{
  "id": 8438649,
  "title": "I got hit by phantom roaming charges abroad — here’s how to avoid them",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/i-got-hit-by-phantom-roaming-charges-abroad-heres-how-to-avoid-them",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-19T10:00:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Android Authority",
    "slug": "android-authority",
    "url": "https://www.androidauthority.com/phantom-roaming-charges-how-to-avoid-3710125/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "I recently learned of a shocking incident where a Reddit user was left with a staggering $53,000 roaming charge after an eight-day European trip, despite expecting only $100 in fees. Many people feel sympathy for such unfortunate cases, but also wonder how someone could have experienced such a severe lesson. In my own experience, I encountered a different scenario involving phantom roaming charges, but fortunately, the amount was considerably lower. I only incurred approximately $20 in roaming charges, which, while not negligible, was far less damaging than the Reddit user's $53,000 bill.\n\nWhat surprised me the most was that I had taken every precaution to prevent data usage during my travels. I believed I had done everything right to avoid using mobile data, but I was wrong. As you might be thinking, I was not solely responsible for this incident, and I was not even lucky enough to escape with a minor charge. I had not forgotten to switch off data or roaming after landing, and this device was not a travel eSIM that took a few seconds to activate. In fact, I was not even using the device to access data at all. I live outside the country of my home network, and this SIM is housed in a separate phone that remains on my desk. The device is set to not use mobile data or roaming, and it is always connected to my Wi-Fi network. I rarely touch the device and have never used it to contact anyone, treating it more like a paperweight than an active phone. Despite all these measures, I still experienced phantom roaming charges twice in a span of three months.",
  "summary": "Think your device settings will save you? I made that mistake.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}