Tips for Using Mobile Phones Abroad

Before you go

Make sure your mobile phone will work in the country you're travelling to. If your mobile phone works in the UK it will work anywhere in the EU, as well as many other countries.

Don't forget to take your charger and travel adapter with you before you go on holiday.

If you are on pay as you go, don’t forget to top up before you leave.

Charges Abroad
Most of the time when you go to a country in Europe you will find there are several network providers and there can be different call charges that are applicable depending on which network provider you connect to. To find out how much calls cost when you are connected to any of the networks in the European country, it is advised to to visit 'best roaming fares' from GSM Europe.

Customers may find that their service provider has barred them from overseas use. This barring can usually be removed by telephoning the Customer Services of their network provider.

Voicemail
For all networks you may have to contact their customer services to enable voicemail abroad.

Phoning home from abroad
To call phone numbers from abroad, including mobiles, you’ll need to replace the first ‘0’ of the number with a country code - this is a ’+’ sign and the country’s number. The UK’s number is ‘44’.

Your Network
Because much of the information above depends upon your specific network operator, we have provided a guide below with helpful advice for all the major mobile phone providers.

Orange

Pay as you go
If you are on pay as you go your phone is already set up and you will not need to make any changes.

Monthly Tariff
If you pay monthly, you will need to contact Orange at least 24 hours before your departure on 150 from your mobile or 07973 100 150 from any other phone to ensure it is set up for use abroad. More information on using your Orange phone abroad including costs and coverage

Virgin Mobile

Pay as you go
If you are on pay as you go your phone is already set up and you will not need to make any changes.

Monthly Tariff
If you pay monthly you can use your mobile in over 160 countries. If you're new to Virgin Mobile you are required to of paid 3 monthly bills or added a deposit of £150 to your account.

More information on using your Virgin Mobile phone abroad including costs and coverage.

T-Mobile

Whatever T-Mobile price plan you're on - even pay as you go - your phone may be already set up for use abroad. If not, you should call Customer Services on 150 for a quick setup. Please note that some pay monthly customers may be required to pay a deposit before this can be enabled.
More information on using your T-Mobile phone abroad including costs and coverage.

O2

Pay as you go
It is advised to call the information line free on 2202 from your mobile phone to see whether the country you're travelling to is on the list of Direct Dial countries. If you're not going to a Direct Dial country, doesn’t worry, the information line will still tell you how to use your mobile phone abroad.

Monthly Tariff
For Pay monthly customers it is advised to view costs and coverage details on the 'international section' of the O2 website.

Vodafone

Your Vodafone Mobile should already be set up for use abroad, however it is advised to read costs and coverage details on the ‘using your phone abroad’ section of the Vodafone website.

Overseas Costs
It's easy to check how much your overseas call costs will be. You can do it before you leave the UK.

Just text the word FROM, followed by the name of the country you're visiting e.g. FROM ITALY, to 4636.
Vodafone will work out how much it’s going to cost you to make and receive calls from there and how much to send texts. Vodafone will then text you back with their findings.

More information on using your Vodafone Mobile abroad including costs and coverage.

3 Mobile

Call charges depend on where you're travelling. It is advised to read ‘International pricing’ for full details a the 3Mobile website

Pay as you go
You should be automatically set up to use your mobile in over 65 countries abroad, with new countries being added all the time, so check for updates. To see which countries you can currently use your mobile in and how much it costs, visit the Pay as you go abroad advice on the 3Mobile site.

Monthly Tariff
You should be automatically set up to use your mobile in over 150 countries. Plus, new countries are added all the time, so make sure you check back regularly for updates.

To see which countries you can currently use your mobile in and how much it costs, visit the Pay Monthly abroad advice on the 3Mobile site.