o2 bolt ons for travelling abroad

O2 roaming explained for international & EU countries

You can roam and use O2 within most countries around the world.

You can use your regular allowance for free within 48 European countries, with a data fair usage policy of 25GB per month.

With selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans, you also get the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, which allows you to use unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 27 international destinations outside the EU.

Alternatively, all O2 mobile customers can get the O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 per day, which gives you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts in 63 international destinations outside the EU.

What's the best O2 SIM for roaming?

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You can use your allowance for free within the EU with all O2 SIMs .

You can find the cheapest O2 SIM Only deals by using our comparison tools. O2 SIMs will work with all phones, including the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 15 .

With O2 Europe Zone, you can continue to roam for free and use your allowance within the EU.

O2 Europe Zone is included with all plans at no additional cost.

O2 are one of the few networks which will not introduce charges for roaming within the EU after Brexit .

In accordance with the fair usage policy, if your regular allowance is greater than 25GB, you cannot exceed 25GB per month when roaming in the EU.

If you go over your regular allowance, or you exceed the fair usage policy of 25GB per month, you will be charged £3.50 for each additional GB you use when roaming in the EU.

You must also be considered a permanent UK resident. You cannot roam within qualifying European countries for excessive or consecutive periods at a time.

You can use your allowance for free within 48 European destinations:

• Canary Islands
• Czech Republic
• French Guiana
• Isle of Man
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Martin
• Switzerland
• Vatican City

With the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you will get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts within 27 international countries.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is included at no additional cost with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It is not included with any 30 day SIM only plans or pay as you go plans.

If your plan doesn't include the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On for free, you can choose it as your O2 Extra with the following plans:

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, excessive usage may see your data speeds temporarily restricted.

The following 27 international countries are covered by the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

If you’re not eligible for the free O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you cannot pay for it. However, you can purchase the similar O2 Travel Bolt On, which covers 63 international destinations for £6 per day. See below for more information.

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available for £6 per day, and covers 63 international destinations.

Similar to the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, you get unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 or by enabling it via your O2 account.

The £6 daily fee will automatically be charged when you use mobile data, make a call or send a text message. Using Wi-Fi or receiving calls and texts will not trigger the charge.

The moment the charge is triggered, you'll have access for 24 hours, until the trigger resets. There are no limits on the amount of consecutive days you can trigger the Bolt On.

It is important to note you must enable the O2 Travel Bolt On before you use data, make a call or send a text. If you don't enable the Bolt On, you won't be charged the £6 daily fee - instead, you will be charged at a standard roaming rate, which can be expensive.

There is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use - you get unlimited data. However, there is a 2Mbps speed limit in place.

The O2 Travel Bolt On works in the following 63 destinations:

• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Dominican Republic
• Netherlands Antilles
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• South Africa
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks & Caicos
• United Arab Emirates

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is free with selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only plans and Volt plans. It works in 27 international countries. You cannot buy the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On if you are not eligible for free, however you can choose it as an O2 Extra with select tariffs.

On the other hand, the O2 Travel Bolt On is available to all pay monthly customers for £6 per day and works in 63 international destinations.

Both Bolt Ons give you unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, the O2 Travel Bolt On comes with a 2Mbps speed limit.

If you’re using your allowance for free within O2’s Europe Zone, you cannot exceed 25GB data per month if your regular allowance is greater than this amount. If you go over this limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your allowance resets during the next month.

In addition, you cannot roam within the O2 Europe Zone for more than 63 days within a 4 month period - the offer is not intended for extended holidays. If O2 thinks you are abusing the free EU roaming policy, you will be given a 2 week notice, before a surcharge is applied:

The surcharge will be dropped when you return and stay in the UK for a reasonable time.

For the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, there is no fair usage policy on the amount of data you can use, however O2 states they may implement a temporary speed limit if your usage is deemed excessive. The O2 Travel Bolt On does not have a fair usage policy, however there is a permanent 2Mbps speed limit in place at all times.

If you exceed your data allowance or go over the 25GB limit when roaming for free in the Europe Zone, you will be charged £3.50 per GB, until your plan resets during the next month.

If you don't have an roaming Bolt On when travelling outside of Europe, or you're not in an eligible country, you will charged at a standard out of plan rate.

The out of plan rate is typically expensive, and varies between countries. For full charges, see O2 roaming rates

The following shows the O2 out of plan rates within a few international destinations.

No, 5G is only available within the UK with O2 . The maximum signal you can get when roaming with O2 is 4G.

Yes, all O2 customers can use their regular allowance for free with O2 Europe Zone, covering 48 European destinations.

Before roaming with O2 , you must enable roaming in your phone’s settings.

For Android users:

• Go to Settings
• Go to Connections -> Mobile networks -> Roaming
• Enable Data roaming

For iPhone users:

• Go to Mobile data -> Mobile Data Options
• Enable Data Roaming

If you're roaming in the EU and go over your data allowance or the 25GB limit, you will be charged £3.50 per GB until your plan resets at the next month.

Yes, you can tether to as many devices as you like when roaming with O2 . Any regular data limitations that apply when roaming will also apply when tethering while roaming.

