Virgin Media O2 UK Commits to Retain Free EU Mobile Roaming

Customers of O2 and Virgin Mobile (VMO2) may be pleased to learn that the mobile operator has just said they “will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe.” The move is likely to afford them a distinct competitive advantage for travellers over rivals at EE (BT), Three UK and Vodafone, where inclusive EU roaming is due to end (example).

At present, VMO2’s rivals are currently preparing to charge £2 per day for customers to continue to consume their UK allowances (calls, texts and data / mobile broadband) across EU countries, although some operators may also offer special bundles at a discount. Admittedly, this is still cheaper than being forced to pay excess charges for usage outside your allowance when roaming, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’ll no longer be free.

As it stands, Vodafone expects to reintroduce roaming charges for existing customers from the end of January 2022, while EE will follow in March 2022, and Three UK plans the same from 23rd May 2022. By comparison, O2 (VMO2) has remained the only operator not to announce such charges, but until now most people expected that they would follow suit at some point. But VMO2 appears to have other plans.

Gareth Turpin, Mobile CCO of Mobile at VMO2, said (Telegraph):

“With covid still scuppering plans and disrupting day to day routines for so many, we’re starting the year by giving our customers some certainty: we will not be reintroducing roaming fees in Europe.

Across both O2 and Virgin Mobile we’re maintaining our inclusive roaming so that our customers can travel to destinations all over Europe and use their data, calls and texts just as they would in the UK.”

The move gives VMO2 a distinct competitive advantage and differentiator over rivals, particularly among those consumers who, despite the pandemic, still like or need to travel around the EU. However, it remains to be seen whether the operator can continue to do this indefinitely, but at least for now they appear to be holding firm.

The reality is of course that the recent EU-UK Trade Agreement didn’t guarantee free EU roaming for the future (EU policy). Instead, it only contained vague “measures to encourage cooperation on the promotion of fair and transparent rates for international mobile roaming services in ways that can help promote the growth of trade among the Parties and enhance consumer welfare.”

The Government has also introduced some limited protection against the risk of future EU roaming BILL SHOCKs by adding a legislated cap of £45 on roaming charges and related warnings (first proposed in 2018), although this can be tweaked and disable by customers.