Using your tablet abroad can be 1,000 times more expensive than at home, according to a report by Which? magazine. So who’s got the most extortionate roaming rates? And where are the hotspots to avoid at all costs? Read on and find out.
Some operators don’t allow roaming on their tablet devices, but those that do charge a pretty penny, says the report published today. And the costs can be well hidden on the networks’ websites too, so can be hard to find.
3 was singled out as having the greatest disparity between its UK 3G rates and the international roaming charges – go to Canada, and 3 charges £10 per MB, or £10,000 per GB. That’s a lot to pay for a film. Though it does set a limit of £50 on its roaming charges, after which you’ll be cut off, to stop the bills getting extortionate.
“People know it’s more expensive using tablets abroad, but they don’t realise just how much more expensive,” says Ceri Stanaway, telecoms expert at Which?, who carried out the study. So how did the operators compare? “O2 doesn’t allow roaming on its tablets, while Orange and T-Mobile have two tiers for inside and outside Europe,” says Stanaway. “T-Mobile sends you a text in whichever country you’re in alerting you of the charges, but whether most people know what the per MB charge equates to is a different matter. And with Orange you have to call up to activate it to use abroad, when the rates are explained. Vodafone charges in 50MB chunks, so while it may seem a lot it will work out cheaper for heavy users.”
Stanaway says this echoes the scandals over mobile roaming charges a few years ago. “The charges aren’t dissimilar, but you can do more with a tablet, so people are more likely to get through a lot of data using them abroad.”
And so what advice does Stanaway offer to anyone thinking of taking their tablet abroad? “Check the costs before you go. If you’re sending just a few emails without attachments you’ll probably be fine, but don’t stream TV or download big files as you’ll break the bank. And use free wi-fi hotspots wherever possible.” Otherwise, you could find yourself with a bill that’s more than the price of your tablet.