The O2 Travel Bolt On is available with all pay monthly plans for £6 per day. You can get the O2 Travel Bolt On by texting TRAVEL to 23336 . Alternatively, you can purchase the Bolt On through your O2 account.

The O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On is available for free on selected O2 Refresh, O2 SIM only contracts and Volt plans. You may also choose it for free as an O2 Extra, with eligible plans.

Both Bolt Ons come with unlimited data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. However, they each cover different destinations.

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Travelling outside the UK? Here’s everything you need to know to get online while abroad.

BOLT-ONS and CONTRACTUAL ADD-ONS .

When you travel abroad, you’ve already got enough to think about – your mobile devices and staying connected while in control of your costs shouldn’t add to your list of worries.

That’s why we’ve got an impressive selection of roaming bolt-ons and add-ons* for every type of traveller. They offer a range of data, voice and text options, covering daily travel and monthly trips across the globe.

Daily traveller

Global data, global minutes, pro ireland, our roaming bolt-on checker..

Use the dropdown filters to help you find the perfect roaming bolt-on. Simply select your destination and current tariff to discover which bolt-ons are the best fit.

Have you got Pro Traveller included in your contract?

Here’s the list of compatible bolt-ons you can choose from that are based on your search criteria.

No tariff selected

You have not selected a tariff. Please note that the roaming bolt-ons listed here may be incompatible with your service

You’ll be visiting country

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Europe Zone

You’re going to a country that is within our Europe Zone. That means, your minutes, texts and data will be deducted from your domestic allowances. Fair usage applies

Global Minutes

Global Minutes is our monthly roaming bolt-on that works in ALL countries outside the UK and plan.com Europe Zone. Covering any call made or received, including out of region.

Your options are:

• 100 Minutes for £35
• 200 Minutes for £60
• 300 Minutes for £85
• 500 Minutes for £120 (gold package user)
• 750 Minutes for £160 (platinum package user)

Exec Traveller

Exec Traveller is our monthly roaming bolt-on that works in most countries outside the UK and plan.com Europe Zone (see guide for exclusions)

• £5 daily activation charge (you’re only charged while roaming in our Pro World Zone, which covers an impressive 113 destinations.)

Global Traveller Data

Global Data is our monthly roaming bolt-on that works in ALL countries outside the UK and plan.com Europe Zone. Any data used outside the UK and Europe Zone is included in this bolt-on allowance.

• 500MB of Data for £30
• 1GB of Data for £50
• 2GB of Data for £90
• 3GB of Data for £120 (gold package user)
• 4GB of Data for £140 (platinum package user)

Daily Explorer

Only accessible to contracts with Daily Explorer added before May 9th 2022

Daily Explorer is the ideal roaming bolt-on for occasional travellers. It’s a daily bolt-on, meaning you only pay for it while you’re travelling, and can be enjoyed up to 14 times every month.

You can activate our Daily Explorer bolt-on up to 14 times in one billing cycle.

• £7 per day
• 100 Mins of Calls
• 200MB of Data

Pro Traveller

Only accessible to contracts with Pro Traveller added before May 9th 2022

Pro Traveller is an exclusive daily Tariff add-on. No activation limits and only available with the pro.plan tariff range.

You can enjoy 100 voice minutes, 50 texts and 500MB of data while roaming.

Travel with confidence and without borders:

• £5 daily activation charge (you’re only charged while roaming in our Pro World Zone, which covers over 100 destinations.)
• 100 voice minutes, 50 text messages and 500MB of data each day
• Includes the United Arab Emirates

Daily Traveller

Our Daily Traveller bolt-ons cover 115 countries worldwide, including the United Arab Emirates. The daily activation charge is only applied while travelling.

• Data - 500 MB

Daily Traveller Plus

Our Daily Traveller Plus bolt-ons cover 115 countries worldwide, including the United Arab Emirates. The daily activation charge is only applied while travelling.

• Data - 1000 MB

We've got you covered

Roaming in Europe is easier than ever. You can now use your UK allowances when travelling in the plan.com Europe Zone at no additional cost*.

This means that our roaming bolt-ons do no activate in the Europe Zone

Canary Islands

Czech Republic

French Guiana

Isle of Man

Liechtenstein

Netherlands

Saint Barthélemy

Saint Martin

Switzerland

Vatican City

*Please refer to the full Terms and conditions. While roaming in European countries that border with non-European countries (e.g. The Republic of Cyprus, which borders with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), it is possible for a roaming mobile phone to connect with a mobile mast in the neighbouring country. In these cases, voice, text and data charges are set at the higher, non-European rates. This is also true of maritime, satellite and airborne networks.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES While roaming

Additional charges will be incurred if you exceed your daily or monthly bolt-on allowance(s), or use the service outside of its limitations (e.g. out-of-zone or out-of-region calls) while roaming in the plan.com World Zone (i.e. outside of the Europe Zone)

Extremely helpful and quick to respond. Easy to talk to and able to get queries sorted out immediately. Informed helpful staff who know what they are doing so makes communications easy. Easy to recommend.

