Roam like at home – Calls, SMS, Internet in Europe
No more long bills after the holidays or tricks to limit your consumption abroad! Since 15 June 2017, communicating in another European country costs the same as a call in France. But is overcharging completely eliminated? Are calls from France to other countries also affected? Check our Q&A to better understand roaming charges in Europe.
Roaming offers you the continuity of your mobile phone services in the European Union (EU) depending on the availability of the network in your country of destination. When you call, text or surf the internet abroad, your phone is connected to the network of a third-party operator partnering with your service provider. Roaming charges were therefore the fees charged by your operator for calls, SMS/MMS and mobile internet use via the network in another EU country. Since 15 June 2017, these extra charges have been abolished in Europe for all those consumers who occasionally use their phone outside their residence country.
When you use your mobile phone on a travel to another EU country, you will be “Roaming like at home” which means that when you make a phone call, send an SMS, or use data these will be charged or deducted from the volumes of your national tariff plan exactly as if you were using your phone in France (or any other EU country where you live, work or study).
Since 15 June 2017, when you use your mobile phone while travelling in the EU, i.e. while roaming, you do not, in principle, pay any extra charges.
Roaming services are now included in the offers, and are no longer subject to surcharges, within the limits of reasonable usage.
The services covered when travelling are
- calls made to any country in the EEA,
- calls received from any EEA country,
- sending SMS to any EEA country;
- connection to the mobile internet (data services).
To receive or send calls, SMS/MMS from abroad, set up your phone before you leave.
- activate the “international” option,
- OR ask your operator to activate this option,
- OR configure the “automatic” network in your phone’s settings (instead of the usual operator).
You are only roaming when you use your french mobile phone package outside France.
Calling a foreign number from France is therefore overcharged according to the prices charged by your operator. Since 15 May 2019, the European Union has decided to cap the price of these calls at 19 cents/minute (+VAT) and 6 cents (+VAT) for SMS. When agreeing to the new roaming regulation, the European Parliament has asked the Commission to see if these caps can be lowered.
No, whether you are on holiday in the EU and receive a text message or call from France, or vice versa, you will not be charged.
Only the sender of the call or message will have to pay. Just beware of MMS and other messages containing downloadable media, which will cause you to consume mobile data.
All 27 EU countries are covered by the “Roam like at home” regime. It also covers Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova.
However, roaming charges may apply when travelling to the United Kingdom or Switzerland. These countries are not EU members and do not benefit from any special roaming agreements. Check with your operator for the rates applicable to these countries. Swiss border workers, for example, can take out a subscription to reduce their costs.
More information on the European Commission’s website: “Roaming: Questions & Answers”.
Yes. If your operator finds that you use your french package more abroad than in France over a period of at least 4 consecutive months, you may be charged for mobile communications and data while roaming within the limit of wholesale prices.
If you continue to spend more time abroad than you do at home and your roaming consumption continues to exceed your domestic usage your operator may start charging you extra for your roaming use. The surcharges (excluding VAT) are capped at:
- 0,022 €/call minute (0,019 € from 1 January 2025)
- 0.004 €/ SMS (0,003 € from 1 January 2025)
- 2 € / GB since 1 July 2022; 1.80 €/Gb on 1 January 2023 ; 1.55 €/GB on 1 January 2024 ; 1.30 €/Gb on 1 January 2025 ; 1.1 €/GB on 1 January 2026 ; 1 €/GB on or before 1 January 2027.
The aim of this measure is to promote reasonable use of roaming in the interests of competition, by preventing people from taking out a cheaper package in another country to use it in their home country.
Good to know: If your French operator informs you that over the last 4 consecutive months, you have spent more days roaming than in France, you must, within 15 days of this warning, use your package more in France than roaming to avoid being overcharged. A single connection in France during a day is enough to consider that it is a day spent in France.
