UK Mobile, although it is nice to get away from everything whilst on holiday, most of us still want access to our mobile phones. It is important to take your mobile with you, not just for personal use, but also in case of an emergency.
We have provided a short guide to using your mobile phone abroad, including helpful advice on costs and coverage, as well as details on all the major UK phone networks.
Before you go
Make sure your UK mobile phone will work in the country you're traveling to. If your mobile phone works in the United Kingdom it will work anywhere in the EU, as well as many other countries.
Don't forget to take your charger and travel adapter with you before you go on holiday. If you are on pay as you go, don't forget to top up before you leave.
Charges Abroad
Most of the time when you go to a country in Europe you will find there are several network providers and there can be different call charges that are applicable depending on which network provider you connect to.
To find out how much calls cost when you are connected to any of the networks in the European country, it is advised to to visit 'best roaming fares' from GSM Europe.
Customers may find that their service provider has barred them from overseas use. This barring can usually be removed by telephoning the Customer Services of their network provider.
For all networks you may have to contact, their customer services do enable voicemail abroad.
Phoning home from abroad
To call phone numbers from abroad, including UK mobile, you'll need to replace the first ‘0‘ of the number with a country code - this is a '+' sign and the country's number. The UK's number is ‘44‘.<
Your Network Because much of the information above depends upon your specific network operator, we have provided a guide below with helpful advice for all the major UK mobile phone providers.
Orange Mobile Phone
Pay as you go If you are on pay as you go your phone is already set up and you will not need to make any changes.
Monthly Tariff If you pay monthly, you will need to contact Orange at least 24 hours before your departure on 150 from your mobile or 07 from any other phone to ensure it is set up for use abroad.
Virgin Mobile Phone
Pay as you go If you are on pay as you go your phone is already set up and you will not need to make any changes. Monthly Tariff If you pay monthly you can use your UK mobile in over 160 countries.
If you're new to Virgin Mobile you are required to of paid 3 monthly bills or added a deposit of £150 to your account.
T-Mobile
Whatever T-Mobile price plan you're on - even pay as you go - your phone may be already set up for use abroad UK mobile. If not, you should call Customer Services on 150 for a quick setup.
Please note that some pay monthly customers may be required to pay a deposit before this can be enabled.
O2 Mobile
Pay as you go It is advised to call the information line free on 2202 from your UK mobile phone to see whether the country you're traveling to is on the list of Direct Dial countries.
If you're not going to a Direct Dial country, doesn't worry, the information line will still tell you how to use your mobile phone abroad.
Monthly Tariff For Pay monthly customers it is advised to view costs and coverage details on the 'international section' of the O2 website.
Vodafone
Your Vodafone Mobile should already be set up for use abroad, however it is advised to read costs and coverage details on the ‘using your phone abroad‘ section of the Vodafone website.
Overseas Costs: It's easy to check how much your overseas call costs will be. You can do it before you leave the UK. Just text the word FROM, followed by the name of the country you're visiting e.g. FROM ITALY, to 4636.
Vodafone will work out how much it's going to cost you to make and receive calls from there and how much to send texts. Vodafone will then text you back with their findings.
3 Mobile
Call charges depend on where you're traveling. It is advised to read ‘International pricing‘ for full details a the 3Mobile website.
Pay as you go You should be automatically set up to use your mobile in over 65 countries abroad, with new countries being added all the time, so check for updates.
To see which countries you can currently use your mobile in and how much it costs, visit the Pay as you go abroad advice on the 3Mobile site.
Monthly Tariff You should be automatically set up to use your mobile in over 150 countries. Plus, new countries are added all the time, so make sure you check back regularly for updates.
To see which countries you can currently use your mobile in and how much it costs, visit the Pay Monthly abroad advice on the 3Mobile site.
Jez Rourke is my guest writer and the owner of Directline Holidays. A detailed and informative article on usage mobile or hand phones outside United Kingdom.
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