Great service speedy and quick. I would recommend plan.com to anybody. Service is that good I've renewed my contract for a 3rd time. Thankyou.

First class! I had been with Vodafone for 26 years and have never experienced customer service as good as I have in the past 3 months with plan.com! Many thanks.

MANUAL ROAMING NETWORK SELECTION

We’ve put together a handy step by step guide to help you if you’re struggling to connect to automatically to a network whilst travelling outside the UK.   

Upgrade to save

If you’re a business without borders or a frequent traveller, our my.plan platinum package is for you.

With advanced roaming controls and enhanced notifications, you’ll have everything you need to stay connected to your business, customers, and people, without the worry of running up additional charges.

For just £4 per service per month 1 , you can access a unique range of advanced roaming controls and features that are unavailable on any other network or provider, including:

Save money while roaming

Enjoy reduced Daily Traveller and Daily Traveller Plus activation charges.

Location visibility

Locate services down to the nearest cell tower 1 2 , thanks to GPS insights in my.plan.

Roaming controls

Stay connected and prevent unexpected data, call and text charges while travelling with my.plan roaming spend and usage controls.

Roaming notifications

Keep up to date while travelling with usage notifications and alerts at a level you manage.

ROAMING bolt-ons

Access data, minutes and text allowances while travelling with our range of roaming packages, including up to 4GB per month of Global Data or up to 750 minutes per month 2 of Global Minutes

1 Based on an Essential to Platinum in-life upgrade. 2 Requires Platinum package or upgrade. Gold is tracked to county level. 3 Requires Platinum package or upgrade

ROAMING CONTROLS

Our suite of roaming controls can help you to avoid unwanted charges by blocking data usage, or restricting calls and texts to numbers and services that are not covered by most standard allowances, such as international numbers and usage while roaming.

In one simple step you can set up alerts when services are approaching the additional charge limit that you set. If reached, their usage is automatically restricted and you’ll have the tools you need to quickly reconnect them using a bolt-on or by increasing their Spend Limit.

Visit my.plan to discover the controls available.

Roaming Data & calls

Stay in complete control of data, calls and text use, and the associated charges, while travelling with our roaming restrictions.

International Calls

International Call Restrictions prevent calls from one country to another that is outside of its Roaming Zone (unless back to the UK).

DATA, CALLS & SMS SPEND CONTROLS

Our UK and roaming Spend Controls keep you up to date and in control of allowances and charges thanks to email, SMS notifications and automated usage restrictions.

ROAMING IN THE PLAN . COM EUROPE ZONE

Good news! While roaming in the plan.com Europe Zone, you will use your domestic data, call and text allowances*.

Following Brexit, using your phone while roaming in Europe on some other networks can result in additional activation charges. However, with plan.com using your domestic allowance in Europe is still free*.

PLAN . COM EUROPE ZONE

The plan.com Europe Zone includes the following destinations. Maritime, satellite and airborne networks are not included, even though they may be based in Europe.

TRAVELLING WITHIN THE plan . com WORLD ZONE

We offer a range of daily and monthly roaming data, call and text bolt-ons that work in ALL countries outside the UK and plan.com Europe Zone that will help keep you connected while staying on control of your costs.

WORLD ZONE REGIONS

The plan.com World Zone includes destinations include most destinations in the world but excludes the UK and those destinations listed under the plan.com Europe Zone.

2G & 3G SUNSET

The 2G and 3G mobile networks are gradually being switched off over the next few years to make room for the more advanced 4G and 5G networks. 4G and 5G give customers better, faster and more reliable services.

Each country and mobile provider has set its own timetable for its 2G and 3G network switch-off, with the USA currently taking the lead with a commitment to shutting down their networks by January 2023. Here’s what this means for you as a plan.com customer.

TRAVELLING TO THE USA

If you are planning to travel to the USA, some older phones won’t be compatible with USA networks. The switch-off impacts all mobile network operators with roaming agreements with networks in the USA, not just plan.com.

WHAT DO CUSTOMERS NEED TO DO?

If you are going to the USA on business and wish to use your phone, you will need to ensure that you have:

A 4G or 5G phone*

A 4g or 5g enabled sim, a compatible plan.com tariff, 4g calling switched on, on your device, if you have no plans to travel to the usa, then you don’t need to do anything..

*Your 4G or 5G phone needs to support 4G calling when roaming (click here for compatible device list) with the latest software installed. This includes being set up with the correct plan.com APN settings. Further details are available here.

DEVICES THAT WILL WORK IN THE USA FROM 2023

As device manufacturers release new operating system and firmware updates from time to time, please make sure you have the most recent version. Apple devices require iOS 15 or above. Manufacturers using the Android operating system may have enabled the required changes on different versions. A full list of compatible devices is available here.

Fair usage thresholds identify data, call and text usage that falls outside of the rules set out in your customer agreement and its related policies. They help us to ensure that we can continue to provide a consistent, flexible, and unrestricted range of tariffs and features to all our customers.

You may hear from us if your usage (or projected usage) exceeds what we would expect from a typical plan.com customer. If your service continues to breach the rules, we will take action to prevent this in the future.