More information: “Roaming: what you pay to use your smartphone in another EU country – Your Europe (europa.eu)“
Yes, if your operator notices that you use your French package more abroad than in France over a period of at least 4 consecutive months.
Good to know: If your French operator informs you that over the last 4 consecutive months, you have spent more days roaming than in France, you must, within 15 days of this warning, use your package more in France than roaming to avoid being overcharged. A single connection in France during a day is enough to consider that it is a day spent in France.
You can also buy a SIM card in that country and use it without extra cost in France.on an occasional basis. Please note that it is not always easy to take out a subscription in another EU country, particularly because of the increased identity checks carried out by telephone operators.
Regarding cross-border workers, if you work in one EU country and live in another, you will be using your phone in both. Here also the fair use policy applies : as long as you connect at least once a day to your domestic operator’s network, it will count as a day of presence in the country where you have your contract. It doesn’t matter if you go abroad on the same day.
If you have an unlimited communication plan, you can use it anywhere in the EU at no extra cost. However, there is no cap on voice calls and SMS.
However, under EU rules, your operator may apply a safeguard (fair use) limit on mobile data use while roaming.
The operator must inform you of this limit in advance and alert you if you reach it.
This limit is normally high enough to cover most, if not all, of your roaming needs. If you exceed it, you can continue to use mobile data while roaming, but your operator may charge you for the usage above the cap up to the wholesale prices set by operators at European level (prices excluding VAT): 2 €/GB from 1 July 2022 ; 1.80 €/Go on 1 January 2023 ; 1.55 €/Go on 1 January 2024 ; 1.30 €/Go on 1 January 2025 ; 1.1 €/Go on 1 January 2026 ; 1.00/GB on or before 1 January 2027.
To calculate the amount of mobile data in GB that you can use in the EU without having to pay extra, simply divide the price of your package excluding VAT by the current wholesale price per GB and multiply by 2 (no multiplication for prepaid cards).
As the wholesale price per GB is €2 between 1 July and 31 December 2022, the price of your communication plan excluding VAT for this period corresponds to the volume of mobile data in GB that can be consumed while roaming without any additional cost.
In 2023, you will have to divide the price of the communication plan excluding VAT by 1.80 and multiply it by 2.
Example: for a monthly package costing €25 excluding VAT, you can use mobile data while roaming at no extra cost up to a maximum of 25 GB/month until 31 December 2022 (12.5 GB/month for a prepaid card). Beyond that, you will have to pay €2/GB (excluding VAT).
In 2023, the limit in question will be 27.77 GB/month (13.88 GB/month for a prepaid card). Beyond that, you will have to pay €1.80/GB (excl. VAT) in 2023.
If you have a limited communication plan, your operator may charge you for usage above the cap set by your communication plan within the limit of the wholesale prices set by operators at European level (prices excluding VAT):
- 0,022 €/call minute (0,019 € from 1 January 2025)
- 0.004 €/ SMS (0,003 € from 1 January 2025)
- 2 € / GB since 1 July 2022; 1.80 €/Gb on 1 January 2023 ; 1.55 €/GB on 1 January 2024 ; 1.30 €/Gb on 1 January 2025 ; 1.1 €/GB on 1 January 2026 ; 1 €/GB on or before 1 January 2027.
As with an unlimited package, the operator can limit mobile data use while roaming without additional costs.
To find out this limit, divide the price of your communication plan excluding VAT by the current wholesale price per GB and multiply it by 2.
Since the wholesale price per GB is €2 between 1 July and 31 December 2022, the price of your package excluding VAT is the amount of mobile data in GB that you can use without addditional costs in the EU during this period. In 2023, you will have to divide this price before tax by 1.80 and multiply it by 2.
Then compare the result of the calculation with the amount of GB in the package.
The smaller of the two amounts should be taken as the amount of GB that you can use while roaming without additional costs. This volume is then deducted from the total volume of mobile data included in your communication plan.
