Holidaymakers have been told to switch their data off when travelling abroad, after a survey found that roaming charges outside the EU could cause ‘bill shock’.
The research, conducted by uSwitch.com, found that moderate browsing habits such as watching a few short videos, visiting several websites and checking on emails could cost in excess of £300. The search comparison site said that even with light browsing, such as visiting one or two websites and updating a social media status could cost almost five pounds.
Charges within Europe have fallen significantly since new regulation came in last year, capping the amount that network service providers could charge while roaming. However, uSwitch found that nearly a third of the 1000 people interviewed, believed that Turkey was in the European Union, while nearly half thought that Croatia was in the EU.
Ernest Doku, a spokesperson for uSwitch, said the utilising Wi-Fi in hotels and cafés and switching off data roaming altogether was the only way to avoid bill shock.
According to guardian.co.uk, travellers should check with their network provider to see if there are any data specific bundles that can be added to their contract, allowing them cheaper access to the internet when abroad.