To find out more about the fair usage policy, limits and consequences, visit https://guides.plan.com/fair-usage

General Roaming Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions form part of the Customer Guide and are incorporated into the Business Customer Terms and Conditions between Plan Communications Limited ("plan.com") and any Customer who is roaming.

WHAT IS ROAMING?

Roaming is when Equipment is used outside of the UK. For example, when you travel to a foreign country with your mobile phone. Your plan.com tariff does not include use of your service(s) outside of the plan.com Europe Zone (“EZ”). Therefore, using Equipment outside of the UK or EZ means that you may incur additional charges, other than those described as part of your tariff, while using your service.

Equipment is ’being used’ while abroad when one or more of the following events take place:

• Data is accessed by your device. This may happen as soon as a device (“Equipment”) connects with a foreign network provider. plan.com will charge you a fixed standard per MB rate for this data usage without an applicable roaming data bolt-on. To prevent this, either mobile data must be turned off, roaming data must be turned off, the Equipment must be in Flight Mode and/or the Equipment must be turned off. PLEASE NOTE: Data can be accessed by your Equipment as soon as it is turned on, or Data access is enabled having been previously disabled. Data is not limited to specific apps being opened e.g., Facebook, an internet browser or Spotify. Background tasks often access data on your Equipment without your specific interaction. Therefore, your Equipment may be sending or receiving data simply by being turned on.
• A call is made or received. In order to make or receive a call, your Equipment will automatically attempt to connect to a foreign network provider. The third-party will fulfil this call request. You can prevent calls from being received while abroad by keeping your Equipment in Flight Mode, or asking for an incoming call bar to be applied. plan.com will charge you a fixed standard per minute rate for this usage (see pricing) unless the usage is bundled with a roaming voice bolt-on.
• A text message is sent. As above, this Service will be fulfilled by a foreign network provider and plan.com will charge you a fixed rate per text (see our pricing guide) unless the usage is bundled with a roaming SMS bolt-on. Multimedia Messages (MMS) are not covered by roaming Bolt-Ons or Add-Ons and are prices accordingly.

Our Daily and Monthly Roaming Bolt-Ons and Add-Ons are a range of products designed to support those Customers who want to use their services while roaming while staying in control of their costs.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES WHILE ROAMING

Customers who use their service(s) while roaming to access data, make or receive calls, or send texts and do not have an applicable roaming Bolt-on or add-on in place will incur additional charges.

Customer will also incur additional if their usage exceeds (i) the relevant allowance included within the Inclusive Allowance of the Customer’s Tariff and (ii) the additional daily or monthly allowance provided by any Bolt-On, Add-On or Data Boost that has been applied (iii) the limitations of the inclusive allowance e.g. when used in a destination not covered by the allowance or used in a way outside of the allowed usage, such as Out of-Zone calls (see below for more details).

Additional Charges will be incurred at the rates set out in our Pricing guide, which can be found here: https://guides.plan.com/pricing/

WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL USAGE?

International usage relates to calls and texts that originate in one country and are received in a different country.

When roaming, please check your Bolt-On or Add-On guide when making or receiving calls while roaming, or sending texts.

Roaming Bolt-ons and Add-Ons do not include International Calls from the UK to a destination outside of the UK. An International Bolt-On or Add-On is required in these cases. International Bolt-On or Add-Ons do not apply while roaming.

ROAMING IN EUROPE

Customers with tariffs and Bolt-ons that include UK allowances may use their UK allowances when roaming in the plan.com Europe Zone (EZ).

Usage in these destinations will be deducted from your domestic tariff allowances. For example, our pro.plan 6GB tariff customers will enjoy 6GB of data to use in the UK and EZ. If you use 500MB in France, 500MB will be deducted from your pro.plan 6GB data allowance.

If you exceed your tariff data allowance and/or Bolt-On or Add-On allowance while roaming in the EZ you will be charged at the same out of bundle rates that apply to the UK.

The following usage is included with the UK tariff allowance:

• All data usage in the EZ
• Calls and texts back to the UK from an EZ destination (including voicemail retrieval)
• Calls and texts within an EZ destination, e.g. Spain to Spain
• Calls and texts from one destination to another where both are in the EZ, e.g. Spain to Germany (except where calls or texts originate in the UK – these are still regarded as international calls/SMS)

The following usage is excluded from the UK tariff allowance:

• Calls and texts from the UK to destinations in the EZ will not be included in UK Tariffs - these are international calls/texts
• Calls and texts from in the EZ to a non-EZ destination, e.g. Spain to the USA are classified as Out of Zone Calls/Texts and subject to fixed per minute/SMS charges (see pricing guide for more information
• Calls and texts to Premium/Non-Geographic numbers are not included, neither are texts received from premium rate numbers

1 Fair usage applies

CALLS & TEXTS TO EUROPE ZONE (INTERNATIONAL)

Calls and texts to Europe Zone means calls and texts that originate in the UK and are received by services in the plan.com Europe Zone. These are classed as International Calls and Texts.

