When travelling abroad, it is easy to forget that mobile phone charges can be extremely high compared to the charges that usually apply at home.  Using mobile phones abroad can even lead to bills so large that, on returning home, debt advice might be needed to cope with paying the amounts owed.  These bills are often unexpected and can come as a shock to the user.

 

There are steps that can be taken to minimise mobile phone charges abroad.  The most obvious is to limit use of the phone when overseas.  If a call is received while abroad there will often be extra charges for accepting it.  Therefore, the number of calls accepted should be limited as well as the number of calls made.

 

International text messages can also be more expensive and, although the difference in cost might not seem too much at first, the extra amounts can soon add up if a number of texts are sent.  Data usage on mobile phones is another area where travellers sometimes do not realise the high costs that can be involved, and there have been some extreme cases of data roaming charges abroad.  Unexpected bills of this type can sometimes be so high that measures such as a debt management plan or debt consolidation loans are necessary to manage the debt.

 

It is not always practical or possible to avoid mobile phone use abroad.  Therefore, it is important for preparations to be made before travelling to avoid the need for debt advice when returning home.

First of all, anyone planning to travel abroad should contact their network provider to make sure their phone is enabled for international roaming.  Otherwise, the phone may not work abroad at all.  At the same time, enquires should be made about the costs of international telephone calls, texts and roaming.

A new EU Roaming Regulation came into force on 1st July 2010, which means that for UK residents travelling in the EU there is a maximum limit of €50 on the data charges that can be run up on a mobile phone.  A change to this limit can be agreed to with service providers or it can be opted out of completely.  There is also no longer any charge for listening to voicemail messages in the EU.

Travel bundles or special packages can sometimes be arranged with mobile service providers especially for travel abroad.  For regular travellers, fixed-fee monthly packages with reduced international roaming rates can be a cost-effective option.  It is also possible to buy a new ‘pay as you go’ SIM card in the country you travel to for use on a local network.

If an unaffordable bill has been run up, it is important to seek debt advice before the situation gets out of hand.  A debt management plan is one way of repaying such a bill, which involves arranging an affordable monthly payment with the agreement of the network provider, until the debt is repaid.  In circumstances where the bill is extreme or part of a wider debt problem, an IVA or debt relief can sometimes be arranged.  A Debt Relief Order may be granted to help individuals who are insolvent, and involves writing off all or part of outstanding debts after one year.  Alternatively, a debt consolidation loan could help to make a less serious debt problem more manageable.

For information on bankruptcy please contact one of our specialist team today.