Unterwegs mit dem Smartphone: Die letzten ihrer Art: Roaming-Fallen erkennen und umgehen

Mobile internet usage can lead to high mobile phone bills while traveling outside the EU, if one is not vigilant. If you swap in a SIM card from the country you're visiting or use an eSIM with a favorable tariff for that country during your trip, it's advisable to check your smartphone settings at the start of your journey to see which SIM the device is currently using and for what purpose.

If the desired allocation of phone calls and data to the respective SIM cards isn't correct, you'll need to change the relevant settings. Using or misaligning a SIM card can result in unexpectedly high costs. Roaming without consent: What costly trips can look like According to consumer advocates, a woman returning from an Australia vacation received a mobile phone bill over 900 euros.

The issue? She hadn't noticed that her smartphone was still set to use a German provider's active eSIM. Fortunately, the eSIM provider had promised to warn the customer via SMS once 150 euros worth of costs had accumulated in the billing month. Unfortunately, the warning was missed, so the woman might be able to claim compensation.

The bill should not have to be paid in full. EU roaming safety net: Not always reliable For tariffs from EU providers worldwide, there's always the so-called EU roaming safety net: when 80 percent of the preset cost limit of 50 euros (around 60 euros gross) or another self-set upper limit is reached, the provider must send a warning message.

However, the EU roaming safety net only works if data usage in the respective country is recorded in real-time. If the safety net doesn't work in a particular country, users must receive a warning SMS upon entering that country. Fair use policy: Money still changes hands Even within Europe, problems can arise. Another case brought to the attention of Hannoveraner Verbraucherzentrale involved a customer whose contract promised unlimited surfing.

Despite this, the provider charged around 60 euros for the data volume used during the vacation. The reason: the EU's fair use policy, which states that while the same mobile phone contract conditions should generally apply abroad as at home, they do not always guarantee unlimited usage. If the tariff is very cheap or offers unlimited data, the data volume can be limited.

This prevents tariffs from constantly being used elsewhere. The aim is to prevent mobile phone tariffs from being used persistently or excessively in other countries, according to consumer advocates. The amount of free data depends on the contract, and the calculation is legally regulated. Once the limit is reached, the provider can charge 1.10 euros gross per gigabyte for further usage, provided they have previously informed about the additional costs.

The EU roaming safety net must not be exceeded here either. Four gaps in the EU roaming regulation... To address these and other issues, the Bundesverband Verbraucherzentralen is calling for an extension to the EU roaming regulation covering the following points: Tariffs with unlimited data volumes should also allow for unlimited roaming.

The same tariff conditions as at home should apply for calls or SMS from the home country to the EU. In areas adjacent to countries not covered by the EU roaming regulation, such as Switzerland, there should be protection from unintentional roaming or the high extra costs that arise from it. Protection from high extra costs on cruise ships or flights should also be improved, as many ships and planes have their own mobile networks that devices can automatically connect to. ... and four workarounds to deal with it Until there is EU regulation on some or all of these four points, the following precautions are recommended: Calculate the free data volume beforehand using the fair use policy and then set a data warning and/or data limit on your smartphone.

Use the statutory calculation formula: divide the monthly basic fee (excluding VAT) by the current EU wholesale price for one gigabyte of data (2026: 1.10 euros gross) and double the result. Don't make phone calls domestically without first checking the provider's price. Consider alternatives like messenger apps. In areas adjacent to countries not covered by the EU roaming regulation, disable automatic network selection and select the network manually.

Turn on airplane mode on flights or ships. Make sure to read information SMS with the applicable prices, which you will also receive upon entering other countries. Such notifications are mandatory as soon as a phone connects to the ship or flight network.