Calls and texts to Europe do not include calls and texts made while a service is roaming in the Europe Zone. These are classed as Roaming Calls and Texts.

International calls are charged by the minute, with a one-minute minimum call charge.

Unless a relevant Bolt-on or Add-On is applied, international calls and texts are charged at the standard out of bundle international call and text charge rates – please see the pricing guide for more information: https://guides.plan.com/pricing/

CALLS & TEXTS TO COUNTIES OUTSIDE OF THE EUROPE ZONE (INTERNATIONAL)

Calls and texts to countries outside of the plan.com Europe Zone means calls and texts that originate in the UK and are received by services outside of the UK and plan.com Europe Zone. These are classed as International Calls and Texts.

Calls and texts to international destinations do not include calls and texts made while the service making the call or sending a text is roaming. These are classed as Roaming Calls and Texts.

Unless a relevant Bolt-on or Add-on is applied, international calls and texts are charged at the standard out of bundle international call and text charge rates – please see the pricing guide for more information: https://guides.plan.com/pricing/

ROAMING CALLS AND TEXTS WITHIN EUROPE ZONE

Roaming calls and texts within Europe Zone include: Calls and texts from the Europe Zone back to the UK, In Country (e.g. France to France), and In Zone (e.g. France to Germany).

Roaming calls and texts within Europe Zone do not include Out of Zone (e.g. France to America).

Roaming calls and texts within Europe Zone do not include calls that originate in the UK and are received by services in the plan.com Europe Zone. These are classed as International Calls and Texts.

Unless a relevant Bolt-on or Add-On is applied, roaming calls and texts are charged at the standard out of bundle roaming charge rates – please see the pricing guide for more information: https://guides.plan.com/pricing/

FAIR USAGE WHILE ROAMING

The Fair Use Threshold for all mobile or MBB data usage while roaming outside of the UK (including roaming in the Europe Zone) is 25GB per service per month.

The Fair Use Threshold for all mobile call usage while roaming outside of the UK (including roaming in the Europe Zone) is 3,000 minutes per service per month.

The Fair Use Threshold for all mobile text usage while roaming outside of the UK (including roaming in the Europe Zone) is 3,000 texts per service per month.

If, at the absolute discretion of plan.com, your call usage exceeds the Fair Usage Threshold as described above, we may contact you by email, text, or telephone to advise you accordingly, but we reserve the right to bar your service.

When we contact you, we will provide you with the opportunity to rectify the situation by ceasing, or substantially reducing, your call and/or text usage. If excessive usage continues, or if for any reason we reasonably suspect that you are not acting in accordance with this policy, we reserve the right to take further action.

Such action may include, but is not limited to:

• Removing the roaming Bolt-On or Add-On
• Transferring you to a tariff that does not include unlimited calls, texts and/or data
• At our absolute discretion, suspending, modifying or restricting the use of your services
• Withdrawing access to the service indefinitely
• Termination of contract, which may also include contractual termination fees

FAIR USAGE WHILE ROAMING: PERMANENT OR SEMI PERMANENT RESIDENCY

plan.com tariffs, Bolt-Ons and Add-Ons are intended for customers and users with a stable link to the UK who travel abroad periodically. They are not intended for users roaming on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.

We reserve the right to monitor usage patterns of plan.com customers to reasonably determine whether a Customer may be abusing the regulatory right that permits Customers to use an Inclusive Allowance whilst roaming.

If a customer spends more than two months abroad out of four months or if the customer has consumed more data abroad than at home over this time, we may send an alert to that customer.

Once the alert is received, the customer will have two weeks to clarify the situation. If the user continues to remain abroad, we reserve the right to apply surcharges (equivalent to wholesale roaming caps, agreed on 31 January 2017).

ROAMING NEAR BORDERS

While roaming in countries that border with other destinations that fall outside the region or zone (e.g. The Republic of Cyprus, which borders with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), it is possible for a roaming mobile phone to connect with a mobile mast in the neighbouring country. In the example of Cyprus and Turkey, voice, text and data charges are set at the higher, non-Euro Zone rates.

When it comes to data usage, this can be up to £6 per MB. This is also true of maritime, satellite and airborne networks. plan.com is not able to control which network your Equipment connects to. For this reason, we are not liable for any additional charges that are incurred.

MARITIME, SATELLITE AND AIRBORNE NETWORKS

Maritime, satellite and airborne networks are not included in any plan.com tariff or Bolt-on allowances, even though they may be based in one of our roaming zones.

plan.com cannot be held responsible for Equipment accessing these networks and is not liable for any additional charges that are incurred from Equipment using these networks, even if accidental.

Please take extra care when travelling off-land or within areas not covered by mobile operators. We suggest putting your device into flight-safe mode in these situations or turning off roaming data on your device.

USING YOUR PHONE AS A PERSONAL HOTSPOT WHILE ROAMING

We do not recommend using your phone or connected device as a personal hotspot. Services on standard mobile tariffs are designed for calls, texts and general use such as daily browsing. They’re not designed for being used as (or in) a mobile broadband device, as this usually consumes a great deal of data.

