{"id":683759,"date":"2024-06-01T11:44:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-01T10:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/?p=683759"},"modified":"2024-06-29T11:01:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T10:01:57","slug":"brits-baffled-holiday-roaming-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/brits-baffled-holiday-roaming-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"BRITS BAFFLED BY HOLIDAY ROAMING CHARGES simlocal.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRITS BAFFLED BY HOLIDAY ROAMING CHARGES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Survey reveals potential pitfalls of using data abroad unchecked<\/strong><\/p>\n

Millions of UK adults are baffled by roaming charges and have no idea how much they could be hit \u2013 with some stung for more than \u00a3120 on their holidays.<\/p>\n

A study of 2,000 mobile phone users who like to holiday revealed 63 per cent are confused by the cost of using their phone abroad.<\/p>\n

Among the most perplexing things are the price difference in varying countries (59 per cent), how texts and calls are charged (55 per cent) and if roaming charges are already covered in the holidaymaker\u2019s mobile plan (54 per cent).<\/p>\n

A further 58 per cent are muddled by how they will be charged and if it\u2019s a daily cost or a cost per gigabyte they use.<\/p>\n

This has seen 59 per cent paying \u00a324, on average, for using their phone abroad on a single trip.
\nBut one in 20 (four per cent) have ended up with a bill exceeding \u00a3120.<\/p>\n

The study was commissioned by Sim Local, which has created a tool<\/a><\/span><\/span> which allows holidaymakers to find out how much data they will need based on their usage on their travels.<\/p>\n

Sarah McGarr, Chief Digital Officer at the travel eSIM provider, said: \u201cEveryone loves jetting off on holiday, but it\u2019s evident people like to keep in touch with what\u2019s going on back home and in the world around them wherever they are, and that they rely on data for all sorts of holiday essentials \u2013 from maps to translations to transport.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo our mobiles really are crucial while abroad.
\n\u201cBut it\u2019s hard to know what you\u2019re going to need your phone for until you reach your destination so it\u2019s easy to be unprepared and not consider how much it might end up costing you.\u201d
\nThe study also found 47 per cent will take the cost \u2018on the chin\u2019 as they don\u2019t want to fiddle about with changing sims.<\/p>\n

While 32 per cent will endeavour to only use free Wi-Fi on their getaways.<\/p>\n

However, 42 per cent have been hit with charges they didn\u2019t anticipate, averaging at \u00a350 in unexpected fees.<\/p>\n

Over two-thirds (68 per cent) use their data abroad, despite 31 per cent not being confident they even understand what roaming is.<\/p>\n

But 34 per cent of those who use their data abroad wait until they arrive at their destination to see what their network charges them.<\/p>\n

And 11 per cent carry on using their phone as normal and pray they don\u2019t get landed with a hefty bill at the end.<\/p>\n

The research, conducted via OnePoll, also found 12 per cent of respondents have even ended up forking out for the cost of their child\u2019s roaming charges, at \u00a337.20 on average for a single trip.
\nBut four per cent have footed a bill of more than \u00a3100.<\/p>\n

While 35 per cent are under the impression they can\u2019t change network providers when travelling abroad.
\nHowever, 44 per cent do consider the cost of roaming when deciding which network to go with.
\nBut the same percentage called on providers to give more information on what they charge for using phones abroad \u2013 as well as what it actually means.<\/p>\n

The research also revealed how much data holidaymakers are using abroad, adding up to 3.7GB a day as typical usage for those who use their data roaming to stream films, TV shows, audio, make internet searches and video calls.<\/p>\n

Sarah from Sim Local added: \u201cOur research paints a clear picture \u2013 travellers are increasingly perplexed when it comes to understanding the complexities of roaming and data usage abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith people jetting off more than ever, getting your data plans sorted before you travel is almost as important as remembering to pack your passport.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise, the lasting memory of what should have been a highlight of the year, is actually the costly pitfalls you came home to.<\/p>\n

\u201ceSIMs are an increasingly popular way to avoid any pitfalls as they allow you to automatically switch between cost-effective mobile networks without replacing your physical SIM card.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, eSIM use globally is predicted to rise by almost 440% by 2028.”
\nMOST CONFUSING THINGS ABOUT ROAMING CHARGES ACCORING TO HOLIDAYMAKERS
\nHow much it is in different countries
\nHow much it will cost e.g. per day, per gigabyte etc.
\nIf the cost of sending or receiving texts and calls differs
\nWhat it will affect e.g. calls, texts, data or everything
\nIf it\u2019s covered in my plan already
\nIf I need to opt out or will get charged automatically
\nHow much a gigabyte actually equates to in data e.g. streaming a music video<\/p>\n

HOW MUCH DATA WILL YOU USE TO TUNE IN FROM ABROAD<\/strong>
\n59MB to stream Taylor Swift\u2019s The Tortured Poets Department, coming in at 65 minutes, on Spotify just one time
\nWatching the 90 minutes of action unfold at the UEFA Euro final will use 875MB \u2013 including the half-time analysis \u2013 and an additional 250MB if it goes to extra-time
\nDancing and singing along to Coldplay\u2019s two-hour long headline set at Glastonbury will use 1GB<\/p>\n

With the Olympics opening ceremony rumoured to start at 20:24 and conclude at the Eiffel Tower at 23:50, to take in the spectacle along The Seine it will use 1.7GB
\nIf the Wimbledon final reaches a staggering 4 hours and 42 minutes like it did last year, it will use 2.4GB to watch<\/p>\n

To learn more about eSIMs, read this helpful guide which explains how an eSIM works and the advantages it offers when travelling abroad.<\/p>\n

See more @ :-<\/p>\n

www.simlocal.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRITS BAFFLED BY HOLIDAY ROAMING CHARGES Survey reveals potential pitfalls of using data abroad unchecked Millions of UK adults are baffled by roaming charges and have no idea how much they could be hit \u2013 with some stung for more than \u00a3120 on their holidays. A study of 2,000 mobile phone users who like to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":683761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-683759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clubs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683759"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":683893,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683759\/revisions\/683893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}