If you’re planning on using your satnav or a maps app on your mobile for your holiday trip this summer you might want to think again. Data roaming charges when using Google Maps Navigation can stack up, and cost around 20p per mile.
Satnav providers Garmin tested the route from Calais to Paris, using an Android phone and plotting a route with Google Maps Navigation for Mobile. It tracked the trip four times and found that the journey used between 12-13 MB of data per journey.
On the O2 pay as you go SIM used, this meant £36 and over to travel the 185 miles from Calais to Paris. Contract plans will be less, but still carry a hefty premium with a maximum of £26 for the single journey from Calais to Paris.
There’s an easy way to avoid these costs though, although it might not always be obvious. Check that whatever maps app or satnav system you’re using has maps downloaded, and isn’t downloading them from a mobile network like Google Maps Navigation does.
