Three has reintroduced daily mobile roaming charges for customers holidaying in dozens of European destinations, effective today. Users of the telecoms giant now face paying £2 per day to use their UK text, calls and data allowance while in the EU.
The charges affect pay monthly or SIM-only customers who signed up or renewed their contract with Three from October 1, 2021 onwards. Those who joined before this date and have not upgraded their contract will not be charged until they sign a new deal. Pay-as-you-go users are also exempt.
Three has also scrapped its free 'Go Roam' service for certain non-European destinations, including Australia, New Zealand and the USA, introducing a £5 daily charge for some countries. The move follows similar actions by rivals Vodafone and EE, who have also brought back roaming charges for millions of customers.
Mobile firms were previously banned from charging extra fees for using UK allowances in the EU, but this no longer applies after the Brexit transition period. A Three spokesperson said: 'The new charge ensures that customers are clear on what they will pay when using their phone in another country and only those who roam will pay for the service. It will also ensure that we can continue investing in our UK network.'
O2 has also changed its 'fair use' policy, capping the amount of UK data allowance customers can use for free while roaming in Europe. Network providers were allowed to set fair usage caps before Brexit, separate to flat-fee roaming charges.
