Cell phone outside the EU

Three warnings, then it gets really expensive

In Switzerland, one gigabyte costs up to 14,900 euros in roaming charges

(Bild: AFP)

A man from Styria in Switzerland racked up a phone and roaming bill of more than 16,000 euros in his sleep. He was lucky because it was due to a technical failure on the part of the provider. This is because the provider would have to send three warnings before the cell phone could really rack up the bill outside the EU.

The vacation was over for a man from Styria after just one night in the Swiss mountains - a text message woke him up: "Your cell phone has been blocked as a precautionary measure, as costs amounting to 16,413.55 euros have already been incurred." The man from Steyr drove home immediately and raised the alarm with A1 and the consumer protection department of the Chamber of Labor. "I had bought a weekly package for data and telephony for Switzerland for 17 euros," said the bewildered vacationer, who had only sent a few WhatsApp messages before going to bed.

60 euros are due in any case
"The legally prescribed block at 60 euros did not apply," explains consumer protection advocate Martin Walther. This is prescribed worldwide. There are actually three safety precautions: a warning when you have reached 80 percent of the data at the 60 euro cost, then at 60 euros and, if you actively switch on data roaming again, at 120 euros. "If you then activate roaming again, it's your own fault," says Walther.

The mobile operator has reduced the costs for the Steyr resident to 60 euros. If you don't reactivate data roaming after the warning, this amount is collected as a limit that applies worldwide. Never deactivate the cost limits!

Martin Walther ist Experte für Konsumentenschutz bei der Arbeiterkammer Oberösterreich

A stopover is enough
Consumer advocates used to have many more roaming cases, but since the introduction of "roam-like-at-home", where you make calls and use data in the EU plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland under the same conditions as at home, they have become fewer. Classic cases are now stopovers in Switzerland or, since Brexit, in England. Like the case of a vacationer from Saint Martin who flew home from Madeira - the island belongs to Portugal and therefore to the EU - via Zurich. She activated her cell phone in Zurich and received a bill for 67.06 euros. These costs had been incurred unnoticed due to automatic updates and app connections, as was the case with the Steyr man in the Swiss mountains - because in Switzerland, a gigabyte costs up to 14,900 euros in roaming charges.

Roam-like-at-home has been in force in the EU since June 2017. This means you can use your smartphone as if you were at home. Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican are not in the EU, some operators treat the areas equally - find out beforehand! Non-terrestrial networks can also be a cost trap on cruises or in airplanes. Deactivate voicemail abroad (call ##002#), otherwise unanswered calls will be forwarded to voicemail at the international rate.

Already a little cheaper in the Western Balkans
"We don't even know what the smartphone is doing in the background," says Walther, urging people to deactivate data roaming when traveling outside the EU and also when traveling close to the border. This is because cell phones automatically log into the strongest network. This can also be the Bosnian network in the south of Croatia, for example - Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo now also have the same regulation -; although a gigabyte also costs 18 euros here, this is a bargain compared to Switzerland.

Background update trap
If you have your cell phone with you outside the EU, you should switch off data roaming. Or, if you do want to access the Internet, you should at least deactivate the background update function. This means that even apps that are not actively used will always dial up and retrieve data in order to stay up to date. This can lead to massive unwanted data consumption without the user benefiting from it. If you are traveling in a border region, you should always activate the roaming block for "outside the EU". 

Caution for longer stays
If someone is in another EU country for a longer period of time and uses the Austrian cell phone contract, the operator may ask them to return to Austria and use their cell phone there. This is because there are regulations for fair use, "which are intended to prevent people from taking cheap cell phone contracts from other EU countries and then not using them in this country," explains Martin Walther. This "fair use" issue can be relevant for long-distance drivers, for example, or for holidaymakers taking a longer break. There is often the option of booking virtual SIM cards on your cell phone in the country you are staying in and then surfing and making calls with them.