When you use your phone as a hotspot, all devices will be using data from your phone. Depending on the number of devices connected and what they’re being used for, your data allowance could be used up (and exceeded) very quickly.

In addition to this, the reporting of the amount of data used while tethering is subject to increased delays, sometimes of several days. This means that we may not be able to react as quickly to tethered data use as standard data use. Therefore, any data alerts and/or bars set up on your account will also be delayed. This could lead to additional charges on your account.

The reporting of data while roaming outside the UK can further increase the delay in data reporting. Due to the increased cost of using data outside the UK/EU, we highly recommend that you avoid using your phone or connected device as a personal hotspot while roaming.

Europe Roaming Terms & Conditions

World zone terms & conditions.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Where is the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone? Phone provider’s data policy explained

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We’ve all been there – the plane lands, you whip out your phone and then feel a moment of panic over whether to turn on data roaming.

Let alone agonising over how much it will cost to call home.

Depending on your contract, and your network, using your phone on holiday can be just the same as at home – or very pricey.

It’s all got so much more complicated since Brexit , as some companies reintroduced roaming charges .

The trick is to get clued up and sorted before you go, so there are no unexpected surprises.

Because when you’re hitting the beach for some much-needed R&R , fretting about your phone bill will just pile on the stress.

So if you’re on the O2 network, what’s included – and what isn’t?

Here’s what you need to know.

Is O2 free in Europe?

In its Europe Zone, O2 contracts work as they do in the UK – so you’ll get the same number of minutes, texts and the same data allowance (up to a limit of 25GB). You can use this for up to 63 days in any four-month period – more than this will trigger a ‘fair usage’ text and after that you could be charged £3.50 per GB for data, 3.3p per minute for calls and 1p per text.

If your data allowance is more than 25GB in the UK, it will be capped at that level in Europe – you can use more, but you’ll have to pay for it.

The Europe Zone also applies to pay-as-you-go – data will come out of your allowance or be charged as it would in the UK.

Note that a handful of Europe Zone destinations on pay-as-you-go are slightly different: in Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco or Switzerland, you can buy a travel bolt-on £1.99 for 100MB of data, texts are 1p and calls within these countries or back to the UK for 4p a minute.

Countries in the O2 Europe roaming zone are:

• Canary Islands
• Cyprus* (excluding Northern Cyprus)
• Czech Republic
• French Guiana
• Isle of Man
• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Martin
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City  

What’s the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone?

The ‘Travel Inclusive Zone’ is a list of 27 countries outside of the Europe Zone.

Countries in the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone are:

• El Salvador
• New Zealand
• United States

Who can get the Travel Inclusive zone?

It’s offered as a bolt-on on certain O2 Selected Plus Plans (including pay monthly and 12 and 24-month sim-only) to cover unlimited minutes, texts and data roaming in these areas (with no cap on the data).

It’s not available on 30-day sim-only tariffs or on pay-as-you-go.

What about outside the Travel Inclusive zone?

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If you’re travelling outside of the Europe Zone and do not have the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt On, then if you’re on pay monthly you can buy the the O2 Travel Bolt On for £6 a day which gives unlimited minutes, texts and data in selected destinations.

O2 has a dedicated page where you can check to see if the country you’re visiting is covered. You can add the bolt-on by texting TRAVELON to 21300.

For pay as you go, it’s not offered, so you’ll be charged international roaming rates outside of the Europe Zone.

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You can check international roaming rates on O2’s dedicated page – in the US, for example, data is a whopping £7.20 per MB on pay-as-you-go, and calls cost £2 a minute to make and receive.

MORE : List of WhatsApp changes in 2023 – from Chat lock to message edits

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Money blog: 'Do not eat them' - Tesco urgently recalls chocolate bars over nut risk

The Food Standards Agency has advised Tesco customers to return the chocolate bars for a full refund. Read this and the rest of today's personal finance and consumer news in the Money blog - and leave a comment below on any of the stories we cover, or a money problem for our experts.

Monday 10 June 2024 21:02, UK

• Tesco urgently recalls chocolate bars over peanut risk
• PrettyLittleThing begins charging customer for returns
• The most common holiday booking scams - and red flags to watch out for
• EU elections and US jobs data knock global markets
• Money Problem: 'I bought a heat pump dryer that takes nine hours to dry a small load but Candy and AO say there's no fault - what can I do?'

Essential reads

• How long do trailers last at each cinema chain - and when to get there
• Consider swapping chicken breasts out of your shopping basket
• How brands get you to buy more, more, more
• How much are student loans and when do you start paying back?
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

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Scammers pretending to be major airlines are using social media to try to commit identify fraud, according to new analysis.

Consumer champion Which? says fraudsters are using the X social media platform to trick people into giving away personal information by responding to messages sent to official airline accounts.

One of the group's researchers posted a message to Wizz Air asking if a flight was delayed and received replies from two bogus accounts "almost immediately".

"Both used near-identical language, apologising for the inconvenience, stating that they had 'already escalated this matter to the relevant department' and requesting a 'reachable WhatsApp number for assistance' via DM (direct message)," Which? said.

