The Best Mobile Network

For the purposes of the table above, countries in Europe are defined as the following:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.

Any other country comes under the Rest of world category.

All data is charged to the nearest 1p so you won’t have to pay for any more than you actually use. However, as you can imagine, data roaming can end up being very expensive if you use it for downloading large files or any internet task much more bandwidth-hungry than emails.

Another issue is that many modern smartphones automatically use internet data in the background without your knowledge so if you don’t deactivate these services before you leave the UK, it can end up costing you a lot of money. Luckily, because giffgaff is a PAYG network you won’t experience the horror stories of surprise £1000 phone bills when you get home as you can only spend the credit you have. Even so, it’s often best to completely switch off data roaming when you’re not using it.

How to switch data roaming off

Android

Press Menu on a Home Screen and go Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile networks and uncheck Data roaming.

iPhone, iPad or any iOS device

Simple go to your Settings screen then navigate to General > Network. Once you’re there you can slide Data Roaming off.

Mobile internet bar

If you prefer, you can turn off data altogether through. Simply go to My giffgaff and click the link to ask an agent. Then just ask for a “mobile internet bar”. This will stop all internet access with your SIM in the UK as well as when roaming so you’ll need to ask for it to be unbarred once you return.

Alternatively, you could ask for a “roaming bar” instead which will stop all calls, texts, MMS and mobile internet while you’re abroad. Again, you can always ask for this to be unbarred whenever you want.

Tips to minimise internet charges when roaming

• Use mobile versions of website and don’t leave data apps running in the background accidentally.
• It’s also worth saving money by trying to minimise use of data-intensive apps like YouTube, Spotify or other streaming services and app stores.
• Use free or cheap wifi when possible.
• Buy a local SIM card when abroad and use that instead.
• Set up your email application to only check for new messages when you request it rather than automatically.
• Use MMS instead of email. It only costs 16p to a UK number no matter where in the world you are.

If you have any other tips for keeping down data roaming costs, please leave them in the comments below.