Example: For a €15 monthly package with 100 GB, the maximum amount of mobile data you can roam without incurring extra charges is 15 GB/month in 2022. If you use it up, you will have 85 GB/month left to use in France. If you exceed this cap in the EU, you will have to pay €2/GB (excl. VAT) in 2022.
However, many operators offer lower caps, for example a €15 package with a limit of 100GB of mobile data, of which 25GB (or more) can be used in the EU.
Special surcharged numbers exist in France, for customer services, local authorities etc. If you call them from abroad, additional costs may apply. Indeed as they have a specific regime domestically, and may entail a surcharge when called from abroad. The roaming regulation obliges operators to better inform consumers of the extra costs they incur by calling, for example, from abroad the customer service of their bank, insurance company or even the airline that has just cancelled their flight.
Good to know: The telephone number provided by a trader for receiving a call from a consumer with a view to ensuring the proper performance of a contract or the handling of a complaint may not be overcharged. This number shall be indicated in the contract and correspondence.
Yes, your operator must inform you that you are roaming as soon as you cross the border. Usually you receive the famous “welcome SMS”. The operator must also inform you of the applicable reasonable usage policy. Finally, you should receive a notification when you have reached 80% of your mobile data roaming allowance (either in agreed volume or financial limit).
Tip: To limit your mobile data usage while roaming, use Wi-Fi and free local hotspots when travelling. However, make sure that the network is secure and avoid, for example, banking operations (online purchases, checking your bank accounts, etc.) in public places. Also think about applications or services (film streaming, digital books, online mapping, etc.) that allow you to download content and then view it offline. More information on travelling with your subscription and the portability of digital content.
More information on the European commission website: “Roaming: Questions & Answers”
If you travel by boat in an EU maritime area, whether on a cruise or as a means of transport, you can roam at national rates as long as you are connected to a land-based mobile network within the EU.
But once you are out at sea, far from the coast, you may not be covered by national operators. It is then the ships themselves, with their own GSM coverage, that can allow you to make and receive calls and SMS using satellite relay antennas. This can also happen when travelling by plane.
However, as long as your mobile services are provided via satellites, they are associated with international roaming. You may be charged unregulated roaming fees (without price caps). Before you leave, check with your phone provider to see what rates you will be charged.
Good to know: Since 1 July 2022, your operator must warn you via SMS if your phone connects to a non-terrestrial network. “Operators should also offer tools for the customers to avoid additional costs such as opting out from connections to non-terrestrial networks.” Unless you tell them otherwise, they must automatically cut off mobile services if the amount charged for using this type of network reaches €50 or another predefined limit. Check this limit with your operator before travelling by boat or plane. Some operators may offer other services, such as the possibility of not using roaming on a plane or boat.
The aim of abolishing roaming charges is not to harmonise the prices across the European Union, or even to create competition between all European operators. Rather, the idea is to encourage consumer mobility by ensuring that consumers can make mobile phone calls without incurring extra costs while reasonably using their contracts within the EU.
On the other hand, package prices depend on supply and demand, but also on consumer behaviour, and within the EU, consumer habits are not necessarily the same. Not to mention that the telecoms market (and its infrastructure) is not equally developed in all countries (some countries are working on freewifi and 5G while others are not even properly at 4G yet).
What to do if I am wrongly charged extra for my roaming calls?
- First of all, dispute the overcharging with the operator (customer service and then consumer service).
- If the dispute persists, you can submit the case to the “médiateur des communications électroniques” and contact the competent authority: Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (ARCEP).
- If you have any questions about roaming in Europe, please do not hesitate to contact us.
No roaming charges until 2032
The regulation extending the abolition of roaming charges by 10 years has been adopted. The legislative text:
- improves the connection services offered to travellers. The aim is to ensure that consumers visiting another EU country have the same quality and speed of connection to their mobile network as at home, where equivalent networks are available.
- ensures that roaming consumers have effective access to emergency services, including via SMS or applications, with their location transmitted free of charge.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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