British football fans face a roaming charge own goal as the US is named the costliest data draining country in the world. Sky Mobile's Data Roaming Index reveals eye-watering fees for using mobile phones abroad, hitting fans travelling to the World Cup particularly hard.
Roaming Costs Soar for World Cup Travellers
More than half of Brits fear racking up huge mobile phone bills due to data usage, a problem especially acute for those travelling to this year's World Cup. The US tops the list of most expensive places for roaming data, according to Sky Mobile's comprehensive survey.
From background data syncs to navigating unfamiliar streets, the index highlights behaviours that drain devices and cost a packet. Sky Mobile expands its roaming offer from 55 to 120 destinations, but warns of potential bills.
Hidden Data Drainers
Forgetting to turn off app notifications can land travellers with up to a £20 bill, while streaming one film trailer can leave Brits £120 out of pocket. Online messaging and accidentally downloading WhatsApps (56%) are the top data drainers, followed by maps and navigation (52%) and search engines (48%). Booking restaurants, tours and day trips (31%) also drive data use, while a third prioritise posting on social media despite significant charges.
Awareness Gap and Costly Mistakes
Two-thirds (67%) of travellers are unaware of data saving hacks. Sky Mobile created a practical guide with roaming hacks to cut data usage, including downloading maps, playlists and shows before travelling, switching on low data mode, and turning off automatic cloud syncing.
The US tops the list of costliest countries, with Thailand second and Barbados third. The average 25-34-year-old is nearly twice as likely (48%) as 55-64-year-olds (26%) to have been stung by unexpected roaming charges. Northern Ireland shows the lowest awareness, with over half (51%) never or rarely checking charges, almost double the UK average (28%).
Sky Mobile's Solution
Sky Mobile expands its Roaming Passport Plus from 55 to 120 destinations across EU/EEA, the USA, Australia and more. For £2 a day, customers use their UK data, calls and text allowances as if at home, with no set-up or surprise bills. Ben Case, Managing Director of Connectivity at Sky, said: "Over half of Brits are afraid to turn on roaming abroad due to potential charges - so Sky Mobile is making it simple."
Top 10 Costliest Countries for Data Roaming
- USA
- Thailand
- Barbados
- Turkey
- Egypt
- Indonesia
- Australia
- Mexico
- South Africa
- Morocco
UK's Top 10 Hidden Data Drainers Index
- Social media auto-play videos - Typical Data Use: 8–12 MB/min, Duration: 5 mins, Cost: £80 – £150
- Streaming TV / clips - Typical Data Use: 15–20 MB/min, Duration: 2–3 mins, Cost: £60 – £120
- Video calls - Typical Data Use: 5–7 MB/min, Duration: 3 mins, Cost: £30 – £60
- Photo uploads (cloud) - Typical Data Use: 2–5 MB/min, Duration: 5 mins, Cost: £20 – £50
- Maps / navigation - Typical Data Use: 2–4 MB/min, Duration: 5 mins, Cost: £20 – £40
- Music streaming - Typical Data Use: 1–2 MB/min, Duration: 10 mins, Cost: £20 – £40
- Email & app notifications - Typical Data Use: 0.5–1 MB/min, Duration: 10 mins, Cost: £10 – £20
- Web browsing - Typical Data Use: 0.5–1 MB/min, Duration: 5 mins, Cost: £5 – £10
- Booking / travel apps - Typical Data Use: ~0.4 MB/min, Duration: 5 mins, Cost: £4 – £8
- Translation apps - Typical Data Use: ~0.2 MB/min, Duration: 5 mins, Cost: £2 – £5
