Several mobile phone operators in Germany have announced that they will not introduce roaming charges for people visiting the UK in 2021. On the other hand, British travellers visiting the EU may face additional charges from next year.

No roaming charges for German travellers

Customers of several German phone operators that travel to the UK will not incur any extra costs for using their mobile phone abroad. The UK’s exit from the EU at the end of 2020 saw a number of regulatory changes, including the removal of the UK from the EU’s Roaming Regulation, which abolished additional roaming charges for EU citizens when visiting another EU country.

Initially, service providers on both sides did not introduce roaming charges. German service providers have even confirmed that people with German phone contracts will not face any additional charges when travelling to the UK this year. Accordingly, both Vodafone and Telekom have announced there are currently no plans to reintroduce roaming costs for the foreseeable future. 1&1 and O2 have also chosen not to bring back roaming costs but have not ruled out reintroducing them at a later time.

Whether the companies bring back roaming charges depends on whether they can conclude negotiations with their counterparts in Britain.

Roaming charges could return for British travellers in 2022

At the beginning of 2021, following Brexit, Britain’s main phone operators, including Three, EE, Vodafone and O2, announced there were no plans to reintroduce roaming charges. However, many of the international companies decided they would implement “fair use” policies. According to these, Britons shouldn’t use roaming data for more than 62 days in a four-month period.

However, some British telephone providers, including Vodafone and EE, have since announced that they plan to bring back roaming charges from January 2022. Thus, free-roaming in the EU will only be available from certain providers.