new provider, which'll transfer your number for you within one working day (there's usually only a couple of hours of downtime).

4. Want to stay with Tesco Mobile? Try haggling. See if your provider will match or beat a deal you've found elsewhere. Our Mobile haggling guide has lots of tips on how to do this.

For more help cutting the cost of your mobile bill, see our Cheap mobile tips.