You've probably heard it before:Klaasje came back from vacation and there was a sky-high telephone bill on the mat. Switching on your internet abroad for a while can cost you dearly. Fortunately, the EU will abolish roaming charges as of June 15, but outside Europe you really have to be careful.
If you use the network of a foreign provider abroad, this is called roaming. Until recently, providers could send each other a high bill for this, but fortunately, 'Roam It Like Home' will apply from 15 June. Within the EU you can then simply use the internet with your own subscription.
To prevent misuse, a so-called fair-use policy does apply. You cannot go abroad to take out a cheap subscription there, because in case of abuse you really get the bill. Exceptions apply to expats, students and cross-border workers.
Note if you have an unlimited subscription. If you pay less than € 3.85 per MB, you may be subject to a data limit. And then your cheap unlimited subscription is suddenly no longer so unlimited.
When you travel outside Europe you simply pay roaming costs. These costs differ greatly per provider and can be quite high. With some providers you even pay a tenner per MB. You can do the following things to limit your data usage abroad:
• Take out a data bundle. Most providers offer discount bundles.
• Most bundles are not large, so be careful with your data. Disable apps in the background and don't download large files.
• Also use the mobile version of websites, which require less data.
• Get on the wifi where you can.
• Disable push notifications.
• Keep track of how much data you normally use, so that you know approximately what bundle you need.
No bundle? Then you just pay per MB. UnitedConsumers made a handy overview per country.
