Three Becomes Latest UK Mobile Operator to Bring Back EU Roaming Charges

[MacRumors]

Three has become the latest UK mobile network to reintroduce EU roaming fees, in another post-Brexit setback for customers traveling abroad.

A flat £2 daily charge when roaming within an EU country will apply to customers who are new or upgrading from October 1. The changes will not come into effect until May 23 2022.

The operator joins EE and Vodafone who have recently announced the return of roaming charges. O2 will continue to offer free roaming across the EU and in the United States, but only on some "Plus Plans" as an extra add-on.

Before the U.K. formally exited the European Union, mobile customers generally didn't have to worry about roaming charges when using their phone in the EU, with most phone tariffs counting calls, texts, and data used in EU countries as equivalent to domestic use since 2017.

However, when the EU trade deal was signed in December 2020, mobile operators were once again able to charge customers when traveling in Europe with "transparent and reasonable rates."

Originally, EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone, representing the largest mobile operators in the U.K., stated they had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges after Brexit, but all have since announced changes, some under a "fair use" clause.

Article Link: Three Becomes Latest UK Mobile Operator to Bring Back EU Roaming Charges

 

[Rob__Mac]

We're going to look back in 20 years time and wonder why we allowed ourselves to lose so much…

 

[th0masp]

That might well depend on how the EU works out overall. I'm not too optimistic on that front.

But yes, cost of Brexit passed on to customers, laws that turned out inconvenient to corporations rolled back, not surprising. Cost of living must have jumped quite a bit since I last lived in Britain.

 

[theadz01]

Can anyone tell me any actual benefit that we (the UK) has from leaving the EU? Because I am struggling to see any.

 

[Lihp8270]

Can anyone tell me any actual benefit that we (the UK) has from leaving the EU? Because I am struggling to see any.

The fish

 

[petsk]

We're going to look back in 20 years time and wonder why we allowed ourselves to lose so much…

How about looking back 100-200 years and ask the same question?

 

[jaseyy88]

Well we have food shortages, so we are saving money as we can’t buy as much and oh yes now we are saving a bit more money as we can’t buy anything they are hiking up the costs of everything so we are pooper than before.

 

[robvalentine]

The fish

Actually UK fishermen are worse off.

 

[iGeek2019]

Perhaps it’s just me but surely, if your phone is unlocked, it’ll be more beneficial to purchase a local SIM as more operators bring in fees for roaming?

Couple in the annual 4.5% increase and Three become less of an attractive option…

 

[Manatlt]

Can anyone tell me any actual benefit that we (the UK) has from leaving the EU? Because I am struggling to see any.

At least we get our sovereignty! 😂

 

[Lihp8270]

At least we get our sovereignty! 😂

and our blue passports!

 

[panthro100]

Actually UK fishermen are worse off.

The comment was regarding the fish, not the people who catch them.

The actual fish are probably better off as they are not being caught.

 

[ruka.snow]

I look forward to the day we rejoin the EU and things can get back to normality with no roaming charges.

 

[revs]

They are also ditching the free roaming outside of Europe (e.g. in the US), so using Brexit as an excuse

 

[revs]

I look forward to the day we rejoin the EU and things can get back to normality with no roaming charges.

Or the UK Gov could make it a legal requirement that they can't charge roaming fees outside of the EU right now

 

[ruka.snow]

Or the UK Gov could make it a legal requirement that they can't charge roaming fees outside of the EU right now

Its likely the Scottish government would do that. The English government aren't going to upset the people that fill their pockets. They are the same people that want workers to return to the office, not because Covid is 'over' but because big sandwich chains are losing money while small local businesses are booming. Can't have the CTO of Pret miss out on millions he can give to the Tories.

 

[Ries]

Actually UK fishermen are worse off.

No, he/she means the Fish. No point in fishing them, since they can't sell them. The fish are happy.

 

[TwoBytes]

Are there any good EU virtual sims you can buy when travelling abroad?

 

[Ries]

Or the UK Gov could make it a legal requirement that they can't charge roaming fees outside of the EU right now

So they raise the price significantly and blame the government.

 

[revs]

Its likely the Scottish government would do that. The English government aren't going to upset the people that fill their pockets. They are the same people that want workers to return to the office, not because Covid is 'over' but because big sandwich chains are losing money while small local businesses are booming. Can't have the CTO of Pret miss out on millions he can give to the Tories.

Pret make nice coffee though. Pity my local one shut down

 

[revs]

So they raise the price significantly and blame the government.

Of course - like now how they introduce roaming charges and blame Brexit. Even though that makes no sense for the charge to roam outside of the EU that they just brought in.

Any excuse to charge more and blame someone else. Brexit will be the easy excuse for decades.

 

[ruka.snow]

Pret make nice coffee though. Pity my local one shut down

I never liked their coffee when I visited London. I am more accustomed to going down to a independent coffee shop, though John died from Covid so I live on tea now.

 

[chucker23n1]

Can't the EU run anything properly? They are a glorified council. And look how all councils perform.

So you don't want a parliament, is what you're saying?

 

[darkpaw]

Can you tell us what benefits we had over 50 years? We managed before joining, and struggled ever since. We did get straight cucumbers. Remember the wine mountain, milk mountain, butter mountain, olive oil mountain? Mass production of produce no one wanted, until the Germans told France to stop their nonsense as it was bankrupting the EU. Lived through 7 secession since joining the EU. Can't the EU run anything properly? They are a glorified council. And look how all councils perform. Glad we left, the future is bright and not tied down, with dictators, unelected overpaid civil servants, wokie snowflakes who lack any skills, who lack any competency, they really couldn't run a bath. Just look how they handled the COVID crisis. This is how they have run the EU for 50 years.

Ahem, David Frost became a Lord for negotiating the UK's withdrawal from the EU. He is literally an unelected bureaucrat whose negotiations have resulted in the cluster**k in Northern Ireland.

Dictators? What about Bodger Johnson? He has a Commons majority and does whatever he pleases. Tory MPs rarely disobey him because they're spineless creeps.

"Just look how they handled the COVID crisis"?! Yeah, I mean, they locked late and for longer, right? Nope. They have more deaths than the UK, right? Nope.

As someone said above, "Ok boomer".

 

[pauloregan]

edit : arguing about brexit on the internet makes Jack a dull boy