It added that there are fake X accounts "impersonating every major airline" including British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair.

X, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been contacted for comment.

According to Which?, users have struggled with reporting fake accounts to the website, with many still live despite being flagged as bogus.

Customers can make sure they're dealing with a real account by checking the link on the airline's official website, when it joined X and its number of followers, it said.

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: "Unscrupulous fraudsters are shamelessly trying to trick airline customers seeking urgent customer service advice via X for stressful situations, such as delayed flights and lost luggage.

"There is an epidemic of fraud gripping the UK and that's why Which? wants the next government to appoint a dedicated fraud minister and make fighting fraud a national priority."

Ms Concha also said X and Ofcom "should not shy away" from taking "strong enforcement action" against social media platforms that break the law.

The UK has seen the biggest rise in unemployment of any OECD country since the start of the year, according to figures.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) found that unemployment levels increased by 178,000 across England between October-December 2023 and January-March 2024.

The North West had the biggest increase in unemployment (47,000) followed by the West Midlands (38,000) and London (37,000).

The TUC said the rise in unemployment in 2024 had coincided with a slump in job vacancies and real wages were still worth less than in 2008.

It also found that of the 38 OECD countries, only Costa Rica had suffered a similar rise in unemployment.

The OECD is a club of the 38 richest countries in the world.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the "country was crying out for change".

"In every single English region, people's job prospects have been deteriorating - with the unemployment rate rising and vacancies falling," he said.

"The Conservatives are failing working people. Joblessness and economic inactivity are up.

"Over four million people are trapped in insecure work and real wages are still worth less than in 2008. Our country is crying out for change."

Renting in London can be tough.

And now things seem to have got worse.

A listing on SpareRoom has gone viral after it was advertised by "a couple of Siamese cats".

The ground-floor living room in Kensal Rise, northwest London, comes with a single bed, a couch that can open into a double bed and a desk.

There is also access to a shared kitchen, bathroom and garden.  

"We are a couple of Siamese cats that live in a large one bedroom ground floor flat with a private garden on a quiet street in a great location with great access," the listing reads.

"We live with a lovely couple of humans who take care of us, they think the place is theirs, but it's ours. The female human is not around much so it's just us and the male. He's usually in the kitchen and dining room area. 

"Aside from watering the plants he never goes into the living room, so we thought we'd rent it out on a private room-only basis."

The room is available until the end of August and prospective renters need a £500 deposit.

Social media users didn't hold back, with one person calling the capital's rental scene "the Wild West"...

More than £366bn is sitting in UK current and savings accounts earning returns of 1% interest or less, according to new research.

The analysis by Yorkshire Building Society and data consultancy CACI shows there are still nearly 13 million current accounts held in the UK with balances above £5,001.

The figure is slightly down on the £380bn held in accounts paying 1% interest or less in January but means there is still more than £366bn sat in low-paying accounts.

In addition, 17% of people admit to having never checked what rate of interest they are earning on their savings, according to an Opinium survey for Yorkshire Building Society.

And 36% admit they keep their savings in their current account.

Chris Irwin, director of savings at Yorkshire Building Society, said it was "surprising" that there were such "large pockets of people who are significantly missing out on savings interest".

"It's encouraging to see that for a small number of people they have made moves to improve the situation," he said,

"However, there is still an incredible amount of money not earning returns like they could be."

Every Thursday we team up with  Savings Champion founder Anna Bowes , who shares her insights into the savings market and how to make the most of your money.

Last week she suggested now really is the time to move your money if you have cash languishing, earning less than inflation. 

This is especially the case, she said, if you can lock some away with a fixed rate, as a base rate cut will happen at some stage, we just don't know when.

Click below to see which type of accounts she recommended - and she'll be back again this Thursday...

Millions of cat owners in England face a fine of up to £500 if they fail to get their cat microchipped and registered on a database under new laws coming into force from today.

The legislation applies to cats aged 20 weeks and older - but of the estimated nine million pet cats in the country, up to 2.2 million are still not chipped, according to data from the charity Cats Protection.

It costs between £20 and £30 to have a cat microchipped by a vet, the charity said.

Owners found not to have microchipped their pet will have 21 days to have one implanted or face the financial penalty.

You can read more here ...

Tesco has urgently recalled two chocolate bars because they could contain undeclared peanuts.

The supermarket chain's Nutty Nougat Caramel Chocolate Bars Multipack and Dreamy Caramel Chocolate Bars Multipack are being taken off shelves over "possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to peanuts".

The products are sold in packs of six for £1.15.

"If you have bought the above products do not eat them," the UK's Food Standards Agency said.

"Instead, return them to any Tesco store for a full refund."

A Tesco spokesperson told Sky News: "Due to a mispack, there is a risk of peanuts not being declared as an ingredient in the product.

"This poses a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to peanuts."

PrettyLittleThing has become the latest retailer to introduce returns fees.

The fashion brand, which is owned by Boohoo, started charging all customers  £1.99 for returns from 3 June.

Customers who are PLT Royalty members, which costs £9.99 a year, will also have to pay the charge.

