Why did EU roaming charges come back to UK business mobiles?

The EU's 'Roam Like At Home' rule required free EU roaming as a regulatory obligation. Brexit ended the UK's participation in that regulation from 2021. UK networks aren't required to include EU roaming any more, and many have reintroduced daily fees or roaming bolt-ons.

Which UK networks still include EU roaming on business tariffs?

O2 still includes Roam at Home on most business tariffs. Vodafone and EE charge daily roaming fees on most plans unless you specifically buy an inclusive-roaming plan or bolt-on. Three is mixed. CTN offers plans with inclusive roaming in 83 destinations.

Is Switzerland included in EU roaming?

On most UK networks, no — Switzerland isn't in the EU, so it's often excluded from 'EU inclusive' offerings. CTN's business tariffs do include Switzerland in the 83-destination inclusive roaming list.

How much does a typical EU roaming daily fee cost?

£2-5 per day per line, per country, across EE and Vodafone business tariffs as of 2026. For a single person on a week's trip that's £10-35 added to the bill, usually more than a monthly roaming bolt-on would cost.

How to Stop EU Roaming Charges on Business Mobile (2026 UK Guide)

Last updated: April 2026

If your business mobile bill jumped after a trip abroad in the last year, you're not alone. EU roaming charges on UK business mobiles have crept back since Brexit ended the regulatory "Roam Like At Home" guarantee in 2021. Each network has moved differently, and most consumer-focused "free EU roaming" offers don't apply to business tariffs.

Here's what's actually happening — and how to stop it.

The quick version

Since 2022, most UK networks have unwound blanket free EU roaming for business tariffs. Today:

O2 business tariffs — generally include "Roam at Home" (EU data + inclusive mins/texts) on most plans as standard. This is the exception, not the rule.
Vodafone business tariffs — usually charge a daily roaming fee (around £2-4/day) in the EU unless you're on a specific roaming bundle.
EE business tariffs — daily roaming fees in the EU (around £2-5/day) unless on a specific plan; some higher-tier plans include EU.
Three business tariffs — mixed; some plans include EU roaming, others charge.

If you signed a business contract before 2021 you may be on a legacy "Roam Free" plan. At your next renewal that benefit may disappear unless you specifically negotiate it back in.

The three ways business mobile bills surprise you

1. The daily roaming fee trap

Many EE/Vodafone business plans charge around £2-4 per day per line, per country, for any use abroad. Sounds small. For one staff member on a 5-day EU trip: £10-20. For a sales team of 10 making that trip: £100-200. For drivers on the road all month: £90-120 per driver per month.

Most businesses never budget for this because it's "a daily roaming fee" and they assume staff rarely travel. Then summer holidays happen, or a trade show, or supplier visits, and it stacks up.

2. The "I thought I turned off roaming" issue

Staff are told to turn off data roaming before going abroad. They do. The phone still makes and receives calls on a foreign network, which still triggers the daily fee in most setups. Voice roaming and data roaming are separate settings; turning off data doesn't stop voice charges.

3. The non-EU country surprise

Even networks with inclusive EU roaming often charge punishing rates for Switzerland (not in EU), Turkey, and former Yugoslav states. A quick Swiss ski trip or Istanbul layover can land £100+ per staff member.

What inclusive EU roaming should look like in 2026

A good business mobile tariff in 2026 should include:

All EEA countries (EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) at UK rates
Switzerland (commonly missed but critical — business travel, FinTech, pharma)
Ideally wider — Turkey, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of the Balkans

CTN's current business tariffs include inclusive roaming in 83 destinations — covering the full EEA plus Switzerland, Turkey, USA, Canada, Australia, and much more. Full list in our international business mobile guide.

How to find out what you're actually being charged

Three ways:

1. Check your last three bills

Look for line items labelled "roaming", "international", "EU use", "daily access" or similar. Don't trust the summary — scroll to the detailed usage pages. Total up roaming charges across all lines across the last three months. If it's more than £50/month, you're probably on the wrong tariff.

