Roaming summer 2020
Could this be the last summer of free EU roaming?
As we slowly emerge from the strict rules of lockdown, what impact will the ability to travel have on us in both our personal and business lives this summer?
With Coronavirus and post lockdown actions dominating the news, we mustn’t forget that the UK has now left the EU and we are in a transition period.
NEW GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE FROM 2021
In June 2017 the EU scrapped roaming charges for those travelling within EU countries and we’ve all pretty much taken for granted that we can use our inclusive minutes and data when on holiday or ravelling for business. However, the irony hasn’t escaped us that during what could be the last summer of roaming freedom we are restricted on where and how we travel!
Just this month the government released guidance on 13 July 2020 saying: “From 1 January 2021, the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will end.”
“Check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges you might get from 1 January 2021.”
The government has, however, passed legislation that would provide some safeguards to consumers:
A £45-a-month limit on the amount that customers could be charged for using mobile data abroad before having to opt into further use
Requirements for customers to be informed when they have reached 80% and 100% of their data allowances
Operators would have to take “reasonable steps” to avoid customers being charged for accidental roaming in Northern Ireland, which would happen if a phone in Northern Ireland locked onto the mobile signal coming from the Republic of Ireland.
WHAT DO THE OPERATORS SAY?
Of course, just because the operators might be allowed to reintroduce roaming charges, it does not necessarily mean that they would do so.
Three has no plans to bring them back in, regardless of how negotiations between the UK and the EU turn out.
Vodafone said it currently had no plans to change its roaming charges.
EE said: “Our customers enjoy inclusive roaming in Europe and we have no plans to change this based on the Brexit outcome.”
And O2 said: “We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe, maintaining our ‘Roam Like At Home’ arrangements.”
ROAMING OUTSIDE THE EU – DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT!
We must not forget that at present the free roaming agreement is only within EU countries. If you are planning to use your phone abroad in non-EU countries you will need a specific travel bolt-on that covers the area you are visiting, or risk hefty out of bundle call charges. Here are the best options by network:
O2 – 24 hour daily pass = £7.50 per day allows for up to 300 mins, texts and 5GB data per day – https://www.o2.co.uk/business/solutions/mobile/travelling-abroad/rest-of-world-24-hour-pass
EE – EE Business daily Passport (£6 per day) or EE World Daily Passport (£7.50 per day) – please click the link to view inclusive countries
https://ee.co.uk/business/small/international-business/roaming-passports/
Vodafone – https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/global-roaming
Some business plans include Vodafone Global Roaming + which gives you free roaming in 81 destinations and then £6 per day in the other Global destinations: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vfcon092802.pdf
If your plan doesn’t include Global Roaming, then it’s £6.00 per day in 152 destinations: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vfcon079683.pdf
COMPANY PHONE POLICIES: WILL YOU BE FOOTING THE BILL FOR EMPLOYEES USING THEIR MOBILES ON HOLIDAY?
We all know that being in constant contact can be a double edge sword for both employees and employers alike. As restrictions are lifted and people resume foreign travel, could this be impacting your business expenses without you realising it?
Some points to consider:
Do you expect your employees to use their personal phone for work? If you pay your employees’ personal phone bill as part of an expenses agreement, make sure you’re not paying for costly, non-work roaming calls when they go on holiday unless it’s part of your benefits agreement
If you have business mobiles for your employees, do you allow them to use them for personal calls too? If so, please remember that they may still be using this to receive calls whilst away on holiday and you could be picking up the charges.
Do you check that traveller bolt ons are applied before any business travel is undertaken outside the EU? For regular business travellers make sure your tariff includes allowances for the specific destinations.
BUSINESS TRAVEL TRENDS IN 2020 AND BEYOND
While the Covid-19 outbreak is not yet over, experts have started to project a potential rebound for corporate travel.
An April poll from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) found that 98 percent of its member companies had cancelled international business trips, and 92 percent axed all or most domestic travel. But in a May follow-up poll, more than half the respondents said they plan to resume travel in the near future.
Those results should not come as much of a surprise, given the importance of business travel. Certify, a corporate expense report and travel software provider, estimates that around 445 million business trips take place each year, valued at $251 billion (the GBTA puts that number closer to $345 billion annually for travel and meeting expenditures). An Oxford Economics study found that each dollar invested in business travel can result in as much as $12.50 in revenue. Add it all up, and it’s a tremendous potential amount of money that corporations rely on to stay in business.
In fact, a recent survey by consulting firm Oliver Wyman found that around three-quarters of business travellers expect to travel the same amount or even more after the pandemic, due to a resurgence of business activity, relatively low travel costs once lockdowns begin to ease, and pent-up demand after teleconferencing for months.
Our advice is check your bills regularly and if you haven’t already, put in place an employee mobile phone policy that covers foreign travel and personal use.
Article sources: Eric Rosen, Conde Nast Traveller & BBC News