The retailer joins other brands such as Zara, which started charging £1.95 for postal returns in 2022, and Boohoo, which introduced a £1.99 fee in July 2022, in introducing a returns cost.

Next also introduced a £2.50 charge for courier returns last year.

PrettyLittleThing declined to comment but confirmed charges had been introduced.

By James Sillars , business reporter

Two major themes for financial markets to focus on today: the results of the EU parliamentary elections and hiring in the United States.

Both are knocking stock markets globally this morning, with the FTSE 100 opening sharply down along with its European counterparts.

If we look at all this chronologically, the much-stronger-than-expected US employment numbers released on Friday afternoon have put a lid on talk of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve central bank.

Global investors are crying out for cheaper borrowing costs and that now seems a distant prospect, with some market watchers even predicting it will be 2025 before the Fed can act.

The dollar also strengthened when it emerged there were 272,000 net new jobs created in the world's biggest economy last month. A figure around 175,000 had been predicted.

The fear here for the Fed is that strong employment and wage growth will push up US inflation.

The FTSE opened 0.6% lower at 8,195 after Friday's decline of almost 0.5%.

The DAX in Germany and French CAC were down 0.7% and 1.9% respectively.

The opening performances reflected Emmanuel Macron calling French parliamentary elections after his party was trounced in the EU vote by Marine Le Pen's far-right group.

Wider results also showed big gains for far-right parties in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

The euro hit a near two-year low versus the pound in Asia dealing and also lost further ground against the dollar.

It's good news if you have a holiday booked in the euro area, as your pound will go further when converted to the single currency.

By Emily Mee , Money team

You've been looking forward to your trip for months, but as you're waiting at the airport you discover - to much frustration - that your flight has been cancelled. 

Damn! Better go on to social media to tweet the company - you're hoping it might get their attention quicker than waiting on hold for an agent or in a long queue at the airport with hundreds of other passengers. 

Within a short while, you have a reply - finally some good news! The airline asks you to DM them, and after some back and forth they're willing to book you on to another flight. They'll need your payment details again, though. 

Little did you realise, this was a tricky-to-spot scam. In your weariness you hadn't realised you were talking to a fake social media profile posing as your chosen airline. 

This is one common holiday booking scam that has been tricking people out of their cash online. 

In a report this year, Lloyds revealed holiday purchase scams have risen by 7% over the past year, with nearly half starting on Facebook. 

The scams to watch out for

• Clone websites - these can appear for airlines, holidays, villas and more. Although you may think you're on a legitimate site, you may not have spotted the URL has been changed. You may even get fake confirmation emails or booking references. 
• Social media promotions - similar to the clone websites, these can often impersonate airlines or hotels, or they may advertise accommodation that doesn't exist.
• Fake activities - when travellers end up paying for activities from fraudulent operators and the tour or activity does not exist.
• Phishing emails - these can appear to come from a legitimate provider and will often ask travellers to confirm their personal and payment details.
• Fake social media messages (as we mentioned above) - after passengers reach out for help on social media, scammers might reply posing as the airline or tour operator.
• Service fees for documents - a long-running scam sees copycat websites pop up where a fee is charged to process or renew a document or health insurance card. 
• Airport parking - some scammers will claim to have a "safe place" for your car but that might not be the case, with some drivers returning to find their cars filthy, damaged or with added mileage. 
• Counterfeit Atol numbers - while the Atol sign should mean your holiday is protected, scammers can use counterfeit numbers on fake web pages.

How can you avoid getting scammed?

Consumer champion Jane Hawkes, also known as Lady Janey , says it's important to do your research in the first place. 

If the website claims to be part of any official travel body, check this for yourself.

For example, you can check if a company is truly Atol protected here . 

Read reviews for the company too - although be aware that some may have fake reviews (these aren't easy to spot, but you should check for things like whether lots of reviews were posted at the same time, if lots of the reviews go over-the-top, and if many use the same phrasing). 

You can also do a Google Maps search for the property being advertised. 

Check contact details are readily available on websites and that there is a telephone number.

"Many scam sites purposely don't have one," Jane explains. 

"If you can't get hold of a company for general enquiries, it'll be a whole lot more difficult if something goes wrong." 

Jane also says you should check for red flags such as poor spelling and grammar in adverts, limited-time offers, and the pressure to make decisions on the spot. 

She recommends keeping all communication on the official platform, for example, when booking through Airbnb. 

"Scammers will try to lure you away in order to gain your personal and banking details. Steer away from any personal correspondence via email, WhatsApp or text," she says. 

When it comes to booking, Jane says to never action a bank transfer  or provide your bank details in response to an advert. 

She suggests using a credit card if the offer is legitimate - this means you'll benefit from extra cover if anything goes wrong. 

Don't agree to PayPal transfers, especially if the transfer is made as "PayPal Friends and Family" as this reduces the protection PayPal can offer. 

For the highest level of consumer protection, Jane recommends booking a package holiday with a trusted travel agent . 

If you have been the victim of a scam then you should report it to the Financial Conduct Authority, Trading Standards, Police Action Fraud or Citizens Advice Scam Action as appropriate. 

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