2. Ask your current network for a roaming usage report

Most networks (EE, Vodafone, O2, Three) have online portals for business accounts showing 12 months of roaming usage. You're entitled to this — ask for it. It'll show per-line, per-country roaming spend over the year.

3. Look at your last trade show or summer holiday spike

Pull the month after your biggest trip of the year. If the mobile bill is 2x-3x normal, that's your answer.

How to fix it

Option 1: switch to a roaming-inclusive tariff on your current network

Often your current network has a better plan that includes EU roaming — they just didn't put you on it because you didn't ask. At renewal, specifically ask for plans with inclusive EU (and Switzerland, Turkey, USA, whatever else you need).

Gotcha: the inclusive-roaming tariffs are sometimes more expensive per month. Run the maths against your actual roaming usage to see if it pays off.

Option 2: add a roaming bolt-on

All networks offer "roaming packs" at £5-15/month that add inclusive EU to a plan that doesn't have it. For moderate travellers (2-5 trips a year), this is cheaper than switching tariff. For heavy travellers, switching is cheaper.

Option 3: switch provider

If your network won't offer a reasonable roaming-inclusive plan, or if their "inclusive" offer has tight data caps (some plans limit EU data to 15GB, then throttle), it may be cheaper to switch.

Option 4: BYOD with individual SIMs

Some businesses abandon company-wide plans and let staff expense a personal SIM. Usually worse — loses control, loses reporting, loses the ability to pull the SIM when someone leaves.

Our business mobile offer

CTN business tariffs include inclusive roaming in 83 destinations as standard:

25GB / 200 international minutes
50GB / 500 international minutes
100GB / unlimited international minutes

All on 36-month terms with fixed pricing (annual increases of £2.50 + VAT/month — less than most networks' post-Brexit creep).

For a typical 5-person team that travels monthly: £20-30 per user per month and roaming is a non-issue from day one.

Common mistakes

Assuming "my last contract included free EU roaming, this one will too." Check the new contract. The regulatory guarantee of free EU roaming ended with Brexit; each new contract is what it is.
Not budgeting for Switzerland. Genuinely the most common surprise — people assume "Europe" includes it; most networks don't. Check the specific country list on any plan.
Assuming Turkey is in the EU for roaming purposes. Turkey isn't EU. On most plans it's expensive to roam in Turkey. CTN happens to include Turkey on the inclusive roaming list; not all providers do.
Trusting "Fair Use" limits. Most "unlimited EU roaming" plans have fair-use caps (commonly 20-30GB data, beyond which they throttle). Read the small print.

FAQs

Why did my EU roaming come back after Brexit?

The EU's "Roam Like At Home" rules were regulatory — requiring networks to include EU roaming in domestic tariffs. Brexit ended the UK's participation in that regulation. Networks aren't forced to include EU roaming any more, so many have reintroduced daily fees or roaming bolt-ons.

Are there any UK networks with truly free EU roaming still?

O2 still includes EU roaming ("Roam at Home") on most business tariffs as standard. Vodafone and EE have moved to daily fees or roaming bundles on most plans. Three is mixed. CTN offers plans including inclusive roaming in 83 destinations.

How much is a typical daily roaming fee?

£2-5 per day per line, per country, across EE and Vodafone business tariffs. O2's Roam at Home is free on qualifying plans.

Does the inclusive roaming include Switzerland?

On CTN business tariffs, yes. On many other UK networks, Switzerland is excluded from "EU inclusive" offerings because it's not in the EU. Always check the country list.

Will calling back to the UK from abroad use roaming?

Yes, if you're physically abroad and make a call. Which minute allowance it uses depends on your plan. On CTN inclusive roaming, calls to UK numbers while in any of the 83 countries come out of your standard UK minutes allowance.

Getting a quote

Call 01743 598025 or request a quote. Send us your last three mobile bills — we'll audit your roaming usage and show you exactly what CTN's inclusive plan would save. No pressure, and we'll be honest if your current setup is already competitive.