Europe unlocked as roaming on Vodafone gets a lot simpler
No more shelling out for Euro Traveller in 40 countries
Heading abroad this summer? If you’re on Vodafone, you don’t need to worry about roaming charges.
Anyone on a 12- or 24-month Pay Monthly Red or Red Value bundle now gets inclusive roaming bundles for 40 different European countries, without having to splash out on Voda’s Euro Traveller add-on.
Having to pay £3 a day just to use the call, text and data allowance you’re already paying for back in the UK always felt like a rip-off. It’s great to see Voda ditching it for a long list of countries.
That includes (deep breath) Albania, Austria, Belgium, the Channel Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Bosnia, Bulgaria, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Malta, Cyprus, San Marino and Turkey also make the cut, but you’ll be stuck on 3G speeds.
Turkey, Switzerland and the Caribbean foreign territories aren’t actually covered by the EU regulations over roaming charges that came into effect this month, but Voda has added them to the deal anyway.
Don’t expect to stream an entire Netflix series on the beach, though. The new deal covers all roaming calls, texts and picture messages, but only up to 4GB of data – and that’s only if you’re on the right package to begin with.
An 8GB Red Value bundle will give you 2GB of inclusive data abroad, but you’ll need to be on the 12GB Red Value plan to get the full 4GB.
That should still be enough for most people, mind: Vodafone reckons the new deal will cover 80% of its customers’ overseas trips.
It’s great news for anyone taking out a new Red or Red Value plan, or upgrading their existing contract, but it’s been a long time coming. Tesco Mobile scrapped roaming fees in 31 countries last month, and Three’s Feel at Home deal means free roaming in 18 countries around the world.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
