EE has just issued bad news to some of its customers with the UK network confirming that it’s hiking prices yet again. The cost increase will hurt anyone who is signed up for the firm’s Roam Further plan which basically allows data, calls and texts to be used in countries such as the USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia.
At the start of the year, EE charged just £10 per month for this useful add-on but that then rose to £15 at the end of March. Now customers have just been told that using their smartphones in other parts of the world will cost them £25 per month – that’s a rise of 60 percent and more than double the price at the start of 2023.
In a message sent out to customers, EE confirmed: “Hi, your Roam Further pass will be increasing in price from £15 to £25 a month on 18 October 2023.”
EE users clearly aren’t happy about the fees with some so angered by the changes they have even threatened to ditch the network for good.
Posting messages on X (formally Twitter) one EE user named Steve said: “@EE just received this. £15-£25 roaming pass increasing! That’s a huge jump. Guess I’ll change my service provider!”
READ MORE: Freeview issues urgent advice as your TV could stop working today
Another, named Will added: “@EE are increasing data roaming from £15 to £25 a month, what a rip off! It’s free on O2….. by EE.”
Whilst EE users Louise simply asked: “@EE a £10 from £15 to £25pm increase on roaming pass when a number of your competitors include this for free – what’s the reason behind a 67% increase?”
There’s no word on why EE has felt the need to increase things by such a large amount but Express.co.uk has emailed the firm with a spokesperson saying: “From October 18th this year, EE will increase prices for customers wishing to use the Roam Abroad pass to £25 a month. This price rise will apply to new and existing EE customers. Customers on iPhone and Full Works plans will be able to use the Roam Abroad inclusive Extra at no extra cost .For those that don’t choose to add the pass to their account, a flat charge of just over £2 a day will be applied if roaming in the EU.”
Of course, EE is not alone in charging users for data with all networks setting a fee for usage abroad. For example, Three charges £5 per day to access data in the USA and Vodafone has fees of around £6.50 depending on the contract.
One way to beat EE’s charge is to take out a plan that features a Smart Benefit, these are inclusive and can be changed each month with options such as Roam Further, Apple TV+ and Microsoft 365 Personal all available.
If you have been hit by the hike and head away on a regular basis then now is a good time to shop around and see what deals will save you money.
